Product Options and Variants: Selling One Thing in Many Versions

You sell T-shirts. The same shirt comes in three sizes (Small, Medium, Large) and three colors (Black, White, Navy). You could create 9 separate listings — but that's painful to manage and confusing for shoppers.

The better way: one listing, with pickers on the storefront so customers choose their size and color. That's what options and variants do.

Setting it up — 4 quick steps

1. Fill in the basics

Open New product in the Strawlo app. Add the name, price, photos, and category like normal. Don't worry about stock yet — once you turn on options, stock is counted per variant.

2. Flip on "This product comes in options"

Scroll down and you'll see a single switch: This product comes in options. Turn it on.

Most products don't vary, so this section stays out of your way until you need it. The moment you flip it, your first option group appears.

3. Add your options — variants build themselves

• Option name (the question): Size
• Values (the answers): Small, Medium, Large — each added as a chip

Tap Add another option for Color with Black, White, Navy. You can have up to 2 option groups per product.

Here's the part we redesigned: there's no Generate button anymore. As you add values, Strawlo builds every combination for you in real time — 3 sizes × 3 colors = 9 variant rows, appearing right under your options as you type. Remove the "Navy" chip and its rows disappear; add it back and they return.

4. Set price & stock right on each row

Every variant row has its own Price and Stock fields, editable in place — no popups, no extra screens. New rows start at your product's price (it's labelled Default price once options are on), so you only touch the ones that differ:

• Small / Black: 4 in stock
• Small / White: 3 in stock
• Medium / Black: 6 in stock
• …and so on.

A running total at the bottom of the list adds it all up as you type. When you're done, tap Save Product — the button always says Save now, no surprises — and you're live.

What shoppers see

One listing with two pickers:

Plain T-shirt — ¢50

Size:    [ Small ]  [ Medium ]  [ Large ]
Color:   [ Black ]  [ White ]   [ Navy ]

🟢 30 in stock          [ Add to cart ]

Sold-out combinations are struck through automatically. When someone buys 1 × Large/Navy, that variant's stock drops by one and the total updates — atomically, no spreadsheet.

A few things to know

• Stock lives on the variants. With options on, the single Stock field disappears — each variant row carries its own count, and the total is shown under the list. One source of truth, no double entry.
• Editing options later is safe. Add a value and its new rows appear instantly; remove a value and only its rows go — every other variant keeps the price and stock you already set. No regenerating, no lost numbers.
• Asymmetric stock is fine. If you only stock Navy in Medium, just leave Small/Navy and Large/Navy at 0 — sold-out combinations are struck through on your storefront automatically.
• Turning options off clears the product's options and variants, so Strawlo asks you to confirm first. Your older products with hand-made variants still work too — they show up in a Custom variants list you can edit or remove.
• When not to use variants: if your "variants" are really different products (bundles, gift cards, two unrelated items sharing a name) — split them into separate listings instead.

The fastest way to feel comfortable is to make a test product (mark it as draft so customers don't see it), add Size and Color, and walk through your own storefront. Once you've done it once, you'll never list duplicates again.