How Do Product Variations Work on Amazon?

Amazon product pages are generally easy to understand, but there are a few features that set them apart from other platforms. These differences can be crucial for SEO and conversion rates on Amazon. One of the most important aspects is how product variations work on Amazon.

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Product Pages and Product Variations

Product pages on Amazon can either be standalone, featuring a single product, or serve as a hub for multiple product variations. In other words, different versions of a product can be displayed on the same product page.

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To set up a product page with variations, you need to categorize the variations. This means specifying in Amazon’s interface how the product variations differ. Is it by color, size, number of units per package, or something else? The variation category can also be a combination of two different types of variations, such as color and size.

Example: A product page with two types of variations—color and size.

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Structure of Product Variations (Parent & Child)

Having multiple product variations on the same page can be beneficial because it allows customers to easily browse through different options, such as sizes or colors. Variations can also positively impact SEO and reviews. All product variations share reviews and data, so if a customer leaves a review on one variation, it will also appear on the other variations.

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When you have multiple product variations on a single page, Amazon refers to these as "child" listings, while the main product page is called the "parent" listing. The child listings are the actual purchasable products, while the parent is simply the page that houses all the variations. The parent listing itself is not a purchasable product. You can read more about the relationship between parent and child listings on Amazon.

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When Should You Use Product Variations on Amazon?

Product variations can be tricky. In some cases, it’s obvious that you should use variations, such as when selling a product that comes in different colors or sizes—think of the iPhone 12 or a specific Nike t-shirt model.

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But what if the product comes with slightly different features? Sellers approach this in different ways, and there’s no one right answer. Some create separate product pages for each variation, while others group them on the same page. For example, TRESemmé has grouped many of their different shampoos on the same product page, even though they target different audiences. This strategy has worked very well for them, as they’ve accumulated more reviews than most of their competitors, appear at the top of search results for many searches, and generate about $5 million per month on Amazon in the US with just this one shampoo page.

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My general advice is to place products on the same page if it doesn’t confuse the customer. For example, putting a TV and an iPhone on the same page would be odd and ineffective. But as TRESemmé has shown, grouping similar products with different features on the same page can lead to great success. If your company is a market leader, you might consider separating the product pages more. These products would still get many sales and reviews, and you could aim to expand your reach by having different product pages.

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Amazon's Own Advice on Product Variations

Amazon advises sellers on using product variations with the following guidelines:

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"Not all related products should be variations. By asking yourself these questions, you can determine whether the products should be variations or standalone:

• Are the products fundamentally the same?
• Can the products share a common title?
• Do the products differ in only a few ways that don’t change the essence or main function of the product?
• Would customers expect to find these products on the same product page?"

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My comment on this is that it’s useful to ask these questions before setting up your products. However, a shared title isn’t a must. I’ve personally set up many product pages with different titles for each variation.

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How Many Product Variations Can You Have?

If you decide to use product variations, how many can you have? And how many should you have?

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The number you can have is technically quite large - Amazon states:

"Variation families with more than 2000 child ASINs will not be displayed on the detail page."

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So, you can have up to 2000 variations without encountering any technical issues on Amazon. However, having so many variations on the same page might not be practical, as it could be challenging for customers to navigate. So, how many variations should you have?

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In my opinion, this depends on the type of variations. For design variations (style/color, etc.), I would advise against having more than 15-20. It can become difficult for customers to navigate among them. However, for size variations or similar, there’s no direct limitation. Especially if you use a combination of variations, such as color and size (as in the example above). In that case, you could have, for example, 8 different color variations with 5 different size variations, totaling 40 different product variations. Despite having 40 variations, customers won’t perceive it as cluttered.

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Product Variations in Different Categories

Not all product categories can have variations, and the types of variations available depend on the product category. For example, the "flavor" variation is available for most food-related categories but not for the Electronics category.

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Prepare for Future Product Variations

A final tip for those who have a product without variations: Set it up with variations anyway! What do I mean? When you list products on Amazon and create new product pages, you can choose whether they will be with or without variations. Even if you only have one product, you can set it up as a standalone variation on a product page. It becomes a product page with only one variation.

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Why should you do this? It can be challenging to change a product page from a standalone page to one with variations later on. However, it’s easy to add more variations to an existing variation page. So, it might be wise to set up the product as a variation page with a single variation if you anticipate adding more variations in the future.

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Summary of Product Variations on Amazon

I hope this post has given you a better understanding of product variations on Amazon. You should now have a clearer idea of when and why to use them. Remember that variations can be difficult to change later, so make sure to get it right from the start.

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Good luck, and don’t forget to subscribe to SellWave’s newsletter for more tips and tricks on Amazon. All the best!