Variation Dimensions


Overview

A dimension refers to the different sizes or colors of a variation. For example, a dimension name could be the size, color, or flavors of a product.


Create and Manage Dimensions

Usually, you’ll want to create a new dimension from the Variation Dimensions page.

  1. Go to Settings > Products > Variation Dimensions.
  2. In the upper-righthand corner, click the plus icon.
  3. Complete the required fields:
    1. Unique Name Name of a particular dimension to be associated with the intended products.
    2. Display Name Name as it appears on the channel.
    3. Abbreviation An abbreviated form.
      The image shows the variations Add New Dimension window.
  4. Click Save.
  5. You can perform various actions on the Variation Dimension page for individual or multiple variation dimensions. Using the icons in the upper-righthand corner, you can access Variation Name Mapping or Import Dimensions.
    You can also edit existing dimensions. Use the icons in each dimension row to Manage Values, Edit Product Conditions, or Delete the dimension.
  6. Additionally, there is a Client Setting “Allow Re-Order N-Matrix dimension and values” that can be enabled that will allow you to rearrange the order in which the Dimensions are displayed.

    The image shows the Product Variation Dimensions window.
There is another way to add a new dimension: go to Catalog > Manage Catalog > Open a product > Toolbox > Variations.

Manage Dimension Values

Once you’ve created your variation dimension, you can set values for it.

  1. Click the gear icon next to your created variation dimension.The image shows the product variation dimensions window.
  2. On the Dimension Values page, in the Values panel, click the plus icon to Add New Value.
  3. Enter the value and its abbreviation > Click Save. Add new value
  4. Using the icons in the upper-righthand corner, you can Export Values or Import Values. There are also functions that let you Edit Product Variation Dimensions or Delete values.The image shows the dimension values page.

Variation Name Mapping

This allows you to view the variations you created for each channel you sell on. For example, a product listed on eBay may have a dimension with a certain name. You can use Variation Name Mapping to ensure you don’t use the same variation name when listing the same product on another channel.

  1. Go to Settings > Products > Variation Dimensions.
  2. On the Variation Dimensions page, click the gear icon in the upper-righthand corner.Variation name mapping
  3. This opens a new page where you can Import Channel Variation Mappings, Add New Channel Variation Name, or Delete channel-specific variations.The image shows the Channel Variation Mapping.

Create an N-Matrix (variation)
To create a variation listing, known as N-Matrix, in Sellercloud’s original interface, select Enable Product N-Matrix in the Client Settings.

  1. Go to Settings > N Matrix.
  2. Press Add New Dimension.
  3. Complete and save the following fields:
    1. Unique Name – Name of a particular dimension to be associated with the intended products
    2. Display Name – Name as it appears on the channel
    3. Abbreviation – An abbreviated form
    4. Manufacturer – For reference (not required)
    5. Product Type – For reference (not required)
  4. Click on Manage Values to edit values (such as colors, sizes, flavors, etc.).

  5. Add a new product to your catalog with a name that reflects that it is a parent product of the variations. (In this example, “MatrixParent,” as shown below in Step #7.)
  6. On the parent product’s Product Summary, click Toolbox > N-Matrix > Matrix General.
  7. Choose the dimensions to add to this product (if necessary, add a new dimension) > Continue (at bottom of page).
  8. Copy and paste a product SKU into its corresponding Product ID to build it on a parent and child scheme.
  9. Learn how to set images on variations.
When creating an n-matrix listing, the parent inventory always stays at 0 and the children retain the inventory. This is because the parent is not a real product, as shown below.


Create an N-Matrix in bulk

You can create variation dimensions for an N-Matrix in bulk by downloading an Excel template with pre-defined column headers, and then populating the file and importing it:

  1. Click Settings > N Matrix.
  2. Click Download Template.
  3. Open the downloaded template and enter the desired values. Note: The Manufacturer and Product Type columns are not required.
  4. Save the template file with a unique name.
  5. On the N Matrix Dimensions page, click Choose File > find the file and click Open.
  6. Click Import dimensions. Your new dimensions will appear in the grid.

Split an N-Matrix

An n-Matrix that has multiple dimensions can be split into many new n-matrixes by removing one of the dimensions. This is important when taking items from eBay where many dimensions are supported and publishing them to sites like Amazon, where only size and color are supported. For example, an eBay listing for a baseball cap might have variations by team, color, and size and the team dimension would need to be removed before it can be published onto Amazon. You can split an n-Matrix from the ProductDetail page. ‘Split n-Matrix’ is an item on the n-Matrix submenu. Once the original n-matrix has been split, the child SKUs will be members of more than one parent n-matrix. If you click n-Matrix from the child SKU it will then give you the option to navigate to either of the parents.


Import N-Matrix products

You can create new matrixes in bulk using a file import, or add products to an existing matrix using the same file import.To import a new matrix configuration, do the following:

  1. Click Inventory > Import Product Info > Import Product N-Matrix.
  2. Select a File Type from the dropdown > click Download Template.
  3. In the ParentProductID column, enter the Matrix Parent SKU. You must enter the parent SKU in every row that has a matrix child of that parent. Important! The Matrix Parent must exist in your SellerCloud catalog before importing.
  4. In the ProductID column, enter the product ID of the variation product. If the Product ID matches an existing SKU in your catalog, that SKU will be configured as a matrix child. If the SKU does not exist, the import will create it and configure it as a matrix child.
  5. In the remaining columns, enter the values of the dimensions associated with that variation. In the image below, there are two dimensions – Color and Size – and on the product rows are Red, Green, Small, and Large, respectively.
  6. If you have more dimensions for this n-matrix, add more columns with that dimension name as the header. If dimensions or values entered do not exist in SellerCloud, they will be created with this file import.
  7. Save the file with a unique name.
  8. On the Import Product N-Matrix page, find and select the file.
  9. Click Import Products Info. The import creates a queued job to create the n-matrix configuration.

Add products to an N-Matrix

The easiest way to add products to an existing matrix is to export the existing matrix, and then import it with the updated products:

  1. Open the Manage Inventory page and search for the Matrix.
  2. Select the Matrix Parent > Action Menu > Export N Matrix > Go.
  3. Add the products to the file as instructed above, then save the file.
  4. Click Inventory > Import Product Info > Import N Matrix (neither checkbox is required).
  5. Choose File > and then click Import Matrix.

Products can be added on the interface as well on the Matrix properties page. Check the “Show All” checkbox to reveal all available options. You can add more dimensions and values there as well.


Variation Name Mapping

This allows you to view the variations you created for each channel you sell on. For example, a product listed on eBay may have a dimension with a certain name. You can use Variation Name Mapping to ensure you don’t use the same variation name when listing the same product on another channel.

  1. Click Settings > N Matrix > Variation Name Mappings.Variation name mappings
  2. This opens a new page where you can select the channel and enter a Variation Name for it.
    You can also Import Channel Variation Mappings or Delete channel-specific variations.Add channel variation

 

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