What is a product model?

A product model is a parent record that gathers variant products and holds the data they share. You enrich common properties once on the model; each variant keeps only what makes it different (for example colour, finish, or size).

Products grid showing product models with MODEL label and variant counts — Products grid — models are marked `[MODEL]`. The Variant products column shows how many children each model has (e.g. bari_beige 3 / 3).

Why you need them

Without models, every colour/finish/size combination is a fully separate product. That means repeating the same description, images, and marketing copy many times — and fixing mistakes in many places.

Product models solve that:

Enrich once — shared attributes live on the model and apply to all children.
Sell many SKUs — each variant is still its own sellable product with its own identifier.
Cleaner imports and channels — common content stays consistent for Ecommerce and other destinations.
Clear structure — the family variant defines which attributes are used as a variant axis (what splits variants) vs common attributes.

Stone 3 example

A tile range such as pasha_azurita is a product model in family Tiles. Shared name, description, and lifestyle imagery sit on the model. Variant products differ by a variant axis such as finish or size — each gets its own SKU for ordering and Shopify.

How the pieces fit

Family — template of attributes for this kind of catalog item (what is a family?).
Family variant — on the family, defines one or two levels of variation and which attributes are used as a variant axis at each level (e.g. Colour, then Size).
Product model — created with that family variant; stores common values. Two-level setups can use a root model and sub-models.
Variant product — child with its own identifier; fills the variant axis values and any attributes that belong only at the leaf level.

Select Product or Product model when creating — Products → Create → **Select your action** — choose **Product model** when you need a parent with variants.

Create a product model form with code, family, and family variant — **Create a product model** — enter a Code, choose a Family, then Choose a family variant.

Product model edit screen with shared attributes — Editing a model — fill common attribute groups here. Variant-only fields are filled on each child product.

What belongs where

On the model — description, brand story, shared images, categories that apply to the whole range, and other attributes defined as common in the family variant.
On the variant — attributes used as a variant axis (colour / finish / size…), SKU/identifier, prices or stock-related fields if you store them per SKU, and any leaf-level attributes from the family variant.

Completeness tip In the products grid, models often show completeness as N/A. Judge readiness on the variant products (and on the model form for shared required fields). Completeness for Ecommerce × a locale is calculated in that context.

Depends on

A family with at least one family variant configured
Variant axis attributes created first (usually simple select) and attached to the family
Clear codes for models and variant SKUs for imports and the API

How-to: Work with product models · Manage families (family variants) · Work with products