FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Have questions about Better Product Variations? You’re in the right place. We’ve compiled answers to the most common questions to help you get the most from your variation displays.

General Questions

What exactly does this plugin do?

Better Product Variations displays your WooCommerce product variations as individual products on shop and archive pages. Instead of showing just the parent variable product, customers see each variation (like different colors or styles) as separate items they can purchase directly.

Will this work with my theme?

Yes! Better Product Variations works with any properly-coded WooCommerce theme. It doesn’t override any templates, instead using WooCommerce’s standard hooks and filters. We’ve tested with popular themes like Storefront, Astra, OceanWP, and many others.

Does it slow down my site?

No. We’ve optimized the plugin for performance using:

  • Efficient database queries that fetch variations in batches
  • WordPress object caching
  • Smart query detection that only processes product listings

Most users see no noticeable performance impact.

Can I use this with other WooCommerce plugins?

Yes! Our post-query approach means we don’t interfere with other plugins’ functionality. The plugin is compatible with:

  • WooCommerce filters and layered navigation
  • AJAX add-to-cart functionality
  • Product search plugins
  • Most pricing and discount plugins

Configuration Questions

How do I show only certain variations?

You control which variations display through attribute selection:

  1. Go to WooCommerce → Settings → Products → Better Variations
  2. In “Expand variations by attributes”, select only the attributes you want to display
  3. Save your changes

For example, selecting only “Color” means color variations show separately, but size variations won’t.

Can I have different settings for different products?

Absolutely! Each product can override global settings:

  1. Edit the variable product
  2. Go to Product Data → Variation Display
  3. Check “Override global settings”
  4. Configure this product’s specific settings

This is perfect when most products follow one pattern but a few need special treatment.

What happens to products without the selected attributes?

Products without your selected attributes display normally as variable products. For example, if you’ve selected “Color” for expansion but a product only has “Size” variations, it appears as a standard variable product.

Display Questions

How are variations ordered in the shop?

Variations appear immediately after their parent product in your existing sort order. If you have pagination, variations stay with their parent on the same page.

Can I hide the parent product and show only variations?

Currently, the parent product always displays to maintain proper product organization and SEO structure. Variations appear right after their parent for easy browsing.

Will out-of-stock variations show?

This follows your WooCommerce settings. If “Hide out of stock items” is enabled in WooCommerce settings, out-of-stock variations are automatically hidden.

Can I style the variations differently?

Yes! The plugin adds several CSS classes for styling:

  • .bpv-product-variation – All variation items
  • .bpv-variation-attributes – The variation details container
  • .variation-color-red – Specific attribute-value combinations

Add custom CSS to your theme to style these elements.

Common Scenarios

I enabled the plugin but don’t see variations

Check these items in order:

  1. Is “Enable variation expansion” checked in settings?
  2. Have you selected at least one attribute in “Expand variations by attributes”?
  3. Do your variable products have variations using those attributes?
  4. Are the variations published and in stock (if hiding out-of-stock)?

Variations show but can’t be added to cart

Ensure each variation has:

  • A price set
  • Stock status configured (if managing stock)
  • All required attributes selected

Some products show variations, others don’t

This is likely because:

  • Products without your selected attributes won’t expand
  • Individual products might have override settings enabled
  • Some products might not have visible variations (all out of stock, unpublished, etc.)

Advanced Questions

Can I expand by multiple attributes?

Yes, but consider the display impact. If you select both “Color” and “Size” for a shirt with 3 colors and 4 sizes, you’ll show 12 separate items. This can quickly fill up your shop pages.

Best practice: Start with one visual attribute and add more only if needed.

How does this affect SEO?

The plugin maintains good SEO practices:

  • Parent products keep their URLs and content
  • Variations link back to the parent product page
  • No duplicate content issues
  • Improved internal linking structure

Can I programmatically control which products expand?

Yes! Developers can use our filter hooks. See our Developer Documentation for details.

Does this work with WPML or multi-language plugins?

Yes, the plugin respects WordPress language settings and works with WPML and Polylang. Variation attributes display in the current language.

Performance & Technical

How many variations can it handle?

The plugin efficiently handles stores with thousands of variations. We use optimized queries and caching to maintain performance regardless of catalog size.

Where is variation data stored?

All settings use standard WordPress and WooCommerce data structures:

  • Global settings in WordPress options table
  • Product settings in post meta
  • No custom database tables needed

Still Have Questions?

Can’t find your answer here? Check out:

Or contact our support team – we’re here to help you succeed!

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