Product variations/options problem for successful sneaker store

[snkrs]

We have a very successful offline footwear store and now we plan to move into e-commerce/Shopify. We sell sneakers and the customer can choose between a selection of different shoe laces. The sneaker itself is not a product variation that can be bought alone, nor are the shoe laces. Only together they become a SKU and can be bought.

Obviously, we hold only a certain amount of inventory for each sneaker size and each type of shoe laces.

Its pretty straightforward to manage this offline, when a specific sneaker size is out-of-stock we tell customer that the size is sold out currently, or when a specific shoe lace is out-of-stock we tell customer that this specific variation is sold out currently she/he may want to choose another shoe lace instead.

Now, trying to plan our online store infrastructure/work-flows, I found out that this becomes a challenge online. With the available Shopify options, it seems it only allows us to create variants/SKU's as "end products". But we don't have finished "end product" on stock and therefore we cannot enter the inventory level for each "end product". Instead, we only have the product options (sneaker + shoe laces) which then together will become an "end product" according to customer's selection. I hope that makes sense.

Basically we are looking for a solution that allows us to set the stock levels of each product option. For example:
Sneaker_1 size 8 = 200 units
Sneaker_1 size 9 = 350 units
Sneaker_1 size 10 = 250 units, etc.
Sneaker_2 size 8 = 150 units
Sneaker_2 size 9 = 275 units
Sneaker_2 size 10 = 200 units, etc.
ShoeLace_1 = 250 units
ShoeLace_2 = 600 units
ShoeLace_3 = 300 units, etc.

When a customer orders Sneaker_2 size 9 with ShoeLace_3 (SKU example S02-090-L03), then the stock levels should adjust automatically (both -1). This would then make sure we never sell something we don't have + allows us to easy manage inventory levels.

Does something like that exist? Is there an app? What is your recommendation? Thank you!

[snkrs]

Anyone?

[kingstore]

Hey @snkrs in this scenario you'll likely be assembling bundles to sell on Shopify. There are a variety of apps that support this, though most apps will require you to pre-make the bundles, which may be a selection criterion that you'll have to chat with the bundle apps providers to figure out if they offer it. 

Bundles Apps on the Shopify App Store

The alternative option would be to set up your own private app that has restrictions on each individual product to show all the options (laces/shoe style), but restrict checkout until they made a selection in each category (shoe with a lace). This is the route I would personally take, it'll be a lighter app to do this specific function and thus remove some of the extra features many of the existing bundle apps provide. 

For handling the inventory on each of your bundles, depending on how many orders you are creating, it might be beneficial to have a system that will coordinate the pick and pack of your bundles into batches to make it efficient here. For a look at handling this process within a Shopify inventory system take a look here, and check out SKUSavvy.com

[PageFly-Richard]

Hi,

I’m Richard Nguyen - CRO Expert at PageFly- Free Landing Page Builder. 

I think with your case, at first, you need an inventory management app. You can have a look at this article to see which one is the best app for you.

And after you had finalized all the essentials information for your variants, you need to have a way to display it to your customers. In this case, option swatches apps will be the best. Please kindly check this guide and find the best apps for you: https://pagefly.link/FKevtHay.

Our app - PageFly has our own option swatches system, which is easier to configure on your page. But I can't guarantee the effectiveness of our system. You can have a look first or give it a try, because it's free to use.

I hope these information can be helpful to you!

[EFOLI-Emilia7]

@snkrs Have you got the solution? If not, I have a similar solution that can match your requirements.

First, you need to create the product from Shopify for sneakers and while creating the product, you need to create the options for styles, size, and shoe laces. Check this Screenshot. After creating the options, the combinations of variants will be automatically created below. You need to add the stock quantities according to the variants here.

Here, the limitation is Shopify won’t allow you to show options more than two. It’ll just display the styles and sizes, not the shoe lace. Also, your customers won’t be able to choose multiple shoe lace to order.

But the MultiVariants - Bulk order app can help you with this. With this app, It’s possible to select multiple options with multiple variants. Like they can choose the style, size, and the shoelaces which are available in stock. It will allow you to select as many as variants before going to the cart page. For example, your customer can choose Sneaker 1 in size 8 and choose 3 different shoelaces. Not only that, but you can also limit the number of shoelaces they can purchase if you want.

Regarding your concern about the inventory, the stock will be automatically adjusted for both Shopify backend and product pages. Whenever the stock is empty, the customer won’t be able to add that variant to the cart.

Here is the Demo product where your customer can easily choose the shoe styles, size from the dropdown, and shoelaces from the list. MultiVariants - bulk order app

[EasifyApps-Zoe]

Hi @snkrs,

Although some time has passed since you raised the topic, I'd still like to offer a solution for you to consider or for other members facing a similar issue in the future.

My recommendation is to use Easify Product Options app to manage your product options effectively. With this app, you can create an "End Product" with custom options for sneaker sizes and shoe laces, while keeping the sneakers and shoe laces as separate products for easy inventory management 🤗.

Here's a quick demonstration of how to set it up:

• Create your Sneaker 1 product with size options (8, 9, 10) and specific quantities for each size.
• Create your Sneaker 2 product with size options (8, 9, 10) and specific quantities for each size.
• Create your Shoe Lace product with 3 styles (1, 2, 3) and specific quantities for each style.
• Create your "End Product" without any options.
• Install the Easify Product Options app and start creating your product options there:

• Add an option for customers to select the Sneaker design (1 & 2) using Image Swatches (or another suitable option type provided by the app).

• Add an option for selecting the Size if customers choose Sneaker 1, using Buttons option type, Add-on Product, and Conditional Logic features.

• Similarly, add an option for selecting the Size if customers choose Sneaker 2, using Buttons option type, Add-on Product, and Conditional Logic features.

• Add an option for selecting the Shoe Lace style using Image Swatches (or another suitable option type provided by the app) and the Add-on Product feature.

• After creating your option set, assign it to the "End Product" you created earlier:

Result:

By linking the product options of the "End Product" to your existing Sneakers and Shoe Laces, you can effortlessly manage their inventory.

I hope you find this solution useful and encourage you to try out the app 🙌!