.. and what Aussie Brands do instead

Product variants seem like a great idea …. until they’re not. Too many options confuse customers, hurt your SEO, and can make inventory integration a nightmare. Smart Aussie retailers like Bunnings, JB Hifi, Kmart and Poppy Lissiman have figured out when to keep it simple.

Variants are a throwback to old ways of thinking that are merchant centric rather than customer. It is great to offer alternatives and even build composite product builder pages but do not confuse these with size or colour “drop downs”.  

The Variant Trap

Cramming products into variants backfires. Here’s what actually happens when you go overboard:

Customers Get Lost

Ever been to a product page with 20+ colour options or 8 sizes, or both? It’s overwhelming. Customers can’t decide, so they don’t buy. Kmart keeps their online product pages clean – each item gets its own page and listing rather than endless variants.

Stock Confusion Kills Sales

When customers see “Navy – Size 8” is out of stock, they assume everything’s gone and leave. If they do scroll through to find “Red – Size 8” is available and purchase this one you will then have a return as they are expecting a Navy one!. One unavailable variant can tank sales on the whole product.

Mobile is a Mess

Most Aussie shoppers are on mobile. Trying to navigate 15 colour swatches on a phone screen is painful. Compare that to how Poppy Lissiman handles their accessories – similar items get separate listings that are easy to browse on mobile.

SEO Gets Trashed

Duplicate Content Problems

When all your variants share the same product description, Google sees duplicate content and your rankings suffer. Each variant competes against itself in search results.

Weaker Search Performance

Instead of a product page with exactly what the user was selecting, you’ve got variants splitting the SEO juice. Your “grouped” page ranks poorly as people abandon instead of having focused pages that could rank well.

Managing Variants to your ERP is tough

SKU Explosion

Every size-colour combo creates a new SKU, as well as a Manufacture, Style or Grouping SKU. Suddenly you’re tracking 50+ SKUs for what could be 5 separate products. Your inventory integration becomes fragile and unmanageable. A seasonal colour will destroy your product page as it goes out of stock.

Google Ads Nightmare

Try running Google Shopping campaigns with 40 variants. Your ad spend gets wasted, performance data is useless, and you can’t tell what’s actually working. Look at the big stores, you choose a Red one and that is what you get. 

When to Split Products

Furniture retailers are an example of showing a lounge with a coffee table. They see it as part of a family, the customer does not.

Different Purposes

Don’t variant a bikini and a one-piece swimsuit together. They serve different needs. Kmart separates these completely – much easier to shop.

Popular Search Terms

If people search “black fashion handbag” specifically, give them a dedicated page for it. Poppy Lissiman does this well – their statement pieces get individual listings because that’s how customers search.

Seasonal Items

Summer dresses and winter dresses? Separate them. Different seasons, different customer mindset.

What Works Better

Use Colour Apps Smartly

New Shopify colour selection apps are great, use them for colour variations.

Keep Variants Simple

Stick to basic size combos for the same product. T-shirt in 4 sizes? Perfect for variants. T-shirt, hoodie, and jacket? Separate listings.

Test What Works

Try both approaches and see what converts better. Often, cleaner separate listings win.

Real Aussie Examples

Kmart’s approach: Basic items like sheets come in variant colours, but different sheet types (fitted, flat, sets) get separate listings. Clean and logical.

Poppy Lissiman’s strategy: Similar bag styles are offered but NOT as variants, but completely different designs get their own pages. Makes browsing and finding specific pieces much easier.

Bunning’s approach: Each item has its own unique page supported by strong SEO, external searching works as well as an internal one and strong 301 redirects to ensure no link is stale. 

Summary

Use variants when:

• Same product, different size only
• Avoid for colour differences
• Customers expect to choose from options
• Less than 10 total combinations
• All have same shipping weight / cost

Separate listings when:

• Different materials or functions
• Customers search for specific versions
• More than 15 combinations total
• Mobile experience suffers

Bottom Line

Less is often more with Shopify variants. Your customers want to quickly find, your SEO wants focused pages, and you want manageable inventory and integration. Look at how successful Aussie retailers structure their products – they keep variants simple and strategic, not exhaustive.

New Shopify themes and colour selection apps are powerful tools, and they work best when you’re not trying to cram every possible option into one product page.

Who is your website for? Your warehouse or your customer?