Adding variants to a product allows merchants to sell multiple versions of a book on one product listing page. Merchants can sell the same book with different format options, such as different binding types, colors, or content.


Note: The instructions below are only for WooCommerce and Shopify products. Direct Buy Buttons do not support variants.



Before adding variants, complete the following steps:

  1. Create and publish individual Lulu book projects for each format or style of the book you plan to sell.
  2. Connect your store to Lulu Direct.
  3. Add a product to your store in the Lulu Direct dashboard using the instructions in the articles below.


How Do I Connect a Product to Lulu Direct?

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Adding Variants to New Products

Note: The following steps apply only to products added to Lulu Direct using the Create a New Product option, not the Connect an Existing Product option. For products added using the Connect an Existing Product option, see the next section.


Modifying the Active Product

Open the store in the Lulu Direct dashboard and locate the active product to which you want to add variants.



Click the variant to open the product details, then click + Add Product Variant.


Identifying Variants

After clicking + Add Product Variant, a new section will appear allowing you to provide an Option Name and Option Values.



Option Name: The title that describes the overall category of book variations, such as "Alternate Bindings," "Alternate Colors," and so on.


Option Value: The value that describes the specific book variation, such as "Blue Version," "Hardcover Version," or "Expanded Edition."


Note: You can add up to three options for each book project to which you are adding variants.


Enter your Option Name and Option Values, then click Save Options.


Mapping Variants

After saving your Option Name and Option Value, a new variant field will be added to your product.


Click the variant drop-down menu, select your first variant option, then click Save.



After saving your first variant option, new fields will appear to show all other variant options. Select each variant from the drop-down menus according to its variant title, then map each variant to its corresponding Lulu book project and assign a price.



Note: The Save button will not activate until all variants have been mapped and prices have been set.


Once everything is saved, allow 20–30 minutes for each variant to process before it becomes live.


Adding Variants to Existing Products


Note: The following steps apply only to products added using the Connect an Existing Product option.



When a product is added using the Connect an Existing Product option, variants that already exist for the product in the external store will automatically be detected.




Because the variants already exist in the external store, you do not need to add Option Names or Option Values in Lulu Direct. They are created automatically when you add the product.

Mapping Existing Products

Map each variant to its corresponding Lulu book project and assign a price.



When the variants are mapped and priced, click Save.


Note: The Save button will not activate until all variants have been mapped and prices have been set.


Once everything is saved, allow 20–30 minutes for each variant to process before it becomes live.


Additional Step for Wix Products

After a product and its variants have been added to your store in the Lulu Direct dashboard, complete the following steps:

1. Open the WIX store.

2. Open the Product.

3. Manage the variants.

4. Turn off the Track Inventory option.


 


Note: We recommend setting up rates based on quantity groups because setting up rates for each quantity can be time-consuming. For example, set up rates for 1 copy, 2 copies, 3–5 copies, 6–10 copies, 11–20 copies, and so on. For 3–5 copies, set the Weight Range from 3 to 5 lb.


Wix Limitations

Due to functional limitations in Wix, there are several important considerations when adding Option Names and Option Values to Wix product variants in the Lulu Direct dashboard.


Removing Variant Options

In the example below, the product has two Option Names and two Option Values that provide a potential customer with different book options.


Example:

Option Name 1: Alternate Covers

Option Values 1:

  • Blue Cover
  • Maroon Cover

Option Name 2: Binding Types

Option Values 2:

  • Hardcover
  • Paperback



The Option Value determines the variant types added to your product.


Example:

After adding two new Option Values (Hardcover and Paperback) to a product, the system automatically adds a Hardcover and Paperback variant to each variant type.



Note: After more than one Option Value has been added and saved to a product and the additional variants have been added, the Option Values can no longer be deleted individually. Attempting to remove one of the Option Values will cause an error on the product that requires you to recreate all of them from the beginning. Make sure your Option Values are correct before saving them to avoid errors.



In the example below, attempting to remove the Hardcover Option Value would cause an error. 



Updating Variant Option Values

Once a variant's Option Values have been saved, you cannot edit their names. To change an Option Value, delete it and add a new one. Attempting to rename an existing Option Value and save it will leave the old Option Value intact and instead create a new variant.


Note: Instead of updating the titles of existing Option Values, we recommend deleting an existing Option Value first, then adding a new one and saving it.


Example:




Option Value & Option Name Spelling

Option Name and Option Value titles are case-sensitive. If the same titles are used on multiple products, they must be spelled the same way. Two titles with the same name but different spelling will not work, and Wix will automatically update them to be identical.


Example:

If you give a variant Option Name the title "Alternate Covers" on one product, you cannot spell it "ALTERNATE COVERS" on another product. It must also be spelled "Alternate Covers."

If you give a product the Option Value "Hardcover," and you use the same title on another product, it cannot be spelled "Hard Cover" or "HARDCOVER." It must also be written as "Hardcover."