Product options
If you sell products that have variants (like colors and sizes), you can list them as one base product with options. As a result, store visitors can select the options they prefer on the product page. The chosen product options are shown in the order details.
With the help of product options, you can also:
- offer extras, like gift wrapping;
- ask buyers to upload a file for ordered product/service;
- offer multiple selections to configure or personalize the final product;
- and more.
See our video on how to add product options:
Creating options
You can have an unlimited number of options for each product.
To add options like Size and Color to your products, do the following:
- From your Ecwid admin, go to Catalog → Products.
- Open the product page you want to edit.
- Go to the Options tab:
- Click +Add New Option to add an option and its parameters.
- Add the name of the option, for example, "Size".
- Select the input type. If you want to add sizes for a product, click Size:
- Click +Add New Value and add all values of the option. In the example with the sizes, specify all the sizes that your product is available in and specify whether they affect the base product price or not:
- Choose the Default option (if you tick the Do not preselect default value option, the Default column will be hidden):
- Save the changes and check how the product page looks.
- From your Ecwid iOS app, go to Products, then tap on the product for which you want to add options.
- Tap +Add more product features → Product options.
- Tap Add New Option to add an option and its parameters.
- Add the name of the option, for example, Size.
- Select the input type. To add sizes, choose Size.
- Under Items, on the Add New Selection line, add all values of the option. Add as many selections as you need and specify whether they affect the base product price or not.
- Tap Sort to put the selections in the desired order.
- To mark a selection as default, tap on it and tap Set as Default:
- Tap Done to save the changes.
- From your Ecwid Android app, go to Products, then tap on the product for which you want to add options.
- Tap More product features → Product options.
- Select what options you want to add: Color, Size, Style. For example, select Size. If you choose one of these types, the option's name and selections will be pre-filled. If you choose Custom, a new option will be created from scratch.
- Tap Add new value to add more sizes for this product.
- Change the input type if you don't want to use the dropdown list that is set by default. To add sizes, choose Size.
- To mark a selection that will be chosen by default, tap on it and choose Set as Default:
- Save the changes.
Repeat the above steps to add more options (like color), if needed.
Here is how a product with different options looks in the storefront:
Option types
You can use different option types to help customers select a product they desire:
- Drop-down list allows the selection of one value from multiple choices. We suggest drop-down lists for a compact view of many choices.
- Radio-buttons allow selecting one value from multiple choices like product color.
- Size allows selecting one option from multiple size choices.
- Date Picker is a popup calendar to select a date for product/service.
- Text Field and Text Area are input text fields where your customers can type any text for a product. It is often used to offer personalization, engraving, custom printing, or embroidery for products.
- Checkboxes allow the selection of several options at once. For example, pizza toppings.
- Upload file allows customers to attach files to the product or service they order.
You may need to provide a detailed description of every product option to your customers. For this, you can use the Size Chart & Options Descriptions app for Ecwid. It adds extra information next to options on a product page. You could include a size chart, graphics illustrating option choices, detailed characteristics, useful links, and more.
In case you need advanced dependent options (like extra options within an option), additional option types like color or image swatches, or you want to hide some of the option combinations as they are not for sale, you can use the Advanced Product Options app.
Preselected default values
You can use the Do not preselect default value option with drop-down lists and radio buttons to ensure customers select an option:
With the Do not preselect default value option checked, a customer cannot add a product to the cart without selecting an option. Here is an example of how shoppers see a product page right after opening it (no options are selected) and how they are reminded to pick options:
With the Do not preselect default value option unchecked, your default product options (for example, basic ingredients for pizza) are preselected for faster customer checkout. If a shopper wants to order a product with other options (for example, unusual ingredients for pizza), they need to choose them on the product page instead of default options. Here is an example of how shoppers see a product page in this case:
If your customers tend to order products with default options, you can allow them to add products with default options to the cart right in the product list, by clicking on the “Buy Now” button:
This setting is available in your Ecwid admin in Settings → General → Cart & Checkout tab.
Using price modifiers
With price modifiers, you can increase or decrease the base product price depending on options. For example, a cotton T-Shirt costs $10, while an organic cotton T-Shirt sells for $12. If a customer selects the organic option with the +$2 price modifier, they will see the updated price ($12) on the product page.
Price modifiers can be assigned to drop-down, checkbox and radio-buttons option types.
To add price modifiers:
- From your Ecwid admin, go to Catalog → Products.
- Open the product page you want to edit.
- Go to the Options tab:
- Select how the price modifier should adjust the price:
- Select whether the modification adjusts the price in absolute amount or as a percentage:
- Set the amount.
- Save the changes.
This is how the price modifiers appear in the Ecwid Control Panel:
- From your Ecwid iOS app, go to Products, then click on the product you want to edit.
- Click on the product options.
- Click on the option you want to edit.
- Select how the price modifier should adjust the price and select whether the modification adjusts the price in absolute amount or as a percentage:
- Set the amount.
- Save the changes.
This is how the price modifiers appear in the app:
- From your Ecwid Android app, go to Products, then click on the product you want to edit.
- Click on the product options.
- Click on the option you want to edit.
- Click on the selection where you want to add the price modifier.
- Select how the price modifier should adjust the price and select whether the modification adjusts the price in absolute amount or as a percentage:
- Set the amount.
- Save the changes.
This is how the price modifiers appear in the app:
This is how your customers see modifiers in your storefront. The price changes immediately when you select an option:
Adding and updating options in bulk
You can easily update your product options using the Bulk Product Editor app from Ecwid’s App Market. Bulk Product Editor helps you:
- update all your products in bulk or filter those you’d like to change
- update properties like price, weight, quantity, and more
- add and remove options
- add and remove option values
- import options with option values from CSV file (it's compatible with spreadsheets)
- enable and disable products in bulk
If you have any questions about the Bulk Product Editor, please contact the developer of the app directly.
You can also use the X-Cart or LiteCommerce import to add or update product options. The X-Cart import supports two types of product options: drop-down list and text field, while LiteCommerce import supports drop-down lists, radio buttons, text fields and text areas. See more details in these articles:
Related articles
Managing stock of products with options
How to sell product bundles
Creating advanced product options