Shopify shoud add this: Variant in Draft

[MichelPlante]

Hello Shopify,

One simple feature that would be VERY helpful, is to be able to put in draft some variants out of one product.

We sell boots, and we create products for each new models, BUT some of these models come in different colors at differnt time of the year. So it would be nice to be able to put the 'winter' colors in Draft during... Summertime (My hear is still ringin...) LOL, AND put 'Summer' color in draft during Winter time...

Yes I know I can Delete these variants, but I'll have to re-upload everyting when it comes back, AND I'll loose all my sales stats for these variants. When you create new one, it create a different ID...

I Know, I can duplicate the product and make 2 seasons versions, BUT my ERP Styleman is syncing with Shopify twice a day, so if it see two products with the same UPC/Barcode, it might not update stock for both files, so my inventory inside Shopify is all messed up. So I need to edit all my 'Off Season' UPC with an X at the end so they dont get synced instead of the "On Season" ones.

Simply have the option Active or Draft for each Variant would be awesome...

[ogessel]

This would be very helpful indeed. Hope they will listen 🙄

[paulbackman]

Upvote from me. Would be very useful.

[atomix]

UPVOTE HERE. This is BASIC functionality. Large (giving Shopify lots of money) customers NEED the ability to do this. 

A lot of our processes are automated. When we have a new product, we have teams who mark it as ready to go and it gets sent to the site, but there's no way to add it to shopify without it showing on the page... like it's not AVAILABLE to buy yet until the 1st of the month. However, the Shopify team wants to have the product on the site ready to launch. We should have a draft to set via the API.

Also, when a SKU gets discontinued, why can't I archive that particular SKU not the entire product.

Of course, there's the case of hiding 0 stock products. Lots of plugins/workarounds do this. 

How about a promo item, like a bonus size... or a themed seasonal SKU. Having two identical products with a identical SKUs is just NOT a good option, because now your URL changes or you have to to manually set and reset them. 

This is BASIC functionality that seems more like a grievous oversight on Shopify's side.

[Iansz]

Upvote from me too, this is such a basic feature I can't understand why it's not already active "without" a plugin

[gr_trading]

Hi @MichelPlante 

You can mark your seasonal product out of stock and custom-code your theme for these kinds of products where out-of-stock variants will be hidden on frontend.

[Iansz]

Why does this have to need custom code, why not just a "Draft" button?

[gr_trading]

@Iansz I'm providing the workflow which can be implemented in the current Shopify store, whereas you are talking about a feature to be built in Shopify.

Of course, it will best if the Shopify platform provides this feature.

[Zachsquatch]

@gr_trading Can you provide the workflow I'm not seeing it?Thanks!!

[gr_trading]

@Zachsquatch 

There is no upfront workflow in Shopify.

We have to custom code to hide your out of stock products from search and visibility.

[samuel_webster_]

You can have a product you still want to show to customers that is out of stock, as it may still be a relevant seasonal item, you're just currently out of stock. Making the product disappear can be confusing.

You would probably be better solving this by adding variant meta called "out of season" and make it a boolean. You still need custom code in your theme, but it'd be more flexible than using the stock mechanism to hide products.

[SharCosmetics]

I agree … i want to add new scents for my body butter but they are not available and i don’t want to just 0 the inventory as i don’t want people to see the new scents until launch. 

[gr_trading]

Hi @SharCosmetics 

You can upload the product and update other things and remove the availablity of product from online store.

Product will be removed from the store listing.

[SharCosmetics]

I’m not wanting to remove the product . I’m just adding new scents to the same product, but i don’t want those scents to show with the currents scents at the moment until ready for launch. I want to keep the product available just not the new scents yet… 

[gr_trading]

If you don't have combination of variants then upcoming variants can be put hidden using custom code.

[DavidWard1]

Agreed, we need this also. We have products with variants, that new variants will be added at a later date. I have all the variant info and images, but I cannot make the variant until the day of launch.  We have hundreds of products like this and it would save us a huge headache and acute stress if we could make the new variants weeks in advance and set them to "Draft" until launch.

[Rosa9]

Agreed this is a necessary feature... a bit disappointed that this isn't there yet!

[wad11656]

I don't even know how Shopify became such a popular platform without this feature??? This is like...Ground Zero of e-commerce Platform development. Like...how dare you launch an e-commerce Platform that doesn't even have the ability to draft product variants. That's....insane. And is just straight-up unacceptable that after like 20 years since launching, you would still not have such a e-commerce 101 feature!! WHAT!??? AI exists. Get some wannabe developer to tell ChatGPT to add it.

[Joe1]

Whats the closest thing we can do to mimic this?

[Zilvinas_laba]

It is September, 2024 now. We still WAITING for that option. Do you hear us, shopify ?