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Intermediate

Spreadsheet Variant Editing

10 min read

Products with multiple sizes, colors, or options have variants. The Variant Grid Editor lets you edit all variants across multiple products in a familiar spreadsheet interface - perfect for updating prices and inventory across size/color combinations.

What You'll Learn

  • Opening the variant grid editor
  • Editing prices across variants
  • Updating inventory by location
  • Modifying SKUs and barcodes
  • Working with multiple products at once

When to Use Variant Grid Edit

  • Updating prices for size-based pricing (e.g., XL costs more)
  • Setting inventory across multiple warehouse locations
  • Batch updating SKUs or barcodes
  • Adjusting weights for shipping calculations
  • Any time you need to see all variants in one view

Opening the Variant Grid Editor

  1. Select one or more products in the main grid
  2. Click Spreadsheet Edit → Variants, or
  3. Press Ctrl+Shift+V

The variant grid opens showing all variants for the selected products.

Understanding the Grid Layout

Each row is a variant. Columns include:

  • Product: Parent product title
  • Variant: Option values (e.g., "Red / Large")
  • SKU: Stock keeping unit
  • Price: Variant price
  • Compare At: Compare at price (for sales)
  • Cost: Cost per item
  • Inventory: Stock quantity (per location if multiple)
  • Weight: Weight for shipping
  • Barcode: UPC/EAN/ISBN

Editing Values

Edit just like a spreadsheet:

  • Click a cell to edit
  • Tab to move to the next cell
  • Enter to confirm and move down
  • Escape to cancel editing
Pro Tip: Select multiple cells and type a value to set them all at once.

Multi-Location Inventory

If your store has multiple locations, you'll see a column for each:

  • Each location gets its own inventory column
  • Edit each location's stock independently
  • Total inventory is calculated automatically

Bulk Operations in the Grid

Select multiple rows and use the toolbar for bulk changes:

  • Set Price: Set all selected variants to the same price
  • Adjust Price: Increase/decrease by amount or percentage
  • Set Inventory: Set stock levels for selected variants
  • Clear Field: Clear SKU, barcode, or other fields

Filtering Variants

Use the search box to filter variants:

  • Search by product title
  • Search by variant option (e.g., "Large")
  • Search by SKU

Saving Changes

  1. Make your edits across the grid
  2. Review changes (modified cells are highlighted)
  3. Click Save to apply all changes to Shopify
  4. A backup is automatically created

Common Workflows

Size-Based Pricing

  1. Select products with size variants
  2. Open Variant Grid Editor
  3. Sort by variant option
  4. Select all "XXL" variants
  5. Use "Adjust Price" to add $5
  6. Save changes

Inventory Count Update

  1. Select products to update
  2. Open Variant Grid Editor
  3. Update inventory values from your count sheet
  4. Save changes

SKU Assignment

  1. Select products needing SKUs
  2. Open Variant Grid Editor
  3. Enter SKUs following your naming convention
  4. Save changes

Best Practices

  • Work with reasonable batches (50-100 products at a time)
  • Use filters to focus on specific products or variants
  • Review changes before saving
  • Check the backup was created after large updates
  • For very large updates, consider using import/export instead

Next Steps