Product families (variations)

What problems does it solve?

• Convenience for the buyer — switching between product options in one click, without returning to the catalog
• Conversion growth — the buyer sees all available options and makes a purchasing decision faster
• Reduce bounce rate — the visitor doesn’t leave the page looking for the desired color or size
• Improving SEO - each option remains a separate page with unique content, while the products are linked together
• Professional looking website — colored circles, size buttons — just like in the best online stores in the world

What will the user receive?

Once you've set up your product families, your website will feature beautiful product option switches: colored circles for color selection (with support for two-color options), and text buttons for selecting memory, size, capacity, and other specifications. All of this works automatically after uploading data from Elbuz.

The main principle

Each combination of characteristics = a separate product in the catalog.

A family is not a single product with variations within it. It is several independent products, united by a common family name. Each item has its own price, photo, description, and availability. And the family is the invisible thread that binds them together.

A simple analogy

Imagine a closet full of T-shirts. All the T-shirts are the same style, but in different colors and sizes. Each one sits on its own shelf—a separate product in the catalog. And the sign on the closet Classic T-shirt — this is the name of the family. The buyer opens the cabinet and sees all the options at once.

Description of main fields and settings

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Prepare your catalog items

Make sure that the Elbuz directory is created all product options as separate cards Each product must have its characteristics (attributes) filled in to differentiate it.

Example: iPhone 13 Pro Max:

Each row in the table is a separate product card in Elbuz.

Step 2: Mark attributes as variable

Open the section Attributes and find the characteristics by which the products will be switched. Enable the flag for them "Use to create variable products".

Typical variable attributes:

• Color
• Built-in memory (GB)
• Size (S, M, L, XL)
• Volume (ml, l)
• Weight (kg)

This is being done once For each attribute. The setting applies to the entire catalog—all products with this attribute will be able to use it for variability.

Step 3. Fill in the "Family" field for the products

For each product that should be included in the family, fill in the field "Family name" All products with the same name will be combined into one group.

Important: the family name should be absolutely identical for all products in the group. An extra space, different letter case, or typo—and the product won't fit into the family.

Products with family iPhone 13 Pro Max will be in the same group, and the products with the family iPhone 13 — in another. These are two independent families.

Advice: We recommend copying the family name from the first product and pasting it into the others—this will help avoid typos.

Step 4: Set up a color guide

If one of the variable attributes is color, adjust it Color guide so that the site displays beautiful colored circles instead of text.

1. Open the section Attributes → tab "Meanings"
2. Click the button "Color Handbook" (brush icon)
3. From the drop-down list, select a color attribute (e.g. Body color )
4. Click the button "Fill with values from products" (magic wand icon) - the system will automatically download all unique color values from the catalog and try to determine the hex codes for known names
5. Check the result. For values where the color was not determined automatically, click on the cell in the column. "Color" - a palette for selection will open
6. For two-color options (eg. "black and red" ) fill in the column as well "Second Color" - on the website this option will be displayed as a two-color circle

Directory control buttons:

• Wand — fill in with values from products (with automatic color detection)
• Eraser — reset the color of the selected row
• Basket - delete the selected line
• Cross — clear all records for the selected attribute
• Refresh — update the table

Common colors and their hex codes:

Step 5. Enable export and upload to the website

Go to Export settings (tunnel settings) and check the box Product Families Start the download—the data will automatically be uploaded to the website.

After uploading, the following will appear on the site:

• Colored circles for color selection (including two-color options)
• Text buttons for selecting memory, size, and other characteristics
• Automatic links between products of the same family

How Switching Works - The Combination Rule

This is the most important point to understand. When a customer is on a product page, the system displays the toggle buttons. But not all options will be active Only those for which a product with the required combination of characteristics exists will be active.

Example 1 - Full Matrix (all buttons active)

We have 4 products - one for each combination:

The buyer opens the product A (128 GB, blue):

• Memory buttons: 128GB (selected) | 256GB (active → leads to product C, because 256GB + blue exists)
• Color buttons: blue (selected) | green (active → leads to product B because 128 GB + green exists)

Everything works perfectly because for each button there is a product with the required combination.

Example 2 - Incomplete matrix (some buttons are inactive)

Now let's imagine that we only have 2 products:

The buyer opens the product A (128 GB, blue):

• Memory buttons: 128GB (selected) | 256GB ( inactive — the system is looking for the product "256 GB + blue," but there is no such product.
• Color buttons: blue (selected) | green ( inactive — the system is looking for the product "128 GB + green," but there isn't one.

Complete matrix rule

For all buttons to be active, there must be a separate product for each combination of attribute values.

If you have 3 colors and 4 memory options, you need 3 x 4 = for full coverage 12 products.

If not all combinations exist, no problem. The system will simply show the missing options as inactive. The buyer will see that the combination is not available.

When the matrix rule does not apply

If you use only one variable attribute (for example, only color), then all buttons will always be active. The matrix rule only works with two or more variable attributes.

Examples for different product categories

Smartphones (color + memory)

Variable attributes: Color, Built-in memory

On the website: circle buttons for color selection and text buttons for memory selection.

Clothes (size + color)

Variable attributes: Size, Color

Household appliances (color only)

Variable attribute: Color

One attribute - all buttons are always active.

Cosmetics (volume)

Variable attribute: Volume

On the website: text buttons with volumes.

Recommendations for filling out

How to choose a family name

• Use base model name without specifying variable characteristics. For example: iPhone 15 Pro, and not iPhone 15 Pro 256GB Blue
• The title should be clear and short - it is not displayed on the website, but it helps you navigate the catalog
• If products in the same line differ in model, create separate families: iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max

How to fill out a color guide

• Start with autofill — the system recognizes most standard color names in Russian, Ukrainian, and English
• Check the secondary colors — for values like "black and red" or "white/gray" the system will automatically fill in both colors
• For non-standard names (eg. Pacific blue ) select the color manually using the palette
• The directory is being filled once — new products with the same color names will automatically have the hex code added upon export

How many variable attributes to use

• 1 attribute (only color or only size) is the simplest option. All buttons are always active. Ideal for household appliances and cosmetics.
• 2 attributes (Color + memory, size + color) is the best option for electronics and clothing. Remember the matrix rule.
• 3 or more attributes — It's possible, but the number of items required grows exponentially (3 colors x 4 sizes x 2 materials = 24 items). Use with caution.

Checklist before unloading

1. All products in the family are created as separate cards in the catalog.
2. The required attributes have the flag enabled "Use to create variable products"
3. All products in the family have the same filling family name
4. Attribute values (memory, color, size, etc.) are filled in for each product.
5. IN Color reference book hex codes for all values of the color attribute are indicated
6. The checkbox is enabled in the export settings. Product Families
7. If two variable attributes are used, the combination matrix is checked

Common mistakes and their solutions

Tips for optimal configuration

• Start small. Set up product families for one product category, make sure everything works correctly, and only then scale them up to the entire catalog.
• Use one variable attribute, if you're unsure. This is the simplest scenario—all buttons are always active, and there's no need to create a full product matrix.
• Keep your names consistent. If in one product the color is written as "Black", and in another as "black" — these are two different meanings. Standardize the spelling.
• Fill out the color guide in advance. It's more convenient to set up all the colors once than to return to this every time you upload.
• Check the result on the website After each upload, open the product card and make sure the switches are displayed correctly.
• The main product of the family It's automatically determined—this is the product with the highest price. It will be used as the primary microdata for search engines.

Frequently Asked Questions