Working with variants

Introduction to variants

A traditional variant is a pre-defined way of building a product virtually, so that all possible combinations don’t have to be defined upfront but can be created when needed and understood by all actors. An example could be a shirt that has different colors (BLUE, BLACK, WHITE) defined as variant_A, in different sizes (S, M, L, XL), like Shirt-BLACK-XL. Assume there are 25 models available in 10 colors that in turn are available in 5 different sizes. The variant scheme means you only have to maintain 25 products and 15 variant definitions instead of 1.250. This method of handling variants is supported by most ERP systems.

Norce handles variants a bit different compared to other systems. Whereas most systems have a main product that allows to add sub-products as variants, Norce's variants are products grouped as variants with a unique common identifier instead.

Variants structure

Creating variants

  1. Start with selecting the product that will be the template for the variant structure.
  2. Select the Variant Type and set the Variant Code. Variant Codes are the unique identifier for the set of products, and they're mainly used to reference the group of products when updating products through imports, either through integration or Excel.
  3. Search for other products that should be included in the variant and add those. Make sure the variants have the same Manufacturer, otherwise they can't be connected as variants.
  4. Fill out the variant parameter for each included product and press Save.

Variants screenshot

What content is shared between variants?

Data Description
Prices  Prices are unique for each variant.
Text  Texts can either be shared across all variants or each variant can have unique texts. This is managed in client settings.
Flags  Flags are shared across all variants.
Variant Flags  Variant flags are unique for each variant.
Images  Images can be both shared across all variants or unique for each variant.
Relations Related products can be shared across all variants, or unique products can be added to each variant.