Think of a product family as a template that defines what data a product should have. For example, a “Clothing” family might require size, color, and material attributes, while an “Electronics” family requires voltage, wattage, and connectivity.
Key Concepts
Families and Attributes
A product family is a collection of attributes that together describe a product type. When you assign a product to a family, it gains all the attributes defined by that family. Each attribute in a family can be configured with:- Required or Optional — Whether the attribute must be filled in before the product is considered complete.
- Sort Order — The display order of the attribute within the product form.
- Variant Axis — Whether the attribute is used to create product variants (e.g., size or color).
- Default Value — A pre-filled value that new products inherit automatically.
- Validation Overrides — Custom validation rules like min/max values, patterns, or allowed values specific to this family.
Hierarchical Families
Families support a parent-child hierarchy. A child family inherits all attributes from its parent and can add its own on top. This is useful when you have product types that share a common base but differ in specifics. Example hierarchy:- Apparel (parent) — common attributes like brand, material, care instructions
- Tops (child) — adds sleeve length, neckline
- Bottoms (child) — adds inseam, waist type
- Outerwear (child) — adds insulation type, waterproof rating
Creating a Product Family
Navigate to Product Families
Go to Product Families from the sidebar. You will see a table listing all existing families.
Enter family details
Fill in the family name (e.g., “Electronics”) and a unique code (e.g.,
electronics). Optionally, add a description to help your team understand the family’s purpose.Set a parent family (optional)
If this family should inherit attributes from an existing family, select a parent. Leave this empty to create a top-level family.
Assign attributes
Choose the attributes that products in this family should have. For each attribute, configure whether it is required, its sort order, and whether it serves as a variant axis.
Managing Product Families
Viewing Families
The Product Families page displays all families in a sortable table with the following columns:| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | The family name, indented to show hierarchy |
| Code | The unique identifier for the family |
| Attributes | Number of attributes assigned to the family |
| Children | Number of child families |
| Actions | Edit and delete buttons |
Editing a Family
- Find the family in the table and click the edit icon (pencil) in the Actions column.
- Update the family name, description, parent, or attribute assignments.
- Save your changes.
Editing a family’s attributes affects all products assigned to that family. If you add a new required attribute, existing products will need to have that attribute filled in.
Deleting a Family
- Click the delete icon (trash) next to the family you want to remove.
- A confirmation dialog will appear, warning you that this action cannot be undone.
- Confirm the deletion.
Assigning Products to Families
Once you have created your families, you can assign products to them:- Open a product from the Products page.
- In the product details, find the Family field.
- Select the appropriate family from the dropdown.
- The product will inherit all attributes defined by that family.
Bulk Assignment
You can also assign families to multiple products at once using bulk editing on the Products page. Select the products you want to update, choose the bulk edit action, and set the family for all selected products.Working with Attribute Groups
Product families work hand-in-hand with Attribute Groups and Attributes. You can manage these from the Product Families page:Manage Attributes
Create, edit, and organize the individual attributes that make up your product data model.
Manage Attribute Groups
Group related attributes together for cleaner organization. For example, group “width”, “height”, and “depth” under a “Dimensions” group.
Best Practices
Plan your hierarchy first
Before creating families, map out your product types and their relationships. A well-planned hierarchy saves time and reduces duplication.
Keep families focused
Each family should represent a distinct product type. Avoid creating overly broad families with dozens of optional attributes.
Use required attributes wisely
Mark only truly essential attributes as required. Too many required fields slow down product creation and may discourage your team.
Leverage inheritance
Use parent-child relationships to share common attributes. This keeps your data model DRY (Don’t Repeat Yourself) and easier to maintain.
Troubleshooting
Family does not appear in the product form
- Make sure the family has been saved successfully.
- Verify that the family belongs to the correct project.
- Try refreshing the Products page to fetch the latest family data.
Attributes are missing from a child family
- Child families inherit attributes from their parent. Check that the parent family has the expected attributes assigned.
- If you recently added attributes to the parent, the child should pick them up automatically. Refresh the page if they do not appear.
Cannot delete a family
- Confirm that you have the necessary permissions to delete families.
- If the family has child families, you may need to reassign or delete the children first.