Variants
Apparel, Variants or Models (color, size and variants)
The capabilities around model Items and variants of this model is described in further detail here.
Extenda Retail recommended Item structure for apparel
Fashion, shoes, sporting goods and even fragrances have very different structures and requirements than many other Item definitions. Below we have listed our recommended properties to accommodate most of these needs.
Create a Model Item
| Property | Member of | Description |
|---|---|---|
id | Item | The internal Id of the Item. This can be the same as the GTIN for the Item, but we recommend keeping them separate as the Barcodes and GTINs tend to change over time. Hence it can be any type of Id, but make sure it is unique for all Items in your system. |
businessUnitGroupId or businessUnitId | Item | The Business Unit or Business Unit Group this item is placed in. See Business Units for more details. |
itemCategoryId | Item | The Id of the Item Category this Item is placed in. See Item Category for more details. |
description | Item | The textual description of the Item. |
name | Item | The name of the Item. This will be the name used in the Receipt, in search and when visualizing the item in lists. |
status | Item | This is the operational status of the item. Set to Active if the item is in general use. See Item Statuses for more details |
type | Item | The Item Type must be set to MODEL for the master Item. See Item Types for more details. |
color | AdditionalProperty | The color of this variant. This can be any color or combination of colors. Each unique entry will create a color variant that can be used to filter search. |
size | AdditionalProperty | The size of the item. This can be any size, both numeric and text. Each unique entry will create a size variant that can be used to filter search. |
style | AdditionalProperty | An attribute that classifies products that share many of the same characteristics (attribute values) that does NOT vary by GTIN, and are presented by the supplier as a single Item for the buyer. |
brand | Item | The brand name of the Item. |
Create a Variant Item
| Property | Member of | Description |
|---|---|---|
id | Item | The internal Id of the Item. This can be the same as the GTIN for the Item, but we recommend keeping them separate as the Barcodes and GTINs tend to change over time. Hence it can be any type of Id, but make sure it is unique for all Items in your system. |
businessUnitGroupId or businessUnitId | Item | The Business Unit or Business Unit Group this item is placed in. See Business Units for more details. |
itemCategoryId | Item | The Id of the Item Category this Item is placed in. See Item Category for more details. |
description | Item | The textual description of the Item. |
name | Item | The name of the Item. This will be the name used in the Receipt, in search and when visualizing the item in lists. |
status | Item | This is the operational status of the item. Set to Active if the item is in general use. See Item Statuses for more details |
type | Item | The Item Type must be set to STOCK for all the sellable variant Items. See Item Types for more details. |
color | AdditionalProperty | The color of this variant. This can be any color or combination of colors. Each unique entry will create a color variant that can be used to filter search. |
size | AdditionalProperty | The size of the item. This can be any size, both numeric and text. Each unique entry will create a size variant that can be used to filter search. |
style | AdditionalProperty | An attribute that classifies products that share many of the same characteristics (attribute values) that does NOT vary by GTIN, and are presented by the supplier as a single Item for the buyer. |
brand | Item | The brand name of the Item. |
Additional properties often used for apparel and sporting goods
Some retailers often extend their Items with additional information like Season or Age information. We have listed some additional properties that would be beneficial if your organization uses these concepts.
This information can be applied to both the Model and the Variants as needed.
Extending the recommended Model and Variant information
Additional Properties
| Property | Member of | Description |
|---|---|---|
SeasonName | AdditionalProperty | Name of the season this item belongs to. |
SeasonCode | AdditionalProperty | A code that indicates what type of season it is. WINTER, SPRING, etc. |
SeasonYear | AdditionalProperty | The year the season belongs to. 2022, 2023, 2024, etc |
SportingActivityType | AdditionalProperty | A code describing the activity the item is intended for. FOOTBALL, ICEHOCKEY, LACROSSE, RUNNING, CYCLING, etc |
TargetGender | AdditionalProperty | Identifies the target consumer gender for which a product has been designed for example MALE |
TargetConsumerAge | AdditionalProperty | Identifies the target consumer age range for which a product has been designed. |
ItemVariantCategoryType | AdditionalProperty | The category of Model Item this Item is. Can be of type SHIRT, T-SHIRT, PANTS, JACKET, SWEATER, FOOTWEAR, HEAD-GARMENT, etc. |
To create the link between the Items you also need to provide information about which Items should be considered the same model. This is done with the Item Link entity as described below.
Item Link for creating a Model definition
A Model is defined as:
An entity that links SKU items, or variants, to one model item. Used for Color, Size and Style
This again means that items like shoes, t-shirts, sweaters, trousers, etc. are mostly sold in different sizes and colors - even different styles or fit like "Regular", "Slim" or "Men's", "Women's", etc. To allow consumers of Items to be able to associate a number of items as the same Model, the Item Link entity provides the functionality to describe the parent item and it's variants.
Item Link definition for a Model Item
| Property | Member of | Data type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
id | ItemLink | string | The unique Id of this entity. |
businessUnitId or businessUnitGroupId | ItemLink | string | The Business Unit or Business Unit Group this association is made for. |
name | ItemLink | string | Name of the ItemLink. |
description | ItemLink | string | Description of this ItemLink. |
status | ItemLink | enum | The Status this ItemLink entity has in the data model. |
itemId | ItemLink | string | The Id of the parent Item. This is the Item the Model, and is the Item with type of MODEL. |
linkedItemIds | ItemLink | string[] | An array of ItemIds for all the StockItems that are defined variants of this Model. |
type | ItemLink | string | The type of ItemLink. This must always be set to Model for Model definitions. |
Defining a Model in this way, with separate Items for each variant, allows you you to have individual barcodes for each variant, maintain stock levels individually, differentiate pricing per variant, have promotions on certain variants, etc.
It is possible to scan each variant individually without any manual input from a cashier.
You can have a promotion on the RED variant of a shoe in all sizes
You can have a markdown sale on all XS sizes to clear your stock
You can manage prices per variant or per model. Adult jackets might be more expensive than child variants