WE24 Feedback - Add Product - SKU Removed From Variant Section

[bloodyrosebtq]

In the Winter 24 Edition SKU was removed from the Variant section of the Add Product page. This makes no sense and adds extra work for users. The SKU column needs to be restored to the Add Product page.

When we enter a product and SKU and then add the variants in the Variants section — for example sizes — the Variant detail section below only has the editable columns Price and Available. Previously SKU was also available so we could edit the SKU to add a variant code like S for small, M for medium, etc. Now, without the column available we have to click on each variant to display the Edit Variant dialog, fix the SKU and click on Done. This is tedious and, when entering hundreds of SKUs for products in a new shipment, this adds way too much time and work.

It's like the Shopify team lets the developers decide what to do and what is best for the shop owners, and does not have any actual UI/UX team to consider how these changes will affect the real life shop owners who use this system.

SCREENSHOT

VIDEO CAPTURE

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1g9A3zX8SY_55e2WS0odsTZwDfrKLZE0Q/view?usp=sharing

(Why doesn't the video link accept Google drive? It says only YouTube is allowed. Who puts a bug report video on YouTube?)

[jaylaiche]

Hi @bloodyrosebtq ,

You can use the "Edit SKUs" bulk action to edit SKUs in bulk for new and/or existing variants. To do this, select the variants in the table that you want to edit for (you can also select all by clicking the checkbox in the top-most row next to "Variant"), then click the "..." button next to "Bulk edit", and it should bring open a list of bulk actions. You can choose "Edit SKUs" and enter SKUs for all of your variants within the modal. 

[bloodyrosebtq]

You can't do that when entering a new product, only when you save. This adds so many extra steps that did not exist before and makes the product less user-friendly. You really need to consider the shop owners when making changes like this!

[jaylaiche]

You are still able to access "Edit SKUs" when creating a new product. You would follow the same steps I mentioned in my first post, the only difference being that after you have selected your variants, the button to access bulk actions just says "Actions". If you click that, there will be a dropdown of options and you can choose "Edit SKUs". 

[bloodyrosebtq]

See the screenshot and video I attached. What you describe is not available when adding a new product. To edit a SKU when adding a product you have to click on the variant name to display a variant details dialog where you edit the SKU then click close.

Yesterday was the first time with this new way. I had 96 SKUs to update like this. It was insanely tedious and stupid. The old way, with the SKU column immediately available is better.

[jaylaiche · Accepted solution]

I recorded a video demonstrating how you can use the "Edit SKUs" bulk action both during product creation and editing an existing product. 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sWUJfqSQk-FyEdjmpMsS8jWI41xjsfhL/view?usp=sharing

[bloodyrosebtq]

I see... you need to check the box to display the button. This is better, but still not ideal.

As a retailer, and UI/UX professional, I would like to know why Shopify keeps making things more difficult for the retailer/shop owner side of the product by either moving things around and adding steps or removing things and having us have to pay a developer to do things that the product used to do natively? It's not just in the web admin that things are getting more difficult, it's in the POS, as well. We moved to Shopify from Square because of scaling, website/inventory integrations, and ease-of-use. Now it might be time to re-evaluate this decision.

[JPHB85]

@jaylaiche my question is why did you remove our ability to scroll to edit variants all at once, like common sense would dictate. It was like this for years. Now I have to go through 3 separate pages.  It is yet another thing Shopify has done to make work harder for us.

[bloodyrosebtq]

It's infuriating how much they change the admin making things worse for users.

[JPHB85]

@bloodyrosebtq it truly is! the summer update was by far the worst of the worst.  I cannot believe all of the terrible changes they make to make things 'clean looking'. we won't want clean, we want EASY TO USE. And yet when you tell them all of these issues you get the same copy and paste BS answer of 'it may not work for all users' and that they claim to make changes based on user input.  I can guarantee no users would actually want most of these recent changes to the backup functions.

[bloodyrosebtq]

It would be amazing if Shopify had an actual user focus group made up of retailers who use the product for in-store and online sales.

I worked in software development for over 25 years, and everything I have seen happen over the past 2 years is developer-driven changes that that is easy for the developers to do, without any regard for the user base, but makes the project managers happy because it costs less in developer hours.

Sadly it's the trend across all areas of software development. Developers cry that something is challenging and management bends over backwards to accommodate their laziness and inferior skills rather than do the right thing.

[Bobbie_Floerchi]

Hi Jay: not only can I not see the video, but I just am uploading SKU's through shopify import and it won't keep it. I upload, save then go back into th product and the SKU isn't there. why?