Advise on options?

[magicrosin]

Hello, this is the first time I am posting. I wonder if I can ask the forum's advice on options. I have a store: Magic Rosin | Premium rosin for violin, viola, cello | Est. Minneapolis, MN 2010 currently with one product with 24 designs. I have it laid out as 24 different products right now. I will soon have 3 different sizes of of each design with different prices for the 3 different sizes.

I would like to have a place for clear descriptions of the different sizes along with photos attached to the product. Is this possible?

Do people have recommendations as to how to handle this product layout I'm suggesting?

Any advise on this subject would be greatly appreciated!!

Thank you in advance!

edit: one more question

Maybe I should have 3 categories (the 3 different sizes) with 24 design options?

Sarah

[mueller]

There are many ways you could set this up. The one you posted about 3 categories with 24 products in each will make it easy to give pictures of each product size and descriptions. However, this will give you many more products to manage (72) instead of just 24.

I would have a picture of each as a product pic and if you wanted to you could put a size on each picture and the long description of each would be in the product content. Then set up the options for each size.

This is simply how I would do it and may not be the best for your needs.

HTH

[magicrosin]

I would have a picture of each as a product pic and if you wanted to you could put a size on each picture and the long description of each would be in the product content. Then set up the options for each size.

HTH

Mueller,

Thank you for your reply! Are you thinking a picture of each of the 24 as part of the product picture for each size. I started today with changing the format to each size being a product and having the 24 designs as options. If I understand right, you are suggesting to put a picture of each of the 24 designs in the product pictures. That's a great idea! I'll have to explore that and the possibility of description. Thank you!

I sell rosin for violin/cello and will be adding a second formula, so this adds even more variables.

Thanks again!

Sarah

[magicrosin]

Ahh, now I'm reading your reply again. Perhaps I misinterpreted it. Thinking 24 products with the 3 sizes as options?

Thank you!

Sarah

[mueller]

Yes, 24 products with 3 options each. So you still have just 24 products but each has the sizes as an option.

[magicrosin]

Yes, good idea. I will also soon have two formulas:

Magic Rosin 1 (with 3 sizes and 24 designs)
Magic Rosin 2 (with 3 sizes and 24 designs)

I should have mentioned this to start. Any ideas about this variable?

Thank you so much!

Sarah

[mueller]

Magic Rosin 1 (with 3 sizes and 24 designs)
Magic Rosin 2 (with 3 sizes and 24 designs)

That shouldn't be a problem. You would add a second option with the designs and enter the 24 designs as choices for that option. It could get tricky if the size and design affected the price but from what you have written it is only the size that determines the price.

[magicrosin]

Meuller,
Thank you for your responses. I'm going to do some thinking and trials on the various options. There is a lot to consider!

Sarah

[elightbox]

One think to keep in mind is that many customers are not very technical and get easily confused. Keep it as simple as possible.
I think having two categories one for Magic Rosin 1, and another for the second. Each category would have 24 items each with three sizes would be a happy medium.
This would also give you two category pages for general info about each type of Rosin, etc..

Options do not allow you to have different descriptions per option. They also do not get sent in feeds. So if you have different enough items it is better to have them as two items.

[magicrosin]

One think to keep in mind is that many customers are not very technical and get easily confused. Keep it as simple as possible.
I think having two categories one for Magic Rosin 1, and another for the second. Each category would have 24 items each with three sizes would be a happy medium.
This would also give you two category pages for general info about each type of Rosin, etc..

Options do not allow you to have different descriptions per option. They also do not get sent in feeds. So if you have different enough items it is better to have them as two items.

Yes, that's what I was thinking. One problem is that the different sizes are different prices though. So that would make it show up as a one price in the various product listings and the other prices wouldn't be apparent from that.

I'm thinking about 2 categories (Magic Rosin 1, and Magic Rosin 2) with 3 different products each (the three sizes) each with the 24 design options.

Does this make sense?

Thank you, all!

Sarah

[magicrosin]

Categories:
MR1
MR2

Products
MR1Mini
MR1Small
MR1Standard

MR2Mini
MR2Small
MR2Standard

Each product with the 24 design options

Do customers have any trouble with the options in people's experience?

Thank you!

Sarah

[elightbox]

In my opinion, 24 options are way too many. And design options are harder to understand and explain than sizes.
It is easy to understand small, MD, and LG. However trying to explain 24 different designs in two words each (in the options drop down list) would be though.

With designs as the products you can have extended descriptions explaining the design, adding keywords for SEO, etc.

Showing the smallest price is standard in the industry. On the listing page the price will change when the MD or Lg are selected.

There is a feature on the advanced tab that will replace the price with a phrase ($5 & up) for instance, however that will make it so the price would not change on the listing page as you change options.
You can however hard code "& up" in the category and search pages if all your items have sizes. So every time a price shows up it will be ($$$ & up). When they get to the listing page they will see the options.

A more advanced way is to create another button called "Choose Size", that will show up on the category and search pages (other places too if you want more work) and re-directs the customers to the listing page. That is what the "add to cart" button does anyway if the product has options. You can either hard-code this button in, or create some java script to only show the second button if the product has options.

[magicrosin]

In my opinion, 24 options are way too many. And design options are harder to understand and explain than sizes.
It is easy to understand small, MD, and LG. However trying to explain 24 different designs in two words each (in the options drop down list) would be though.

With designs as the products you can have extended descriptions explaining the design, adding keywords for SEO, etc.

Showing the smallest price is standard in the industry. On the listing page the price will change when the MD or Lg are selected.

There is a feature on the advanced tab that will replace the price with a phrase ($5 & up) for instance, however that will make it so the price would not change on the listing page as you change options.
You can however hard code "& up" in the category and search pages if all your items have sizes. So every time a price shows up it will be ($$$ & up). When they get to the listing page they will see the options.

A more advanced way is to create another button called "Choose Size", that will show up on the category and search pages (other places too if you want more work) and re-directs the customers to the listing page. That is what the "add to cart" button does anyway if the product has options. You can either hard-code this button in, or create some java script to only show the second button if the product has options.

Ah, yes, I was working with the options and the many designs was very cumbersome.

One thing if the design is the product and the sizes have different prices, it seems to show up as a + or - . I want the small size as $9.50 and the standard as $26. The only way I could do it is if the standard size showed up as +$16.50. I couldn't get it to show up as $26. Does this make sense?

It seems that it doesn't allow you to enter a price as another option for a different size, just a +/- the product price. Do you know if it's possible to change this to show the desired price?

thanks much!

Sarah

[elightbox]

Yes, unfortunately in the options drop down list only shows up as + or -. Kind of confusing, however the main price in large type changes to reflect the total price for that option.
I wish the options drop down list showed the actual price instead of + or - but it customers do get it.

There is also a modification in the Knowledge base to show the Stock and SKU for advanced options on the listing page if you need that.

[magicrosin]

Options pricing

I figured out how to have it display the actual price in the dropdown options box. I went to the product>advanced>price and quantity options>display text(second down on the right column)

I put in price varies by size. Then it displayed the price I gave each one.

I'm not sure if that's the route I'll go, but it's nice to know that's possible.