Variants vs options: how Shopify’s limits actually work

Options vs variants explained

• Options are attributes like Size, Color, and Material (max 3 per product).

• Variants are the unique combinations of those options (e.g., Red / Large / Cotton).

• Inventory, SKU, barcode, price, and fulfillment happen at the variant level.

Per-product and per-option constraints

• Max 3 options per product.

• Option values can be many, but the total number of combinations cannot exceed your variant cap (100 or up to 2048 if enabled).

• Images and media can be associated with variants; consider the load implications for large catalogs.

The historical 100-variant cap and what changed

• Historically, Shopify enforced a 100-variant limit with 3 options per product.

• The newer product model raises the limit to 2048 variants for eligible stores, maintaining the 3-option structure, with theme and API updates required.

Is the higher-variant feature right for you?

Requirements (plan, theme, APIs)

• Plan: Eligibility varies; confirm with Shopify Support if your plan qualifies for the higher limit.

• Theme: An OS 2.0 theme, updated to:

  • Render variant pickers efficiently.

  • Defer loading of variant data and images.

  • Avoid loading the full variant payload upfront.

• APIs:

  • Use Admin GraphQL/REST for bulk variant creation and updates.

  • Use Storefront API or Section Rendering to lazy-load variant data.

Pros and cons vs split products or apps

• Using up to 2048 variants in one product:

  • Pros: Single PDP improves discoverability, unified reviews/merchandising, simpler analytics and SEO consolidation.

  • Cons: Heavier PDP payloads, complex selectors, potential theme/app incompatibilities, more intensive QA.

• Split products or custom-options apps:

  • Pros: Lighter PDPs, simpler UX per product, easier to fit >3 options.

  • Cons: Fragmented SEO/analytics, cross-product inventory coordination, more redirects and maintenance.

Decision checklist

• Choose 2048 variants if:

  • You fit within 3 options.

  • You need a unified PDP/URL.

  • Your theme and APIs can handle large data efficiently.

• Choose workarounds if:

  • You require more than 3 options.

  • Your store is ineligible or performance/UX suffers.

  • Your ERP/WMS or PO workflows are simpler with multiple products.

Enable and set up products with >100 variants

Feature enablement steps

• Confirm eligibility with Shopify Support for the 2048-variant limit.

• Update your theme to the latest OS 2.0 version and ensure:

  • Variant picker supports swatches or grouped dropdowns.

  • JS logic pulls variant JSON on demand, not all at once.

• Test in a duplicate theme:

  • Create a test product with 150–500 variants.

  • Validate selector performance, image swapping, price/availability updates, and add-to-cart accuracy.

CSV template for large variant imports

• Use standard product CSV with Option1/2/3 Name and Value.

• Keep Option Name spelling consistent and case-stable across all rows.

• Example headers and rows (simplified):

  • Handle,Title,Option1 Name,Option1 Value,Option2 Name,Option2 Value,Option3 Name,Option3 Value,Variant SKU,Variant Barcode,Variant Price,Variant Inventory Qty

  • tee-pro,Performance Tee,Color,Black,Size,L,Material,Cotton,TEE-BLK-L-COT,123456789012,29.00,25

  • tee-pro,Performance Tee,Color,Black,Size,XL,Material,Cotton,TEE-BLK-XL-COT,123456789013,29.00,20

• Tips:

  • Generate SKUs algorithmically: PRODUCT-OPTION1-OPTION2-OPTION3.

  • Keep CSV under practical size limits by batching (e.g., 500–1,000 variants per file) to avoid timeouts.

  • Validate with a small import before bulk runs.

REST/GraphQL creation examples

• Admin REST (conceptual):

  • POST variants to the product, batching to respect rate limits.

  • Update inventory levels separately if using multiple locations.

• Admin GraphQL (conceptual flow):

  • Create product.

  • Use a bulk create mutation to add variants in batches.

  • Attach media to specific variants.

• General best practices:

  • Batch requests to avoid throttling.

  • Retry with exponential backoff.

  • Log created variant IDs and SKUs for reconciliation.

SKU and option naming conventions

• Options:

  • Stable names: Color, Size, Material (avoid renaming post-launch).

  • Values: Keep concise and standardized (e.g., BLK, NVY, WHT).

• SKUs:

  • Use a predictable schema: PRODUCT-FAMILY_OPTION1_OPTION2_OPTION3 (max length to fit ERP/POS limits).

  • Avoid spaces and special characters.

• Barcodes:

  • Use GTIN-14/13/12 where applicable; keep uniqueness across locations.

Migrate from split products or custom-options apps

Inventory mapping and SKU consolidation

• Build a mapping table:

  • Old product/variant → New unified variant SKU.

  • Include inventory per location, safety stock, reorder points.

• Freeze changes:

  • Pause bulk edits while migrating.

  • Use a cutover window to sync final inventory deltas.

301 redirects and canonical tags

• If merging multiple products into one:

  • 301 redirect the old PDPs to the new canonical PDP.

  • Preserve query parameters for pre-selected options where applicable.

  • Ensure canonical tags point to the new master URL.

Updating theme selectors and filters

• Replace multi-product links with a single product selector.

• Ensure filters and search can target variant attributes (e.g., Color).

• Update collection badges, swatches, and quick-add logic to read variant availability.

Go-live QA checklist

• Product page:

  • Variant selection changes price, media, SKU, and availability correctly.

  • Add-to-cart sends the correct variant ID.

• Collections and search:

  • Filters facet by variant attributes and availability.

• Mobile:

  • Swatches and dropdowns are readable, scrollable, and reachable with one hand.

• Cart and checkout:

  • Line items display correct variant titles, price, and tax rules.

• Integrations:

  • ERP/WMS receive correct SKUs and inventory updates.

  • POS barcode scans match the right variants.

UX and performance at scale

Selector patterns (swatches, dropdowns, search-in-variants)

• Use grouped selectors: Color swatches first, then Size dropdowns.

• Collapse rarely used options under “More options” to reduce clutter.

• Add typeahead for long lists (e.g., 80+ sizes or lengths).

• Show only valid combinations after each selection (progressive filtering).

Lazy-loading variant data and images

• Defer variant JSON:

  • Load only the selected variant and immediate siblings on first paint.

  • Fetch additional variant details on selection change.

• Defer media:

  • Use responsive images and lazy-load non-selected variant media.

  • Preload only the next-likely image (e.g., adjacent color).

Faceted filtering and on-site search

• Collections:

  • Expose variant attributes as facets (e.g., Color, Size availability).

  • Reflect inventory: hide or de-emphasize out-of-stock combinations.

• Search:

  • Index variant titles/SKUs to improve findability.

  • Support quick-add from search results for common sizes.

Accessibility and mobile ergonomics

• Provide visible focus states, ARIA roles for variant pickers, and text equivalents for swatches.

• Ensure tap targets are ≥44px on mobile.

• Keep selection state readable under high contrast modes.

• Preserve selection on filter changes to reduce reselection.

SEO and merchandising

Indexation strategy for variant-rich products

• Keep a single canonical PDP for the product.

• Avoid query-parameter pages being indexed for variant selection states.

• Use breadcrumbs and internal links to related collections rather than variant URLs.

• For practical inventory planning advice that complements catalog structure decisions, browse our inventory management blog

Structured data for variants

• Provide JSON-LD for Product with multiple Offers representing variants.

• Include attributes: sku, gtin, color, size, availability, price, currency.

• Keep prices and availability synced to avoid mismatches with SERP rich results.

Collections, tags, and filters that convert

• Use consistent tags for merchandising (e.g., “Tall”, “Petite”, “Wide”).

• Surface best-selling variant attributes first.

• Show “Back in stock soon” or lead-time messaging at the variant level.

Operations: inventory, ERP, fulfillment, and POS

SKU schema, barcodes, and locations

• Align SKU schema across Shopify, ERP, WMS, and 3PL.

• Assign barcodes per variant; verify uniqueness in POS.

• Map inventory per location; ensure replenishment rules account for demand by variant and region.

Sync considerations with ERP/WMS

• Batch updates to reduce API thrash during big imports.

• Reconcile by variant ID and SKU on a schedule (e.g., every 5–15 minutes).

• Maintain a reference file of variant IDs created during migration.

• If you forecast by variant to avoid stockouts during catalog changes, review our suite of inventory planning tools

• For teams forecasting replenishment directly in Shopify, our Shopify inventory forecasting app can help consolidate demand signals

Bundles, kits, and customizations

• For bundles and kits:

  • Consider virtual bundles that decrement component variant inventory.

  • Validate bundle availability logic against component stock.

• Customizations:

  • Use line item properties for engravings or notes that don’t require inventory.

  • If customization affects fulfillment picking, treat it as a distinct variant or bundle.

Edge cases and compatibility

Subscriptions, discounts, and pricing rules

• Subscriptions:

  • Confirm subscription apps can attach to newly created variants in bulk.

• Discounts:

  • Test variant-specific discounts and quantity breaks at scale.

• Price lists:

  • Validate market-specific pricing per variant if applicable.

Shopify Markets, currencies, languages

• Markets:

  • Configure tax and pricing per market; verify variant visibility rules.

• Currencies:

  • Check rounding and compare-at-price per currency on variant changes.

• Languages:

  • Translate option values consistently; avoid changing the meaning of variant titles.

App compatibility and theme limitations

• Confirm compatibility for:

  • Reviews, subscriptions, bundles, search, filters, and analytics apps.

• Theme pitfalls:

  • Theme code that assumes ≤100 variants or preloads all variant JSON can cause slowdowns; refactor to dynamic loading.

• Running stores on both platforms? There’s also a WooCommerce inventory forecasting plugin to align replenishment across catalogs

Resources and templates

CSV and GraphQL snippets

• CSV headers (core fields):

  • Handle, Title, Body (HTML), Vendor, Product Category, Type, Tags, Published

  • Option1 Name, Option1 Value, Option2 Name, Option2 Value, Option3 Name, Option3 Value

  • Variant SKU, Variant Barcode, Variant Price, Variant Compare At Price, Variant Inventory Qty, Variant Requires Shipping, Variant Taxable, Image Src

• GraphQL flow (conceptual):

  • Create product.

  • Bulk-create variants with option values and SKUs.

  • Attach media to variants.

  • Publish to channels.

• Tip: Keep a mapping file of option values → media to automate image assignments.

Decision matrix and migration checklist

• Use 2048 variants when:

  • ≤3 options, need single PDP, and theme can lazy-load data.

• Use split products when:

  • 
    

  3 options, complex merchandising by sub-family, or performance issues.

• Migration checklist:

  • Build mapping table (old → new SKUs/IDs)

  • Prepare redirects

  • Update theme selectors

  • Reindex search and filters

  • Validate ERP/WMS sync

  • Soft launch with monitoring

Troubleshooting and common errors

• Import fails near 100 variants:

  • Higher limit not enabled; confirm eligibility and theme readiness.

• Variant creation throttled:

  • Reduce batch size and implement retries.

• Wrong variant in cart:

  • Fix variant ID mapping in theme JS; test with accessibility tools.

• Slow PDP:

  • Defer variant JSON and media; split images into per-variant sets; minimize custom scripts.

• Soft CTA: If you’re weighing 2048 variants versus split products, map your options and variant count, prototype a single high-variant PDP in a duplicate theme, and load-test before committing the model across your catalog.

FAQs

What is Shopify’s current variant limit?

Many stores still have a 100-variant cap with 3 options. Eligible stores using Shopify’s newer product model can support up to 2048 variants per product, subject to theme and API compatibility.

Can I have more than 3 options per product?

No. The higher variant limit increases the number of variants but does not change the 3-option maximum per product. If you need >3 options, consider split products or custom-options approaches.

Do I need Shopify Plus to use higher variant limits?

Eligibility varies. The 2048-variant limit is available to stores that have the feature enabled by Shopify. Confirm eligibility and prerequisites for your plan with Shopify Support.

How do I enable the 2048-variant limit on my store?

Verify eligibility with Shopify Support, update to a compatible OS 2.0 theme, and ensure your APIs and apps support large variant sets. Test by creating a product with more than 100 variants in a staging theme.

Will thousands of variants slow down my storefront?

They can if you load all variant data and media upfront. Use lazy-loading, progressive filtering, responsive images, and minimal initial JSON to keep LCP and interaction fast.

How do I import more than 100 variants via CSV or API?

Use standard CSV in batches and the Admin APIs (REST or GraphQL) to create variants in bulk. Batch requests to respect rate limits and keep a reconciliation log of created variant IDs and SKUs.

What’s the best workaround if I can’t use the higher limit?

Split products by a primary option (e.g., Color), use custom-options or line item properties for non-inventory attributes, and unify merchandising with collections and redirects.

How does the variant limit affect POS and inventory syncing?

Each variant needs unique SKUs and barcodes for POS. Ensure your ERP/WMS syncs variant-level stock per location and that barcode scans map to the correct variant in POS.