It is always a good sign when a product has variations in size, color, style, shape, or other attributes. Shoppers are likely to buy a product when it is available in a variation they like.
As a seller, you might think that adding more and more product listings to your account could help you improve your discoverability and ranking in the searches. However, the best way to show these product variations is by adding them under one listing. Doing this will surely give your customers an optimal experience in viewing your products.
It will not only enhance customer experience by making it easy for them to locate the variations to your products, but it will also help you as a seller to have a streamlined inventory of your products.
For a better understanding, these variations are referred to by Amazon as parent-child relationships, and each has different ASINs.
Elements of Amazon Listing Variation
So you can improve how you list the variations to your products, it is crucial that you understand the three components of a listing variation relationship, which are: Parent ASIN, Child ASIN(s), and Variation Theme.
1. Parent ASIN
A parent ASIN or parent listing is a non-buyable entity. The parent product shown in the catalog acts as the holding place of product variants. For instance, a shirt listed as a product is a parent listing, while its variations are the child ASINs.
2. Child ASIN(s)
The variants of the parent listing are the child ASINs that customers can find and purchase. Depending on the available variations, one parent ASIN can have multiple child ASINs.
One thing to note as well is that Amazon can independently index each child listing and can have varying organic rankings.
3. Variation Theme
The variation theme defines the type of variation and what differentiates similar products from one another.
Your variant theme could change depending on the category in which you list your products. For instance, variants may differ in size, color, shape, etc.
Together, when applied efficiently, these three components allow customers to compare available choices and purchase according to their needs and taste.
Creating Variations on Amazon Listing: How Does it Benefit Sellers?
Adding variations to your product listing can benefit your overall Amazon selling strategies and SEO. These benefits include increased conversion rate, improved discoverability for individual child listing, and combined reviews and sales history.
Increase in conversion rate
There is likely a higher conversion when customers already have multiple options shown to them at once without having to search for other products. In turn, a high conversion can lead to higher revenue or sales.
Improved child listing discoverability
The visibility of low-performing product variants will likely improve when listed together with higher-performing listings. This works best when adding a new variation does not need to be counted as a new listing but instead can be listed as a variation so that they are more likely to be viewed.
Combined reviews and sales history
Reviews on all child listings will be accumulated on one page, hence the combined reviews. This is good for you as good reviews influence customers' purchasing behavior looking at new product variations.
This mechanism works the same as the sales history of a parent listing. The sales history of all child listings will be computed in an overall sales history. This helps in improving your organic search ranking.
How to List Multiple Variations on Amazon
You can create a new listing with multiple variations on Amazon either manually or by filling in or uploading an inventory file.
To manually create a brand new listing variation, follow these steps:
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Go to your Seller Central dashboard
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Under ‘Catalog’, click ‘Add a Product’
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Select the option ‘I’m adding a product not sold on Amazon’
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Among the list, select the category that is most appropriate for your product
You will then be redirected to a page where you will fill out the information about your product, including the ‘Product Name’, ‘Brand’, and ‘Manufacturer’. Rightfully leave the ‘Product ID’ blank since multiple variations will be added.
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Click on the ‘Variations’ tab and select the type of variation your product is on the ‘Variation Theme’ selection.
Themes could be the parent product's size, color, shape, etc.
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Enter all the variations you will be selling. Once done, click 'Add Variations'.
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Fill out the rest of the information, such as the product ID, product ID type, price, or quantity.
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Click ‘Save and Finish’ once you have correctly input all information.
Alternatively, you may create variations using an inventory file by following these steps:
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Go to your Seller Central dashboard
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Under ‘Catalog’, click ‘Add Products via Upload’
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Enter your product and its matching category, then click 'Generate Template'
You will then be provided with a spreadsheet template with various tabs to fill in. Accomplishing this inventory file can take some time. It is suggested that you look into the 'Example' tab in the spreadsheet to have a guide.
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On the ‘Template’ tab, fill in all the information about your product.
How to Add a Variation to an Existing Amazon Listing
If you already have an existing Amazon listing in which you want to add variations, the steps are like creating a new listing. You may also add variations through the Seller Central Dashboard or by uploading an inventory file.
Adding Variations of Existing Items through Seller Central Dashboard
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Under the ‘Catalog’ menu, click ‘Add a Product’
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Then click ‘Add a variation using Variation Wizard’.
Variation Wizard is a proactive tool on Amazon Seller Central used to create or update parent-child variation listings.
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In the Variation Wizard interface, you may either update a child ASIN or add it to a parent ASIN.
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Fill in all the information.
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Once done, click ‘Generate Template’ to get a complete inventory file template.
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Upload the template to submit your variations.
Adding variations to an existing Amazon listing through an inventory file:
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Using the appropriate category template from the Product Classifier or Template for Specific Categories, look through the available variation themes in the ‘Valid Values’ tab.
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In the inventory template, create the parent and child SKUs.
Fill in the parent item by following these guidelines:
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Accomplish all required fields, including the item’s unique SKU. TIP: Include "-parent" as an append to the base SKU to indicate the parent listing.
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Leave the ‘Parent SKU’ column blank.
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Enter "parent" in the 'Parentage' column and enter a valid value in 'Variation Theme'.
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Leave ‘Relationship Type’ blank, as well as other non-required fields.
On each child ASINs:
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Input information on all required fields.
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Fill in the ‘Parent SKU’ field using the value from the parent’s SKU. This should be applied to all child listings.
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Enter "child" in the 'Parentage' column and type in "variation" in the 'Relationship Type'.
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Enter the same value you entered for the 'Variation Theme' of the parent in the 'Variation Theme' for all child items.
Once all information is correct, you may upload the completed file.
FAQs
What is variation in Amazon listings?
In Amazon listings, a variation refers to different options or versions of a product that are grouped together under a single parent listing. Variations are used for products that come in different attributes, such as size, color, style, or other features that can be selected by the customer.
What are parent child relationships in Amazon listing variations?
When a product has different variations, such as different sizes or colors, these variation themes can be grouped together under a single parent listing. The parent listing acts as the main product page and contains information that is common to all variations.
Each variation is known as a child listing and is linked to the parent listing. This setup allows customers to view and select different options from a single product page, making it easier to compare and choose between the available variations.
What is parent child listing?
A parent child listing is the combination of the parent listing and its associated child listings. The parent listing contains general product information, such as the title, images, and description, which applies to all the variations. The child listings, on the other hand, provide specific details for each individual variation, such as size-specific information, color options, and pricing.
For example, let's say you are selling T-shirts with different sizes and colors. The parent listing would represent the main T-shirt product with a general description and images, while the child listings would represent each T-shirt size and color. Customers can select their desired size and color from a dropdown menu on the parent listing, and the corresponding child listing will display the specific details for that variation.
Can parent listings be deleted?
The answer is yes. However, you should be careful, as deleting any parent listing will delete all its variations. Child items listed under the parent item will automatically become individual product pages.
How many variation themes can you have on an Amazon listing?
Fortunately, Amazon allows two features to be included in a single variation for some product categories like clothing items. Otherwise, you are guaranteed to have one feature per listing.
How to add images of listing variations?
It is always recommended to have images thrown at your product page as it helps increase conversion. To add pictures, follow these easy steps:
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Go to your Seller Central Inventory
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Click the ‘Edit’ tab of the parent ASIN you wish to add image(s) to
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Click the ‘Manage image’ from the dropdown menu
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Upload images that match your products
Next Steps: Ready to add variations to your listings?
There is a lot of information to take in and a lot of steps to go through. But being thorough with your variation listings will be worth it, especially in improving your product's SEO performance.
Efficiently incorporating product variations will help you increase conversion and visibility, improve organic rankings, and generate more sales and revenue.
If it gets too hard for you, Seller Candy and its team of Amazon experts are ready to help you optimize your selling strategies. Get started in creating variations to your listings that impact your bottom line!
