Product variants - Guide 2: Importing and mapping variants

Guide 2: Importing and mapping variants

With the variant function switched on, Droppery imports a supplier's products as one product with variants, exactly as the supplier sets them up. Each variant is connected to its own supplier product automatically. Droppery tracks that connection with Shopify's product ID and inventory item ID, not with the SKU or EAN.

Before you start

Check that you meet the requirements in Guide 1. You need a plan that includes variants, the variant function switched on, and a Shopify or WooCommerce store, or a REST API connection.

How do I import variants as a reseller?

1. Ask support to switch on the variant function for your account.
2. Import products from Droppery as usual. See How to import products from Droppery Selective into your webshop.
3. Where the supplier has set up variants, the products arrive in your store as one product with variants.
4. Where the supplier has not set up variants, the products arrive as separate products.
5. Check the result in the Products section of your Droppery account.

This only applies to new imports. Products already in your store don't change into variants.

How does Droppery map each variant?

Every variant in your store is mapped to its own supplier product. When stock or prices change for that supplier product, only that variant updates. When a customer orders that variant, Droppery knows which supplier product to order.

Droppery identifies each variant by two Shopify IDs.

• Product ID. The ID of the product page the variant belongs to.
• Inventory item ID. The ID of the variant itself.

Droppery doesn't rely on SKU or EAN alone, because some suppliers use identical SKUs and some products have no EAN. Each product is mapped within the context of its supplier. If two suppliers use the same SKU, Droppery still keeps them apart.

What doesn't break the mapping, and what does?

• Doesn't break it. Changing the product handle (the URL name of the product) is fine, as long as the IDs stay the same.
• Breaks it. Combining separate products into one product with variants, or splitting variants into separate products. Both create new IDs in your webshop, so the old connections no longer match. See Guide 5.

How do I map variants to existing products in my store?

If you already have products in your webshop that you want to connect to Droppery, see SKU matching — Linking your existing products to Droppery. SKU matching also works per variant, for products that are already variants in Shopify.

How do I remove incorrectly mapped variants?

Variants you import from Droppery are connected to the right supplier product automatically, so you don't need to map them yourself. If a variant is still connected to the wrong supplier product, for example after SKU matching, contact support before you change it in your webshop. Deleting or rebuilding it yourself creates new IDs and can disconnect other variants of the same product.

Where can I see all connected products?

Go to the Products section of your Droppery account. It lists every product and variant that is connected to a supplier. Check this list before you make any changes to products in your webshop.

FAQ

Is variant mapping based on SKU, EAN or another identifier? Another identifier. Droppery uses Shopify's product ID and inventory item ID.

How does Droppery identify and map individual Shopify variants? Each variant is mapped to its own supplier product through its inventory item ID.

Does each Shopify variant stay mapped to its own supplier product? Yes. Each variant keeps its own connection to its own supplier product.

Does each variant need to be mapped individually? Yes. For imported variants, Droppery does this automatically.

What if two suppliers use the same SKU? That's fine. Each variant is mapped within the context of its own supplier.

What happens if I change the Shopify product handle? Nothing. The connection stays, as long as the IDs stay the same.

Can I add variants manually? You can add them in Shopify, but they won't be connected to a supplier. See Guide 4.