Articles on: Matching Column

Variant Group & Variant Option Field (Product Options)

Learn how to group multi-variant items (such as products with size, color, or material options) under a single parent product and merge new variants into existing store listings.

Available on: ✔️ Add | ✔️ Update | ✔️ Export

Watch the Variant Group & Option Walkthrough

Learn how to map Variant Group and Variant Option fields to structure multi-variant products in Stock Sync.

How to Set Up Variant Group and Variant Options

Go to App → Feed Settings → Step 2: Mapping

Map Variant Group: In the field mapping list, locate Variant Group and select the feed column that groups related variants together (e.g., Parent SKU, Style ID, or VAR ID).
Map Variant Options: Configure Variant Option 1, Variant Option 2, or Variant Option 3 to map the specific variant attributes (such as Size or Color).
Configure Smart Settings: Click the Settings (gear icon) next to each mapped field to configure sorting, merging behavior, option names, and text transformations.

Variant Group is not a compulsory field, but when used, at least one Variant Option field must also be mapped.

You can map multiple columns into the Variant Group field (e.g., VAR ID and VAR ID2) if grouping requires a combination of values.

Variant Group Mapping Example

Variant Group Multiple Columns

Variant Group Smart Settings / Detailed Breakdown

1. Auto Sort

Automatically sorts variant items within the variant group before importing them into your store.

Auto Sort

Enable this toggle to organize variant records systematically before import.

When disabled, variants are imported in the exact sequence they appear in your feed file.

2. Merge Variants into Existing Products

Allows incoming variants from your feed to be attached to parent products that already exist in your store.

Merge Variants into Existing Products

Scenario 1: Merge by Title (Product Identifier: SKU)

The feed matches the store by product title, while individual variants are tracked using unique SKUs.

Merge Scenario 1

Scenario 2: Merge by SKU (Product Identifier: Barcode)

The feed matches the store by parent SKU, while individual variants are identified and differentiated by their barcode.

Merge Scenario 2

Scenario 3: Merge Collision (Product Identifier: SKU)

The feed attempts to merge by title and SKU, but the variant SKU already exists in the store under a different product. The merge cannot be completed.

Merge Scenario 3

3. Merged Variants Will Tagged With

Automatically applies a specific tag to any product or variant updated through the merging process.

Merge Tag Setting

Use this field to add a tracking tag (e.g., merged_variant) to easily audit newly merged items in your store.

Variant Option Smart Settings / Detailed Breakdown

Variant Option fields define specific attributes (like Size, Color, or Material) for items tied to a Variant Group. Up to three options can be mapped (Variant Option 1, Variant Option 2, and Variant Option 3).

Variant Option Overview

Variant Option fields support custom text formatting, allowing you to combine multiple columns or add static prefixes and suffixes.

Custom Text Formatting on Variant Option

1. Option Name

Sets the label for the variant option (e.g., Size, Color, or Material). This setting is configured inside the Smart Settings of each individual Variant Option field.

Mapping: Use this option if the option name comes directly from a column in your feed file.
Fixed Value: Use this option when every product sharing this option should use the exact same label (e.g., entering Size).

Option Name Setting

Option Name Feed Example

Never give Variant Option 1 and Variant Option 2 the same name (e.g., setting both to Color), as this triggers an import error.

Option Name Error Log

2. Case Convert

Standardizes letter casing or strips unwanted HTML markup across variant values.

Case Convert

Option	Before	After
All lower case	`this is a SAMPLE`	`this is a sample`
All upper case	`this is a SAMPLE`	`THIS IS A SAMPLE`
Titleize case	`this is a SAMPLE`	`This Is A Sample`
Clean up all HTML tags	`<h3><em><strong>Sample</strong></em></h3>`	`Sample`

3. Find

Searches for specific words, phrases, wildcards (*), or regular expressions inside the variant option values.

Find Setting

Using *man matches any string ending in "man", such as woman or craftsman.

To strip HTML links, enter: <a href=.*?>, <a id=.*?>, </a>.

Test and validate your regular expressions at regex101.com.

4. Replace With

Replaces the matching terms found by the Find setting. Separate multiple replacements with commas to pair them sequentially with find terms.

Replace With Setting

Enter replacement terms in corresponding order (e.g., word1,word2 pairs with the first and second terms in Find).

To replace a term with dynamic data from your feed, insert the column name wrapped in double curly brackets: {{column_name}}.

If your feed stores multiple option values inside a single column (e.g., Red / Small in one cell), contact Stock Sync support for advanced parsing assistance.

Multiple Values in One Column

5. Remove Default Title (Export Feeds)

Removes the generic "Default Title" label assigned by Shopify when exporting products that do not have active variant options.

Remove Default Title

Enable this toggle to leave the exported title blank when a variant does not have an assigned option name.

Key Rules & Technical Details

Consistent Grouping Identifier: All variant rows intended for a single parent product must share the exact same value in the mapped Variant Group column. If group values differ, the system cannot link them.
Unique Variant Identifiers: Each individual variant row must have a distinct identifier (such as a unique SKU or Barcode). If multiple variants share the same identifier, the sync engine cannot differentiate them.
Title Matching Precision: When using Merge variants into existing products by product title, the feed title must match the Shopify product title 100% identically. Added specifications (such as sizes or colors in the title) will prevent successful merging.
Header Parsing with Commas: If a CSV column header contains commas, the parser may misread it. Manually assign the numerical column index instead of selecting the column name.
Precedence Order:

Priority sequence: Column Delimiter Extraction → Variant Group Matching → Option Name Mapping/Fixed Value → Case Conversion → Find & Replace → Store Merge Execution.

Download Demo Store File to review sample variant structures.

Troubleshooting Steps

Issue: Variants are created as separate individual products instead of grouping together → Solution: Verify that all related rows share the exact same value in the Variant Group column, and ensure Variant Option 1 is mapped with a valid Option Name.
Issue: Error log indicates duplicate option names → Solution: Ensure Variant Option 1, Variant Option 2, and Variant Option 3 do not use identical option names (e.g., do not name both Option 1 and Option 2 Size).
Issue: Merge fails when using product title matching → Solution: Verify that the feed title matches the existing store product title character-for-character, or switch the merge rule to use a shared parent SKU or barcode instead.
Issue: Merge fails because SKU already exists → Solution: Check Scenario 3. If a variant SKU is already assigned to another store listing, the sync cannot merge it under a new parent. Reassign the SKU in your feed or store.

Good Articles to Continue

Custom Text Formatting in Description, Vendor, Title, and SKU Fields → Learn how to apply custom text formulas, prefixes, and suffixes to variant options.
How AI Generated Works in Matching Column (Step 2) → Automatically detect and generate product attributes using AI.

Updated on: 28/10/2026

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