What Are Product Variants & Per-Option Pricing?

Most products aren't a single thing. A t-shirt comes in S / M / L and in three colours. A box of chocolates comes in 8, 12, or 24 pieces. A coffee comes in regular or large, with extra sugar or none. A phone case comes in five colours and two finishes.

A product variant is simply one of those chooseable versions. Instead of creating five separate "Blue T-Shirt", "Red T-Shirt", "Black T-Shirt" listings, you create one t-shirt product and give it option groups — a Colour group and a Size group — each with the options inside it. The customer browses one clean listing and picks the combination they want.

Per-option pricing is the money side of the same idea. Some choices cost more than others: a 24-piece box costs more than an 8-piece box; a large coffee costs more than a regular; "add extra cheese" adds to the price. Per-option pricing lets you attach a price delta (a +/- amount) to any option. The unit price the customer actually pays is then the base price plus the sum of the deltas they selected — calculated for them, instantly, with no mental math and no mistakes.

In plain terms: variants let you sell many versions of one product from a single listing, and per-option pricing makes sure each version is charged correctly — automatically.

This is one of those features that sounds small and turns out to be the difference between a catalog that *looks* like a shop and one that actually *sells like* one.

It prevents wrong orders and awkward follow-ups. Without variants, a customer orders "the dress" and you have to message back: *which size? which colour?* That back-and-forth is friction, and friction loses sales. With variants, the exact choice is captured up front — "Dress, Size M, Navy" — and there's nothing to clarify.

It prices things correctly without you doing math. A bakery that sells an 8 / 12 / 24-piece box shouldn't have to list three near-identical products at three prices, then hope the customer reads the right one. Per-option pricing means the 24-piece simply costs more, automatically, the moment it's selected.

It keeps your catalog clean. Ten colours of one phone case is one listing, not ten. Easier to manage, easier to browse, fewer duplicate photos and descriptions to maintain.

It unlocks upsells. Add-ons are just options with a positive price delta: "+ gift wrap", "+ extra shot", "+ engraving". Every add-on the customer taps grows the order value — and they see the price update as they go.

It removes a buying objection. Shoppers don't commit when they're unsure "do you have it in my size / colour / size of box?" Showing the options *is* the answer, right there in the listing.

Concrete examples:

A home chocolatier lists one "Signature Box" product with a Box Size group: 8 pcs (base), 12 pcs (+the difference), 24 pcs (+more). One listing, three prices, zero confusion.

A fashion boutique uses two groups — Size and Colour — so an order reads "Linen Shirt, L, Olive" with the right price, no messaging needed.

A café sells a latte with a Size group (Regular / Large, +price) and an Extras group (Oat milk +, Extra shot +); the cup is configured and priced before the order is even sent.

A print shop sells a banner with a Material group and a Size group, each option adding to the price — the quote is built by the customer, accurately.

The mechanics are deliberately simple:

Create one product with its base price and photo.

Add option groups. A group is a category of choice — Colour, Size, Sugar, Box Size, Add-ons — and you can name it anything.

Add options inside each group, and optionally give each option a price delta (e.g. "Large +$2", "24 pcs +$15", or even a negative for a smaller/cheaper option).

The customer picks one option per group. As they choose, the displayed unit price updates live: base price + the sum of selected deltas.

The exact selection is carried into the order. When the item goes into the cart and then into the order, the chosen options *and* their resulting price travel with it — so the cart total, the receipt, and your records all reflect exactly what was chosen.

A good system keeps each distinct selection as its own line — so two coffees, one large-with-oat-milk and one regular, are two clearly separate lines, not a vague "2 coffees". That precision is what makes the order trustworthy.

ScaanMe ships product variants and per-option pricing across its store themes as a first-class part of the WhatsApp store — not a paid add-on. Grounded specifics from the product inventory:

Unlimited custom variant groups. You can create as many option groups as you like — Colour, Size, Sugar, Box Size, anything — and every group and option is fully renamable to fit your product. It's not a fixed "Size/Colour" template; it's a flexible system you label yourself.

Per-option price deltas. Any option can carry a price delta, and the unit price a customer pays is base + the sum of the deltas they selected. ScaanMe's showcase example is a Maison Cacao box offered in 8 / 12 / 24 pieces, each tier priced correctly through this mechanism.

A separate cart line per selection. Each distinct variant combination becomes its own cart line, so the order stays exact and unambiguous — no guessing which option belonged to which item.

It flows everywhere the order goes. The selected options and their pricing flow into the cart, the WhatsApp order text, the order total, and the admin/invoice — so the message your customer sends and the record you keep both spell out precisely what was bought and what it costs.

Available across all store themes. Variants and per-option pricing work across ScaanMe's full store theme library, so you're not limited to one "commerce" theme to use them.

Because ScaanMe's checkout *is* a WhatsApp conversation rather than a card funnel, variants do something extra valuable here: they make that WhatsApp order message richer and exact. "Signature Box, 24 pcs, dark chocolate — $X" lands ready to confirm, with no clarifying back-and-forth.

The one-link context — why ScaanMe variants are more than a store feature: A ScaanMe store doesn't stand alone. The same smart link can carry a digital vCard (your business identity), the WhatsApp store where variants live, an Apple / Google Wallet pass customers save to their phone, and NFC tap so a physical card or tag opens your store on contact. Behind it, the built-in CRM captures visits, sources, and contacts automatically and never plan-gates that capture — so every variant-rich order is the start of a trackable relationship, not an anonymous sale. And the whole experience is bilingual EN / AR with proper RTL, including how prices and price deltas render — a regional strength, not an afterthought.

Accuracy note: variants + per-option pricing produce an exact, itemised WhatsApp order; payment is then settled the way you already do (cash, transfer, payment link). ScaanMe's strength is the WhatsApp-conversation close, not an in-platform card checkout.

Variants and per-option pricing matter to almost anyone selling configurable or multi-version products:

Food & beverage — bakeries and chocolatiers (box sizes), cafés and restaurants (size, sugar, milk, add-ons, extras), home kitchens.

Fashion & retail — clothing (size + colour), shoes, accessories, cosmetics (shade), gifts (with engraving / gift-wrap add-ons).

Handmade & home brands — candles (scent + size), jewellery (metal + length), art prints (size + frame).

Print, signage & customisation — material, dimensions, finish, quantity tiers.

Services with tiers or add-ons — packages (basic / standard / premium), bookable extras, bundles.

MENA / Gulf / emerging-market merchants — where the exact, card-free WhatsApp order needs to be unambiguous before it's confirmed.

What's the difference between a variant and a separate product? A variant is a *version of the same product* selected from one listing (Size M of the same shirt). A separate product is its own listing entirely. Variants keep your catalog clean and let the customer choose, rather than hunt through duplicate listings.

How does per-option pricing calculate the final price? It's the base price plus the sum of the price deltas for every option the customer selects. Pick "Large (+$2)" and "Extra shot (+$1)" on a $4 coffee and the unit price becomes $7 — calculated and shown automatically.

Can I name my own option groups, or am I stuck with "Size" and "Colour"? You can name them anything. ScaanMe's variant groups and options are unlimited and fully renamable, so a café can use "Sugar," a bakery can use "Box Size," and a print shop can use "Material."

Can an option lower the price, not just raise it? Yes — a price delta can be negative, so a smaller or simpler option can reduce the unit price relative to the base.

Does the customer's exact choice show up in the order? Yes. With ScaanMe, each selection becomes its own cart line and flows into the WhatsApp order text, the total, and the admin/invoice — so what was chosen and what it costs are spelled out for both sides.

Do variants work in Arabic? Yes. ScaanMe stores are fully bilingual EN / AR with proper right-to-left layout, including how prices and deltas are displayed.

Is per-option pricing an extra paid add-on? No. Variants and per-option pricing are available across ScaanMe's store themes as part of the store, not a separate purchase.