Product variants have the potential to improve your eCommerce experience by offering more flexibility and personalization to your consumers, but they rely heavily on up-to-date, accurate product information.
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That’s because one size – or color, or material – doesn’t usually fit all. Each customer has their own unique needs for any given product and so, to create a better user experience, businesses must offer product variants.
Product variants are products that are based on the same foundation model, but differ in some way from each other, like size, color, flavor, etc. These variations are often found on the same product page, making it easy for consumers to flip through options. Each product variant will have its own unique product identifier, such as a SKU.
Though product variants are not required, they’re incredibly important for retailers to have. Not only do they provide a more customized experience for consumers, they can also impact sales. In fact, offering too few options might mean customers flock to competitors to find a better variety. After all, nobody wants to find the perfect t-shirt only to realize it comes in just one size.
But as with most things in life, balance is key. Raise your hand if you’ve ever felt “paralyzed by choice.” You’re not alone. Studies show that providing too many options can actually have the opposite effect, causing consumers to feel overwhelmed and delay purchasing.
Product variants can be simple, such as the same coffee machine offered in three different colors, or they can be complex with several different product features combining to make many product options. For example, when buying a shirt you might be able to choose the size, the sleeve length, the color, and the material to custom-build the tee of your dreams. Each available shirt combo is a new product variant.
Every industry can offer product variants, for example:
Creating product variants can increase sales AND improve the overall customer experience. What’s not to love?
In the world of eCommerce, product variants can be a powerful tool with benefits like:
More product variants mean more product data to monitor and update. To support these extra variants and the data that comes with them, you need a central place where all product information is up-to-date and accurate.
This is where a PIM (Product Information Management) system comes in. A modern PIM acts as a single source of truth for all your product information. It allows you to create a “master” product with product variants, which can then be easily syndicated to all your eCommerce channels.
With PIM, you can manage all product information in one place, avoiding errors or outdated information, and providing your customers with consistent, accurate and personalized product information.
PIM and product variants are a powerful duo, working together to improve the shopping experience for customers and increase your company’s bottom line. To learn more about how a PIM can support product variants, reach out to an Akeneo expert.
Akeneo PIM supports product variants and more. Start your journey towards omnichannel customer experiences.
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