Linking Products & Variants

Connect options to real Shopify products for automatic pricing and inventory management.

Why Link Products?

Linking products to your add-on options provides several benefits:

• Automatic Pricing - Option price comes from the linked product
• Inventory Tracking - Stock levels sync automatically
• Order Fulfillment - Add-ons appear as separate line items
• Reporting - Track add-on sales in Shopify analytics

How Linking Works

When a customer selects an option linked to a product:

1. The linked product's price is added to the total
2. When added to cart, the linked product becomes a separate line item
3. Inventory decrements for both main product and add-ons
4. The order shows all items with their customization context

Creating Add-on Products

Setting Up Dedicated Add-on Products

For best organization, create products specifically for add-ons:

1. In Shopify admin, go to Products
2. Click Add product
3. Name it clearly (e.g., "Gift Wrapping Add-on")
4. Set the price for the add-on
5. Add inventory tracking if needed
6. Set status to Active
7. Optional: Hide from storefront collections

Hiding Add-on Products

To keep add-on products available but not browsable:

• Remove from all collections
• Set "Online store" channel visibility to exclude from search
• Or use a dedicated "Hidden" collection

Linking to Options

Basic Product Linking

1. Open your add-on group in Uplift
2. Edit an option or create a new one
3. Find the Linked Product field
4. Search for and select the product
5. Save the option

Linking to Specific Variants

If your add-on product has variants (e.g., sizes):

1. Link the product as above
2. A variant selector will appear
3. Choose the specific variant
4. The variant's price will be used

Example use case: A "Protection Plan" add-on with variants:

• 1-Year Plan - $19.99
• 2-Year Plan - $34.99
• 3-Year Plan - $49.99

Pricing Display

Price Format Options

Real-time Price Updates

As customers make selections:

• Total price updates automatically
• Individual add-on prices are shown
• Works with multiple selections

Inventory Management

How Inventory Syncs

• Linked products use standard Shopify inventory
• Stock decrements when orders are placed
• Low stock alerts work normally
• Inventory adjustments reflect immediately

Out of Stock Behavior

When a linked product is out of stock:

Cart Behavior

Line Items Structure

When a customer adds a product with add-ons:

• Main product - Primary line item with properties showing selections
• Add-on products - Separate line items for each linked product
• Properties - Metadata connecting items together

Cart Display Example

Custom T-Shirt - Large          $24.99
  └ Color: Navy Blue
  └ Print: Front Logo

Premium Cotton Upgrade          +$5.00
Gift Wrapping                   +$3.99

Subtotal:                       $33.98

Advanced Linking Options

Using Product with Multiple Variants

Create flexible add-ons by using a single product with variants:

1. Create a product with all variations as variants
2. Example: "Engraving" with variants for character counts
3. Link each option to the appropriate variant

Bundled Options

For options that should add multiple products:

• Create a bundle product in Shopify
• Link the bundle to the option
• Or use multiple add-on groups

Troubleshooting

Price not showing

• Verify linked product has a price set
• Check product is published/active
• Clear cache and refresh

Product not found in search

• Ensure product status is Active
• Check product is in Online Store channel
• Try searching by product ID

Inventory not decrementing

• Verify inventory tracking is enabled on product
• Check inventory management setting (Shopify vs app)
• Review order to confirm line items present

Best Practices

• Organize add-on products - Use consistent naming (prefix with "Add-on:" or similar)
• Set appropriate inventory - Decide per-product if you track stock
• Price strategically - Consider value perception and bundling opportunities
• Test thoroughly - Verify cart and checkout behavior
• Monitor performance - Track add-on conversion rates

Next Steps

• Color Swatches Guide - Create visual color options
• Order Management - Handle orders with add-ons
• Best Practices - Optimization tips