A user reports that converting a non-variant product to a variant product in Shopify causes data loss. When adding variants (e.g., color options), critical information is lost including:
Expected behavior: The first variant should retain all data from the original non-variant product.
Proposed workarounds:
Status: The issue remains unresolved as a native Shopify limitation. No built-in solution exists; users must rely on external tools or manual data re-entry. The discussion acknowledges this is a known problem that Shopify has not addressed.
Hi team, when changing a non variant product to a variant product the first variant should keep the same sku, and all data from the non variant version. Even the metafield data.
EG. atm if we have a product that now has multiple colours and we create a colour variant we then lose the weight, the metafield warehouse location, sku, etc etc.
Hi @rhys100 ,
Use Apps to Retain/Clone Product Data
Duplicate products with variants
Retain all data, including metafields
These apps are ideal if you’re frequently editing multiple products :
Matrixify
Ablestar Bulk Editor
Metafields Guru
Thanks
Manoj
not useful bro. take your ai responses and shove it
No one here can fix that admin behavior natively in the here and now.
That guidance and list is such a vanilla answer because the problem is also a vanilla internet search away so it’s easily made or generated.
Sigh, so unfortunately using apps/CSV-import for the data entry process is what the reality is until shopify actually addresses issues like this instead of bloating the admin with VScode or ruining reports; regardless if the list is from AI it’s not 100% irrelevant.
The deeper alternatives are something like browser extensions to try and keep the workflow in the native admin and not in an external app/service/file.
Or an app, or custom-app, that uses the admin-extension system to have more of the process inside the shopify admin itself.