How to show product variants as separate products

In the app’s search widgets and collection pages, you can show product variants as separated products by some options (for instance, color, material, etc.). It helps customers quickly find and purchase their desired product variant.

Here’s an example of how a product with different materials appears as separate items when the Show product variants as separate products setting is enabled.

Enable the feature

To enable the feature follow these steps:

1. Go to Searchanise Search & Filter control panel > Search & Navigation > Preferences section > Products tab.
2. Set the Show product variants as separate products toggle to On.
3. Type one or two option names such as Color, Size, etc. separated by a comma in the Separate variants by setting.
   Note

   If you need to separate by more than two options, contact our support team and we will be happy to assist you.

4. Set the checkboxes next to the app’s widgets where you want to apply the setting.
   
   Important info

   Since the Instant Search Widget is optimized for quick and relevant results, showing all separated products may clutter the search results, making it harder for users to find what they need.

5. Apply the changes.
6. You will see the warning about the impact on your merchandising rules. Learn more about it here. Apply the changes.
   
   
7. Click the link in the notice at the top to start indexation.

That’s it. After the indexation is complete, the feature will be enabled in the selected app’s widgets.

Displaying products as separate variants implies the following:

1. Title – а combination of [Product name] – [Option 1’s value] – [Option 2’s value]. For example, Fancy Dress – Pink – Medium
2. Price – The price of the selected variant
3. The default product image is displayed if a product variant does not have its own image.

Impact on related features

Merchandising by products

Enabling or disabling the Show product variants as separate products setting can affect the Merchandising feature. It’s essential to be aware of these impacts before adjusting your settings.

Warning: If the Show product variants as separate products setting is enabled only in the Instant Search Widget or only in the Search Results Widget, but merchandising rules are set, product variants will still appear as separate products in both widgets with the applied merchandising rules. Currently, merchandising rules cannot be configured separately for different widgets.

Case 1: Selecting product variants when adding/editing a Merchandising rule

You can select product variants for merchandising rules if you’ve enabled the Show product variants as separate products setting for the Search Results Widget or the Instant Search Widget.

Case 2: Enabling the Separate variants by setting after creating merchandising rules with parent products

The products selected for merchandising rules will be replaced with their product variants with the same ranking option. For example, if you’ve added a merchandising rule to always display the product Summer Dress at the top of the search result, but later enable the Show product variants as separate products setting, the merchandising rule for the product Summer Dress will be replaced with its variants: Summer Dress – Blue, Summer dress- Green, Summer Dress – White, etc.

To guarantee that the merchandising rules are applied to the right products, you should manually edit and reselect the product variants.

Case 3: Disabling the Separate variants by setting after creating merchandising rules with product variants

​​The product variants selected for merchandising rules will be replaced by their parent product retaining the ranking option of the first merchandising rule created. For example, if you’ve added merchandising rules 

1. to always display the product variant Summer Dress – Blue at the top of the search result (the ranking option = always), 
2. to display the product variant Summer Dress – Green at the top of the list if it’s included in the search results (the ranking option = on match),

but later disable the Show product variants as separate products setting, the variant Summer Dress – Blue and Summer Dress – Green will be replaced by its parent product, Summer Dress with the ranking option = always.