Overview

The “Merges” app for Shopify allows you to combine multiple products into a single listing efficiently. However, due to Shopify’s requirement that option value combinations must always be unique, there are specific steps you need to follow to manage option values correctly during the merging process. This guide provides an explanation of how this process works and how to manage option values effectively.

Explanation of the Shopify Limitation

Shopify requires each product’s option value combination to be unique. When merging products, it’s essential to ensure all option values are unique to avoid any conflicts.

Understanding Duplicate Option Value Combinations:

Single Option Example:

If your products only have the option “Size” and all the products have the same sizes like “S, M, L, XL,” then these sizes are considered duplicate option values. For example, if two different products both offer “Size: M,” Shopify treats these as duplicate option values.

Multiple Option Example:

If your products have two options, such as “Color” and “Size,” and two products both have the combinations “Red, S,” then this is also a duplicate. To differentiate them, you might need an additional option like “Model.”

Managing Duplicate Option Values

To help manage this, the “Merges” app automatically creates a new option called “Variant” with default values like “Variant 1,” “Variant 2,” and so on. This extra option is only created if the option value combinations are not unique.

There are two methods you can use to manage these option values:

1. Change the “Variant” option and its values to whatever you see fit.

2. Make the values unique and then delete the “Variant” option.

Here are the two options explained:

Option 1: Use the “Variant” Option Created by Merges

The “Merges” app creates a “Variant” option during the merge process. You can use this option to manage uniqueness. Follow these steps:

1. Change Option Name:

Locate the “Variant” option that was created by the Merges app and change the Option Name.

2. Rename Option Values:

Rename the values within this “Variant” option to ensure they are unique and do not conflict with other option values.

Option 2: Rename Duplicate Option Values

If you don’t want an extra option, you need to ensure each option value combination is unique before you delete the "Variation" Option. You may need to rename any duplicate option values. Follow these steps:

1. Same Option Values:

Identify the products that have the same option values which might cause a merge issue.

2. Rename Option Values:

Change the duplicate option values to make them unique. For instance, if two products have the option values “S, M, L” rename one to “S 2, M 2, L 2”. It doesn’t have to be “S 2, M 3,” and so on. You can use anything that makes sense.

3. Delete Option “Variant”:

After ensuring all option values are unique, delete the merged “Variant” option created during the merge process.

We are constantly working to further automate the process and eliminate any manual involvement. If you have any further questions or need additional assistance, please reach out to our support team.