Bulk create WooCommerce variations
You enter the attributes, colour, size or shoe size, and ListoMax generates every variation. The product becomes a variable product and each variation gets its own SKU, price, stock and EAN code, through the official REST API. And with the Series feature, publishing 12 complete listings takes less than 2 minutes.
By the ListoMax team · Updated
How do you generate all the variations of a WooCommerce product at once?
By entering the attributes just once. ListoMax crosses all the values and builds the list of variations before sending.
Fill in the base listing
Name, descriptions, price, images, categories, tax class and SEO tags. This information is shared by all the variations.
Add one or more attributes
Colour, size, shoe size, material… Start from a preset or enter your own values.
ListoMax generates every combination
One row per variation, in an editable table: SKU, price adjustment, stock and EAN code.
Publish
The product is created through the WooCommerce REST API, becomes a variable product, and each combination becomes a variation.
ListoMax is Windows software, not a WordPress plugin: nothing slows down your site. It also handles bulk adding products to WooCommerce, variations included.
How do you create a variable product in WordPress, and why does it take so long?
The native method is clear for one product. Repeated across a whole catalogue, it takes hours.
The product editor
You choose the “Variable product” type, add the attributes with “Used for variations” ticked, then generate the variations. You still have to enter the price, stock and SKU of each variation. A variation without a price is not offered for sale.
The CSV importer
WooCommerce can also import variable products from a file: a parent product and one row per variation, which must be linked correctly. See our guide to importing WooCommerce products from a CSV.
With ListoMax, the listing, its images, its translations and its variations go out in a single operation, without going back through every tab of the product.
How do you create size and colour variations in WooCommerce?
Add the colour attribute, then the size attribute, and choose the values. The presets save you from retyping everything.
14 ready-made values
Black, white, red, blue, green, yellow, pink, grey, brown, beige, orange, purple, gold, silver.
8 + 8 ready-made values
Clothing sizes from XS to 4XL, and numeric sizes from 34 to 48.
23 ready-made values
From 35 to 46 (EU), half sizes included.
10 ready-made values
Cotton, polyester, leather, linen, silk, wool, denim, synthetic, velvet, satin.
3 ready-made values
New, used, refurbished.
Your own attributes
Capacity, power, format, length: enter any value and combine your attributes.
How many variations will be created?
The number of variations is the number of values of each attribute multiplied together. Two attributes with five values each give twenty-five variations, generated and listed automatically.
| Attributes entered | Calculation | Combinations generated |
|---|---|---|
| 5 colours and 5 sizes | 5 × 5 | 25 |
| 3 colours and 8 clothing sizes (XS to 4XL) | 3 × 8 | 24 |
| 2 materials and 23 shoe sizes | 2 × 23 | 46 |
How do you set the price, stock and SKU of each variation?
Directly in the combinations table, before sending. Each variation has its own fields.
One SKU per variation
It is derived from the product reference and unique to each combination. No duplicate SKUs, which WooCommerce refuses anyway.
One price per variation
You enter an adjustment, positive or negative, relative to the base price: +€3 for XXL, -€2 for an end-of-line colour.
One stock level per variation
Each variation has its own quantity. Running out of blue in size L does not affect the other combinations.
One EAN per variation
Enter the specific barcode of each variation if you have one. The field can be left empty.
WooCommerce attributes: what are they for in a variation?
An attribute is the axis (colour), its terms are the values (red, blue). A variation is a combination of terms.
Variation attributes
The ones you enter in the variants table. They determine the choices offered to the customer on the product page.
Descriptive attributes
Your technical features (brand, composition, care) are sent as product attributes, for information.
Republishing
You change a price or a stock level and republish: existing variations keep their IDs, and only the edited fields change.
The connection uses an API key with Read/Write permissions: see the help page on connecting WooCommerce and the attributes and variants section of the features page.
Variations or a separate product per colour in WooCommerce?
The sizes of one model work well as variations. Colours that shoppers search for individually often benefit from having their own product.
| Variations | One product per colour (Series) | |
|---|---|---|
| Pages in the store | A single variable product | One page per colour |
| SEO | A single page to rank | Title, description and URL specific to each colour |
| Photo in category listings | The product's photo | Each colour's own photo |
| Best for | Sizes, price options | Colours searched for by name |
You can combine the two: one product per colour, and in each one the sizes as variations. The Series feature to bulk create product listings builds one product per value, with its own SKU (REF-0042-RED, REF-0042-BLUE) and its own URL.
Why are my WooCommerce variations not being created?
Most often, the API key does not have full write permissions: the product cannot be switched to a variable product.
Read-only key
Create the key with Read/Write permissions, linked to an administrator account. A 401 error often points to a key that was copied incorrectly or is read-only.
Missing tax class
If the requested rate does not exist in the store, publishing is refused with a message listing the available rates.
Retry the upload
Each failure shows the product, the store and the reason. One button retries that product, another retries all failed products.
See also: bulk upload product images, publish your products to multiple stores, and the PrestaShop equivalent: create PrestaShop combinations in bulk.
Your questions, answered
How many variations can ListoMax generate for a WooCommerce product?
As many as the values entered multiplied together. Two attributes with five values each give twenty-five variations, all listed in an editable table before sending.
Does the product automatically become a variable product?
Yes. As soon as it has combinations, ListoMax creates it as a variable product and each combination becomes a variation of that product.
Does each variation have its own SKU, price and stock?
Yes. The SKU is derived from the product's reference and unique to each variation. Price adjustment, stock and EAN code are entered row by row.
Do I need to install a WordPress plugin?
No. ListoMax is Windows software that works through the official WooCommerce REST API, with a Read/Write key.
Can I publish the same variations to WooCommerce and PrestaShop?
Yes. Tick the destination stores: the combinations become variations in WooCommerce and combinations in PrestaShop.
How long does it take to publish a product range in several colours?
With the Series feature, the publisher measures less than 2 minutes to publish 12 complete product listings, one per value, from a single entry. You can try it with the 5 free publications.
Try it on your own stores
5 real publications free, no credit card required. Then a lifetime licence: €49 for one computer, €149 for up to 20 computers.