Product structure management
This section explains how product structures are handled in the Akeneo app for Shopify, and to enable the option to split product models at the intermediate level.
What is a product structure
The product structure defines how products, product models, and variants are synchronized and organized in Shopify.
By default, the app mirrors the PIM structure in a 1:1 synchronization:
- A simple product in Akeneo becomes a simple product in Shopify.
- A two-variation axis product model in Akeneo becomes a two-variation axis product model in Shopify.
Splitting product models at the intermediate level
For product models with two levels of variation, the app offers the possibility to split products at the intermediate variation level.
This means that sub-product models can be synchronized as separate products in Shopify.
Example:
If your PIM product model has two variation axes on two variation levels - Color and Size:
- By default, all colors and sizes are grouped under a single product in Shopify.
- With the split option enabled, each color is created as a separate product in Shopify, with its sizes as variants.
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This approach can help:
- Increase product visibility on collection pages.
- Improve merchandising and offers by highlighting each product variation individually.
Prerequisites
This feature is only available for product models with two levels of variation.
Product models with a single level of variation, even if they include several variation axes, cannot be split by the app.
Two variation axes ≠ two variation levels.
- A variation axis is the attribute used to create variations of a product (e.g., Color, Size, Material).
- A variation level defines how many layers of variation a product model has in Akeneo.
Please note that this feature is disabled on app instances by default. If you want to enable this option, please reach out to the support team.
Recommendations
Before enabling this feature, please keep in mind:
- Duplicates may be created in Shopify if the same products are already synced with the default 1:1 structure.
- The app does not delete products in Shopify when you switch structures.
We recommend:
- Reviewing your product mapping and sync settings.
- Running a test sync to validate the results before applying this change in production.
How to enable the product model split?
Follow these steps to configure product models:
- In your Akeneo App for Shopify, navigate to the Configuration page.
- In the Product model structure section, select Split product models by intermediate variation level.
- Confirm your change.
- Define if you want to create a sibling product reference metafield between the separate products, allowing you to easily group products with the same parent in Shopify - this option is disabled by default.
- Define if you want to create intermediate-level variation axes as options in Shopify, allowing you to keep all variation axes in Shopify - this option is disabled by default, so intermediate-level variation axes are not created.
- Save your configuration.
By enabling sibling product preferences, the app will automatically create a new product reference metafield called “Sibling product” and assign it the values of other products that share the same parent.
Attributes defined at the parent or intermediate level in Akeneo are synced as product-level attributes in Shopify.
If you want each split product to have its own title or specific assets, the corresponding PIM attribute must be set at the intermediate level in Akeneo.
Please not this split will be effective for all two-variation level product models regardless the variant family.