Configuration for Expanded Products in WooCommerce

Ready to fine-tune how your variations display? This guide walks through every setting and option in Better Product Variations, helping you create the perfect shopping experience for your customers.

Global Settings Overview

Your journey starts at WooCommerce → Settings → Products → Better Variations. These global settings control how variations display across your entire store.

Enable Variation Expansion

Setting: “Enable variation expansion”
Type: Checkbox
Default: Unchecked

This is your master switch. When enabled, the plugin begins displaying variations as individual products according to your configuration. When disabled, all products display in standard WooCommerce fashion.

When to use:

Enable during normal operation
Disable temporarily when troubleshooting or making major catalog changes

Expand Variations by Attributes

Setting: “Expand variations by attributes”
Type: Multi-select dropdown
Default: None selected

This powerful setting determines which variation attributes trigger expansion. Only variations using your selected attributes display as separate products.

How it works:

The dropdown shows all product attributes used in variations across your store
Select one or more attributes (hold Ctrl/Cmd for multiple)
Only variations with these attributes expand into separate products

Example scenarios:

Fashion store: Select “Color” to show each color as a separate product
Furniture store: Select “Material” or “Finish”
Electronics: Select “Model” or “Configuration”

Pro tip: Start with one attribute, see how it looks, then add more if needed.

Per-Product Settings

Sometimes one size doesn’t fit all. Each variable product can override global settings through the Product Data → Variation Display tab.

Override Global Settings

Setting: “Override global settings”
Type: Checkbox
Default: Unchecked

This checkbox unlocks product-specific configuration. When checked, the product ignores global settings and uses its own configuration instead.

Common uses:

Featured products that need special treatment
Products where variation display doesn’t make sense
Testing new display options on specific products

Display Mode

Setting: “Display variations”
Type: Dropdown
Options:

“Single product (default behavior)”
“Show variations as separate products”
Default: “Single product”

This setting appears after enabling override and controls whether this specific product’s variations expand.

When to use each option:

“Single product”: Keeps standard variable product display
“Show variations”: Expands variations for this product

Product-Specific Attributes

Setting: “Expand by attributes”
Type: Multi-select dropdown
Default: None selected

Like the global attribute selector, but only affects this product. Shows only attributes actually used by this product’s variations.

Strategic use:

A shirt might expand by “Color” but not “Size”
A computer might expand by “Configuration” but not “Warranty”

Configuration Strategies

Strategy 1: Simple Global Setup

Perfect for stores with consistent product lines.

Enable variation expansion globally
Select 1-2 key attributes (usually visual ones)
Let all products follow these rules

Best for: Fashion, accessories, home decor with consistent variation patterns

Strategy 2: Category-Based Approach

Use product overrides to handle different product types.

Set conservative global settings (maybe just “Color”)
Override specific products in categories that need different treatment
Adjust per-product settings as needed

Best for: Multi-category stores, marketplaces, diverse catalogs

Strategy 3: Testing and Gradual Rollout

Start small and expand gradually.

Enable globally but select no attributes (nothing expands yet)
Override individual products to test variation display
Once happy, update global settings

Best for: Established stores wanting to test impact carefully

Attribute Selection Best Practices

Visual Attributes First

Customers shop visually. Prioritize attributes they can see:

✅ Color, Pattern, Style, Design, Material
❌ Size, Weight, Technical Specs (unless visually distinct)

Consider Shop Page Real Estate

Each expanded variation takes space. With 5 products having 4 variations each, you’re showing 20 items instead of 5.

Balance considerations:

Customer benefit vs. page length
Mobile browsing experience
Pagination settings

Meaningful Distinctions

Only expand attributes where each option represents a meaningful choice:

✅ Sofa color (major purchase decision)
❌ Phone cable length (minor detail)

Advanced Configuration

Using Multiple Attributes

You can select multiple attributes, but variations must match ALL selected attributes to expand.

Example: Selecting “Color” AND “Material”

✅ Expands: Variations with both color and material attributes
❌ Doesn’t expand: Variations with only color OR only material

Hierarchical Thinking

Plan your attribute strategy:

Primary attribute: The most important visual/selection factor
Secondary attributes: Additional factors if needed
Skip attributes: Things better chosen on product pages

Performance Considerations

More expanded variations means:

Longer page load (though optimized via our caching)
More items in shop pages
Potentially better SEO (more indexed variations)

Balance performance with user experience.

Styling Expanded Variations

The plugin adds CSS classes for custom styling:

/* Style all variations */
.bpv-product-variation {
    border: 2px solid #eee;
}

/* Style specific attributes */
.variation-color-red {
    border-color: #ff0000;
}

/* Style the attribute display */
.bpv-variation-attributes {
    font-size: 0.9em;
    color: #666;
}Code language: CSS (css)

Add custom CSS through:

Your theme’s customizer
A child theme’s style.css
Custom CSS plugins

Configuration Checklist

Before going live, verify:

[ ] Global settings configured appropriately
[ ] Correct attributes selected for your product types
[ ] Per-product overrides set where needed
[ ] Shop page layout looks good with expanded variations
[ ] Mobile experience tested
[ ] Performance acceptable on category pages

Common Configuration Patterns

Fashion/Apparel

Global: Enable expansion
Attributes: Color, Pattern
Overrides: Disable for accessories/single-option itemsCode language: HTTP (http)

Furniture/Home Decor

Global: Enable expansion
Attributes: Material, Finish
Overrides: Enable size for visually distinct size variationsCode language: HTTP (http)

Electronics

Global: Enable expansion  
Attributes: Model, Color
Overrides: Disable for cables/accessoriesCode language: HTTP (http)

Multi-Brand Store

Global: Conservative (maybe just Color)
Attributes: Varies by brand
Overrides: Heavy use of per-product settingsCode language: HTTP (http)

Need Help?

Configuration questions? Check these resources:

FAQ – Quick answers to common questions
Troubleshooting – If things aren’t displaying correctly
Use Cases – Real-world configuration examples

Remember: The perfect configuration is the one that helps your customers find and buy products faster. Start simple, test with real users, and adjust based on results.

Configuration Guide