Not every product is a single thing: the same tablecloth in three colors, the same dress in five sizes, the same chair with or without a cushion. Variants let you have one product with all its versions, each with its own SKU, stock and price, without creating a separate product for every combination.
What changes
- Before: a different size or color was a separate product, and the catalog filled up with duplicates.
- Now: one product, with its variants inside. The product's stock is the sum of what is in each variant.
- What stays the same: the product is still a single entry in your catalog; variants are the versions you pick when renting, selling or quoting.
How they are created
When creating the product
Check This product will have variants and, in the next step, define the properties and generate the combinations. You can keep editing them afterwards from the product's Variants tab.
On an existing product
- Open the product and go to the Variants tab.
- With Add property, choose an existing one (such as Color or Size) or create a new one of your own, for example Material.
- Add the values for each property.
- Use Generate variants to create all the combinations at once: you choose the values of each property and Leaxio shows how many new variants will be created. You can assign a photo per value, and it applies to every combination that includes it.
If the product already had stock without variants, Leaxio asks what to do with it: assign it to the first variant or start at 0 and restock manually.
What each variant controls
In a table you edit each variant directly: its image, its price and its stock. And in each one's advanced panel:
- Identity: the visible name is built from its properties, and the SKU is generated on its own, though you can adjust it.
- Inventory and status: how many units exist and how many are really available for rent.
- Active or inactive: deactivate a variant to hide it from operations without losing its history.
For changes to several at once, select the variants in the table and edit them in bulk.
How they are used day to day
- When renting, selling or quoting, if the product has variants, you pick which one when adding it, and availability is checked per variant.
- When restocking, you distribute the new units among the active variants.
- In maintenance, you can record the service of a specific variant.
- With barcodes or QR codes, each variant can have its own code.
If you already had open rentals
If the product has rented units that were not yet assigned to a variant, before generating Leaxio asks you to reconcile them: you choose which variant each one belongs to. That way inventory adds up from day one.
Deleting with history
If a variant already has rentals, Leaxio warns you instead of blindly deleting it. The recommended path is to deactivate it.
Tips
- Define few properties. With two or three (for example, size and color) the catalog stays manageable.
- Upload photos per value (one color, for example) so all its combinations use it.
- Deactivate instead of deleting what you no longer offer: the rental history stays intact.
Keep reading
- Products and inventory: tracking, stock and availability.
- Rentals: how a rental is built.
- Maintenance: service by product and variant.