How to create product variations using templates

Who doesn’t fancy a Khadi? Benarasi silk? Or even a Kanjeevaram?

Creating variations (for some categories) is a necessity while selling online as it helps you group different variants (e.g., sizes, colours, etc.) of the same products instead of creating individual listings. This is beneficial for both you as well as the customers. Previously, we discussed how to create variations using add product and variation wizard. This blog is a guide on how to create variations using templates.

There are two ways to do this,

1. Add product via upload under the inventory tab on Seller Central
2. Create new variation family by combining existing stand-alone listings under the Variation Wizard

In both the scenarios, follow the steps mentioned below to create variations.
>Under the inventory tab click on Add product via upload.
>Select a template corresponding to your category and click on the Select box. This will add the category to a table.
>Click on Generate Template and save the file.
>Click on the Template tab on the downloaded excel sheet
>In the inventory template, create/edit parent and child SKUs.

In the template, there are four attributes used to create parent-child relationships:
Parentage: Specify if the item is a parent or child.
Parent SKU: Enter the parent SKU the child belongs to. It should be only for child items and is same for all the children.
Relationship type: This field is always ‘Variation’ and it should only be filled in for the child items.
Variation theme: Check the valid values tab for possible variations of your item, for example, size or colour. Provide same attributes to parent item as the child item. However, since the parent is not a physical item for sale, leave the following blank - product ID, price, quantity and item package quantity, weight information and varying attributes like colour and size.

Additionally, fill in details like Product ID, Product ID Type, Brand, Title, colour, size and others for the child items. Please note that the child attributes like SKU, Product ID, Model number and variation attributes must be unique to each child item. Once these fields are filled, save the file.

To upload the template, click on the “upload your inventory file” under “Add product via upload”. Choose the file type as ‘inventory file’, browse and upload the saved template. You can also check the ‘Email Alert’ box to receive an update when the file is uploaded. You can monitor the status of your upload under the “Monitor upload status” tab.

Based on the above mentioned steps, you will be able to create variations easily once you have setup your online business.