Shopify merchants with extensive product catalogs have always found it challenging to manage many variants. Previously, the platform’s limit of 250 variants per product restricted sellers from offering the full breadth of their inventory or creating products with complex customization options.
Great news for store owners! Shopify announced a major Dev Preview program update in October 2023. The update includes increased variant support, meaning merchants can create products with up to 2000 variants. This significant advancement will allow businesses selling diverse and customizable products to explore new possibilities.
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What Does This Mean for Merchants?
Merchants always aim to get the most from each Shopify upgrade. With the increasing number of Shopify variants, now the possibility of product add-ons and modifications have increased to the upper level.
Merchants can now offer customers:
- Clothing in every size, color, and fabric combination imaginable.
- Electronics with a wide range of technical specifications.
- Furniture pieces in countless customization options.
- Personalized products with unique engravings or designs.
With a limit of 2000 variants, these previously unattainable offerings are now attainable. This results in an enhanced product experience for your customers, increased satisfaction, and potentially higher sales.
Benefits of Increased Variant Support
- Cater to diverse customer preferences: Offer multiple options to cater to individual needs and styles.
- Boost product discoverability: More specific variants make your products more likely to appear in relevant search results with more specific variants.
- Reduce customer inquiries: Provide all the information customers need upfront with detailed variant descriptions.
- Increase order value: Customers can add personalized or customized items to their carts.
- Stay ahead of the competition: Differentiate your store by offering unique and extensive product variations.
How to Access the Dev Preview?
The increased variant support is currently available in the Shopify Dev Preview program. This program allows merchants and developers to test upcoming features before they are officially released.
To enable the Increased Variants preview, follow these steps:
- Log in to your Shopify partner dashboard, click stores
- Navigate to Settings > Developer Preview.
- Find the Increased Variants preview and toggle it on.
Important Note: The Dev Preview should only be used for testing and not on live stores. Any changes made in the preview will not be reflected in your production store.
Additional Considerations!
While the increased variant limit is exciting news, there are some things to keep in mind:
- Theme compatibility: Ensure your theme is compatible with the new APIs before using the increased variant feature.
- App compatibility: Verify that any apps you use are compatible with the increased variant limit.
- Data management: Managing a large number of variants can be complex. Consider using data management tools to streamline the process.
- Performance: A large number of variants can impact your store’s performance. Optimize your store to ensure a smooth user experience.
Final Words
The increased variant support in Shopify’s Dev Preview is a significant step forward for merchants with diverse product catalogs. By taking advantage of this feature, you can offer a wider range of products, cater to more customer preferences, and boost your sales.
If you’re ready to break the limits and unlock the full potential of your product offerings, consider enabling the Dev Preview and exploring the possibilities of 2000 variants. Contact Metizsoft Solutions – Your one true Shopify Partner for end-to-end assistance!
