Goal: Add new variants to products that already exist in your Shopify store without affecting the variants that are already there. This is useful when you need to introduce new sizes, colors, formats, or other options to existing products in bulk.
Prerequisites:
You have Altera installed on your Shopify store
The products you want to update already exist in your store
You know the product handles or IDs for the products you want to update
Step 1 - Create the spreadsheet
Open a new spreadsheet and add the following columns:
Handle (or ID) to identify which product each variant belongs to
Command set to
MERGEVariant Command set to
MERGEOption1 Name and Option1 Value for the variant option (e.g., Size / XL, Color / Green)
Variant SKU with a unique SKU for each new variant
You can also include optional columns like Variant Price, Variant Compare At Price, Variant Barcode, and Variant Inventory Qty.
If your product uses multiple options, include Option2 Name / Option2 Value and Option3 Name / Option3 Value as needed.
Step 2 - Add a row for each new variant
For each new variant you want to add, create a row with the product's handle or ID and the new variant's option values. Only include the new variants you want to add. You do not need to include existing variants.
Make sure each new variant has a unique option value combination that does not already exist on the product. If the option values match an existing variant, Altera will update that variant instead of creating a new one.
Step 3 - Import the file
Go to Apps > Altera in your Shopify admin, then click Upload file.
Select your spreadsheet.
Review the analysis preview to confirm the product count.
Click Start import to apply the changes.
Outcome
Altera adds the new variants to each product while leaving the existing variants unchanged. You can verify the additions by opening the updated products in your Shopify admin and checking the variant list.
Example - Adding a new size to a product
Handle | Command | Variant Command | Option1 Name | Option1 Value | Variant SKU | Variant Price |
| MERGE | MERGE | Size | XXL | COTTON-TEE-XXL | 29.99 |
Example - Adding variants to multiple products
Handle | Command | Variant Command | Option1 Name | Option1 Value | Variant SKU | Variant Price |
| MERGE | MERGE | Size | XXL | COTTON-TEE-XXL | 29.99 |
| MERGE | MERGE | Size | 13 | RUN-SNEAK-13 | 89.99 |
| MERGE | MERGE | Size | 14 | RUN-SNEAK-14 | 89.99 |
How variant matching works
Altera uses the following priority to determine whether a variant row is a new variant or an update to an existing one:
Variant ID - if provided, matches by the variant's unique Shopify ID
Option values - matches by the combination of Option1/Option2/Option3 values
Variant SKU - matches by SKU when no option values are provided
Variant Barcode - matches by barcode when no other identifiers are provided
If none of these match an existing variant on the product, Altera creates a new variant. Leave Variant ID blank for new variants.
Next steps
Product fields reference for a full list of variant columns you can include
Metafields guide to add metafield values to your new variants