What is the Difference Between Products and Variants? A Wix CSV Guide

(Updated 29th June 2026)

One of the biggest stumbling blocks when creating a Wix CSV file is understanding the difference between a Product and a Variant.

At first glance, they seem very similar, yet they serve completely different purposes within your spreadsheet. Once you understand how they work together, creating products with different colours, sizes, or materials becomes much more straightforward.

If you're looking for a complete walkthrough of every field in the Wix CSV template, take a look at our companion guide, The Ultimate Guide to Bulk Importing Products into Wix Using a CSV File.

This article focuses specifically on understanding the relationship between Products and Variants.

The quick answer

• A Product is the main item you're selling.
  

• A Variant is one version of that product, such as a different colour, size or material.
  

• Every Variant belongs to a parent Product, and they are linked together using the same handleId.
  

That explains the concept in a few sentences, but understanding why Wix uses this structure makes the rest of your CSV much easier to work with.

Understanding Products

Every product in your Wix store starts with a single Product row.

Think of the Product row as the foundation of the listing. It contains the core information that applies to every version of that product, including the product name, description, base price and available options.

For example, imagine you're selling a handmade ceramic mug.

Regardless of whether that mug is available in one colour or twenty, it still begins with a single Product row because it's fundamentally one product.

Every Product must also have its own unique handleId. This serves as the product's identifier, allowing Wix to distinguish it from every other product in your catalogue.

If you'd like a more detailed explanation of handleId, read our guide: What are handleId and fieldType in a Wix CSV?

Understanding Variants

A Variant is simply another version of the same product.

Instead of creating separate product listings for every colour or size, Wix groups them together under one parent product.

Using the mug example, imagine it's available in white, blue and red.

Rather than creating three separate product listings, you would create one Product row followed by three Variant rows. Each variant represents one colour option while sharing the same product information from the parent row.

This approach keeps your catalogue organised and creates a much better shopping experience. Customers see one product page with a choice of colours instead of three nearly identical products competing against one another.

Seeing the relationship

One way to think about it is to imagine your CSV as a conversation with Wix.

The Product row tells Wix:

"Here's a product called Ceramic Mug."

Each Variant row then adds:

"This version is White."

"This version is Blue."

"This version is Red."

Because every row shares the same handleId, Wix understands that these aren't separate products. They're simply different versions of the same item.

That's why the handleId is so important. It's the link that holds the entire product together.

A practical example

Let's build a simple example.

Imagine you're selling a ceramic mug that's available in three colours.

Your CSV would contain:

• One Product row for the mug.

• One Variant row for White.

• One Variant row for Blue.

• One Variant row for Red.

Every row uses the same handleId, allowing Wix to recognise them as one product with three available options.

The Product row defines the mug, while each Variant row represents one available colour.

Products with multiple options

Things become a little more interesting when products have more than one option.

Imagine you're selling a T-shirt in:

• Black

• White

and in:

• Medium

• Large

Although there are only two colours and two sizes, there are actually four different combinations your customers can purchase.

Those combinations are:

• Black / Medium

• Black / Large

• White / Medium

• White / Large

Each combination needs its own Variant row because each one represents a unique product choice.

Wix Doctor tip: A simple way to calculate how many variants you'll need is to multiply the number of choices in each option group together. Two colours and two sizes create four variants. Three colours and four sizes create twelve.

The fields that make variants work

Creating variants successfully relies on five key fields working together:

• handleId

• fieldType

• productOptionName1

• productOptionType1

• productOptionDescription1

The Product row defines every option that's available.

Each Variant row simply selects one of those predefined options.

Once you understand that relationship, the CSV becomes much easier to read and troubleshoot.

Wrapping up

Understanding the difference between Products and Variants is one of the biggest milestones when learning how to create Wix CSV files.

• Every listing starts with a Product.

• Every customer choice becomes a Variant.

The shared handleId keeps everything connected, allowing Wix to display multiple options on a single product page while keeping your catalogue organised behind the scenes.

Guest author

This article was written by Wix Doctor, a specialist Wix support agency providing technical help, troubleshooting and advanced solutions for Wix websites.

If you'd like to learn about every field in the Wix CSV template, continue with The Ultimate Guide to Bulk Importing Products into Wix Using a CSV File, where you'll find a complete walkthrough covering images, pricing, categories, inventory, product options and much more.