One of the best ways to grow sales on Amazon is to offer variety, such as different sizes and colours of the same product. Studies show that not only does a varied offering get more conversions, but it also creates a perception of quality and expertise, adding to your brand’s reputation in that particular category.
It’s also better to add product variations to one listing, rather than creating separate listings for each. This is because it allows you to sell all variants from one single page, ensuring a better customer experience, as well as higher visibility and easier inventory management.
Here, we explain everything there is to know about Amazon listing variations and how to upload.
Instead of having separate product listings for different colours/sizes of the same product, listing variations combine everything on one page. This makes it easier for customers to shop and find the exact product they are looking for.
There’s also the option to offer different combinations in one variation theme. For instance, products such as footwear could allow customers to first select the right size, then their desired colour or finish.
Here is a quick look at the components of a listing with variations:
The main product page (and the holding page for all variations) is known as the parent listing. The parent listing itself is non-purchasable, as only the variants within this page are buyable entities.
Respectively, the variants (or sub-listings) are known as child listings and will have their own ASINs. Each child ASIN can be distinguished by its unique deviation, such as colour, size, shape, flavour, material, etc.
The variation theme tells you how child ASINs are related to, and differ, from each other. Some products may have multiple variation themes at play. This is common with clothing and footwear, where there are colour/design options as well as different sizes to take into consideration.
The benefits of variation listings
So why should you add Amazon listing variations instead of creating separate listings? In addition to making it easier for customers to find what they’re looking for, here are the advantages to think about:
Having all variations of a product in one place makes it easier for customers to find them, ensuring all your ASINs get more visibility on the platform. Furthermore, not everyone has the same tastes, preferences or needs when it comes to certain products, and giving people a choice will maximise their shopping experience with you.
Not having to scroll through listing after listing in the search results means that someone browsing is more likely to convert. This will boost your overall conversion rate on the marketplace.
Providing customers with different options on one listing can be great for your brand as it gives a perceived view that you are an expert in the category. This will likely help you achieve a level of loyalty, and repeat custom as a result.
Child listings can get more visibility when combined with an existing parent listing, especially if it’s low-perfoming or a newly launched product. By adding it as a child ASIN instead, it’s more likely to get seen by customers. This is because established parent listings will likely have more reviews, making it a fantastic strategy when you have brand new stock.
Amazon’s algorithm loves products with good ratings, and will rank the best-performing listings on top when customers search. Every sale of a child ASIN will add to your overall sales history, and this will ultimately impact your organic ranking, as well as your ad performance.
Before creating parent-child listings, first check that the category is eligible for listing variations. You will need to have an Amazon seller account, and you will need to log into Seller Central to upload the products.
Here are some of the categories that allow for variations on Amazon:
Additionally, you will need to check which variations are allowed within the category. For instance, in Beauty, colour variations are permitted, but not fragrance. The variations will also need to work within Amazon guidelines.
If you want to add a new variation to an existing product, here are the steps you need to follow:
Uploading a flat file is the most efficient way to work if you have a lot of child ASINs and variants that need to be added. This is essentially a way to instantly upload all variants through spreadsheets, meaning you can make changes quickly.
Here are the steps you’ll need to follow:
Log into your account and navigate to: Inventory > Add Products via Upload > Download an Inventory File
Choose the relevant category for your product, then click on “General Template” and download the file.
Once you have downloaded the file, you’ll need to familiarise yourself with the columns and what they mean. Here is a quick overview of the column names and their descriptions:
| COLUMN NAME | DESCRIPTION |
| item_sku | Your unique identifier for the product |
| product_id | UPC/EAN/ISBN (for each child) |
| product_id_type | 1 = ASIN, 2 = ISBN, 3 = UPC, 4 = EAN |
| parent_sku | The SKU of the parent |
| relationship_type | Usually variation |
| variation_theme | The attribute being varied (such as colour or size) |
| update_delete | Enter “Update” for the parent listings |
| product_type | Use exact value from the template guide |
| parentage | parent or child |
| title, brand_name, etc. | Required fields depending on variation level |
Make sure your file is structured in the right way to ensure your listings get updated properly. If you have a product with multiple variations, you will need to add a row for each SKU for each child listing, and you’ll need to add a row for the parent listing.
Parent listing:
| COLUMN NAME | HOW TO COMPLETE |
| Product Type | Choose product type from the drop-down |
| SKU | Enter a SKU name (e.g. DressPARENT) |
| Brand name | Select from the dropdown menu (must be the same as the child listing) |
| Update / Delete | Set as “Update” |
| Item Name | Create a name for the parent |
| Parentage | Select “parent” |
| Relationship type | Select “variation” |
| Variation theme | Select the relevant theme (e.g. SIZE/COLOUR) |
Child listing:
| COLUMN NAME | HOW TO COMPLETE |
| Product Type | Choose product type from drop-down |
| SKU | Enter the SKU of the child |
| Update / Delete | Set as “Partial Update” |
| Parentage | Select “child” |
| Parent SKU | Same SKU name for the parent row you just created (e.g. DressPARENT) |
| Relationship type | Select “variation” |
| Variation theme | Pick a relevant theme (e.g. SIZE/COLOUR) |
You will also need to complete the relevant columns related to the variation. For instance, if your product variant is colour, enter the colour for each child.
Once you have created all the relevant rows and filled in each column with the correct data, you will need to upload the file to Amazon. To do this, follow these steps:
Amazon variation listings are great for improving customer experience and can give your brand increased visibility, particularly in competitive categories. But there are ways to make your listings even more effective. Here are some tips to get customers to click on your parent product and view the child listings on the page:
At Seller Presto, we have years of experience looking after our clients’ Amazon accounts and nurturing their bottom line. Not only can we help you create parent-child listings, but we can assist with paid ads, SEO optimisation, and much more.
Next expert support? Find out about our listing creation and optimisation, our Amazon PPC service, or our Amazon account management service to take your business to the next level.
Get in touch with our team today – phone 01642 054694 or email us on info@sellerpresto.com.
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