{"id":15253,"date":"2022-04-14T12:52:46","date_gmt":"2022-04-14T10:52:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pim-consultants.com\/pim-wiki\/variants-items-and-skus\/"},"modified":"2026-10-21T20:18:33","modified_gmt":"2026-10-21T18:18:33","slug":"variants-items-and-skus","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.pim-consultants.com\/en\/pim-wiki\/variants-items-and-skus\/","title":{"rendered":"Variants, items and SKUs"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"15253\" class=\"elementor elementor-15253 elementor-4986\" data-elementor-settings=\"{&quot;ha_cmc_init_switcher&quot;:&quot;no&quot;}\" wpc-filter-elementor-widget=\"1\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-e050581 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"e050581\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;_ha_eqh_enable&quot;:false}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-c98ccfa\" data-id=\"c98ccfa\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e56e191 elementor-hidden-desktop elementor-hidden-tablet elementor-hidden-mobile elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"e56e191\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Variants, items and SKUs<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e2aa320 elementor-widget elementor-widget-ha-breadcrumbs happy-addon ha-breadcrumbs happy-addon-pro\" data-id=\"e2aa320\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"ha-breadcrumbs.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"ha-breadcrumbs\"><li class=\"ha-breadcrumbs-item ha-breadcrumbs-start\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pim-consultants.com\/en\/\" rel=\"home\"><span class=\"ha-breadcrumbs-text\"><span class=\"ha-breadcrumbs-home-icon\"><span class=\"fas fa-home\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><\/span>PIM Consultants<\/span><\/a><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-00e39d3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"00e39d3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>In brief:<\/strong> Variants are the specific, sellable versions of a product, such as a blue T-shirt in size M. They are also called items or SKUs (Stock Keeping Units) and have their own item number, price and stock level.<\/p><h2>Product and variant: the difference<\/h2>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pim-consultants.com\/en\/pim-wiki\/products\/\">product<\/a> is the overarching concept, such as \u201cBasic T-shirt\u201d. It holds shared information such as the description, material and care instructions. Variants differ in only a few characteristics, known as variant axes, such as size and colour. Only variants physically exist in the warehouse, have a price and can be ordered. In everyday usage, \u201cproduct\u201d often refers to both, which can lead to misunderstandings in projects.<\/p>\n<h2>How a PIM system models variants<\/h2>\n<p>PIM systems model the product and variant hierarchy (often with an intermediate level, such as colour). Shared values are maintained once at product level and passed down to the variants, see <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pim-consultants.com\/en\/pim-wiki\/inheritance\/\">inheritance<\/a>. Only the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pim-consultants.com\/en\/pim-wiki\/properties-attributes\/\">attributes<\/a> that differ are maintained for each variant. This reduces effort and prevents inconsistencies.<\/p>\n<h2>Example<\/h2>\n<p>A shoe in 3 colours and 10 sizes results in 30 variants, or 30 SKUs. The description and material only need to be maintained once, while images are maintained once per colour, or three times in total. In the online shop, a single product is displayed with colour and size options.<\/p><h2>See also<\/h2><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pim-consultants.com\/en\/pim-wiki\/products\/\">Products<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pim-consultants.com\/en\/pim-wiki\/inheritance\/\">Inheritance<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pim-consultants.com\/en\/pim-wiki\/properties-attributes\/\">Properties \/ Attributes<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pim-consultants.com\/en\/pim-wiki\/data-model-product-data-model\/\">Data model<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pim-consultants.com\/en\/pim-wiki\/erp-systems\/\">ERP systems<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-be63e12 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"be63e12\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div style=\"background:#F5F9FB;border-left:4px solid #0F6E99;padding:24px 28px;margin:8px 0;\">\n<p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-size:20px;font-weight:600;color:#2F3438;\">How well is your product data set up?<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin:0 0 20px;\">Our vendor-independent assessment evaluates your data model, governance, processes and systems, showing how ready you are for PIM and AI.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin:0;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pim-consultants.com\/en\/agentic-readiness-assessment\/\" style=\"display:inline-block;padding:14px 28px;background:#0F6E99;color:#FFFFFF;font-weight:600;text-decoration:none;border-radius:4px;\">Request an assessment<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin:16px 0 0;\">Or complete the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pim-consultants.com\/en\/pim-checklist\/\">PIM checklist<\/a> first.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-242ff2f elementor-widget elementor-widget-html\" data-id=\"242ff2f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"html.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"DefinedTerm\",\"name\":\"Variants, items and SKUs\",\"description\":\"Variants are the specific, sellable versions of a product, such as a blue T-shirt in size M. They are also called items or SKUs (Stock Keeping Units) and have their own item number, price and stock level.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pim-consultants.com\/pim-wiki\/varianten-artikel-und-sku\/\",\"inDefinedTermSet\":{\"@type\":\"DefinedTermSet\",\"name\":\"PIM Wiki\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pim-consultants.com\/pim-wiki\/\"}}<\/script>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-92ba02e elementor-section-content-middle elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"92ba02e\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;,&quot;_ha_eqh_enable&quot;:false}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-background-overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-e0047db\" data-id=\"e0047db\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-708f800 elementor-invisible elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"708f800\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;_animation&quot;:&quot;fadeIn&quot;,&quot;_animation_delay&quot;:50}\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">PIM KNOWLEDGE<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2365cf6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2365cf6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">News &amp; Blog<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-14e2f65 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"14e2f65\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;,&quot;_ha_eqh_enable&quot;:false}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-background-overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-544aec0\" data-id=\"544aec0\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a2aabfc elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"a2aabfc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Do you have any questions?<\/p>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1fd793d elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1fd793d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">We are happy to advise you.<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7bd0958 elementor-align-center elementor-mobile-align-justify elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"7bd0958\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-md\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pim-consultants.com\/en\/contact\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">Contact<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Variants, items and SKUs PIM Consultants In brief: Variants are the specific, sellable versions of a product, such as a blue T-shirt in size M. They are also called items or SKUs (Stock Keeping Units) and have their own item number, price and stock level. Product and variant: the difference The product is the overarching [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"parent":15140,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-15253","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pim-consultants.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15253","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pim-consultants.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pim-consultants.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pim-consultants.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pim-consultants.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15253"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.pim-consultants.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15253\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15335,"href":"https:\/\/www.pim-consultants.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15253\/revisions\/15335"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pim-consultants.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15140"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pim-consultants.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15253"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}