Shopify is a popular e-commerce platform known for its simplicity and flexibility. However, it does come with certain limitations, such as a 100 variant limit per product. This limit can be a hurdle for businesses selling products with numerous variations. This article explores several technical strategies to bypass Shopify’s 100 variant limit.
Understanding Shopify’s 100 Variant Limit
Each product on Shopify can have up to 3 options, such as size, color, or style. Each unique combination of these options is considered a variant. Shopify allows up to 100 variants per product, which can be limiting for some businesses.
However, with some creative solutions and third-party applications, you can technically bypass this limit. Below are a few methods to consider:
1. Split Your Product into Multiple Products
One simple approach to overcome this limit is by splitting your product into multiple products. For instance, if you’re selling a t-shirt in 10 sizes and 20 colors (200 variants), you could split this into two products with different color ranges, each with 10 sizes and 10 colors (100 variants).
While this method is simple to implement, it might affect the user experience, as customers might have to browse multiple products to find their preferred variant.
2. Use Product Options Apps
Several Shopify apps allow you to add extra product options that don’t count as variants. These apps use line item properties, a feature in Shopify that lets you collect customization information for a product. Some popular options include:
- Infinite Options: This app allows you to add unlimited custom product options, allowing customers to personalize products.
- Advanced Product Options: This app offers advanced features, such as conditional logic, bulk editing, and price adjustments, in addition to unlimited options and variants.
- Bold Product Options: This app allows you to add extra options and charge for customizations. It also supports conditional logic.
Remember, while these apps can bypass the variant limit, they may not affect inventory tracking the same way Shopify’s native variants do.
3. Implement Custom Coding
If you’re comfortable with coding, or have access to a developer, you can create custom scripts to handle additional variants. This method can involve creating a new product for each variant and using JavaScript to switch between them based on the customer’s selection.
Please note that this method requires a strong understanding of Liquid (Shopify’s templating language), JavaScript, and Shopify’s APIs. It’s best suited for developers or merchants comfortable with coding.
4. Use a Combination of Variants and Line Item Properties
You can use Shopify’s built-in variants for the primary options (e.g., size and color) and line item properties for additional options (e.g., custom text). This method is especially useful for products that require personalization, like monogrammed items or custom prints.
5. Use a Bundling App
Bundling apps like Bundle Builder or Bundable allow you to group several products (and their variants) together as a single product. This method is ideal for products that naturally go together, like a computer with customizable components.
Conclusion
Shopify’s 100 variant limit per product can be a challenge for businesses with highly customizable products. However, with the right approach and tools, you can effectively bypass this limit. Whether you choose to split your products, use a third-party app, implement custom coding, or use a combination of these methods will depend on your specific needs, technical abilities, and resources. Always consider the impact on the customer experience when choosing a solution.
If you need help with this particular problem or limitation, please contact us using the form below. There’s a native way of solving this with custom code that works for most of our clients. We’d be happy to discuss how this can work for you.
