What are variants?

Variants allow sellers on Whatnot to sell multiple options of the same product – e.g. sizes or colors – as a Buy It Now or Flash Sale within a live. Key functionality of Variants on Whatnot:

• Products can have up to 100 variants and up to 1,000 total quantity. So for instance, a product could have 5 variants of 200 quantity each, or 100 variants of 10 quantity each.
• Variants are limited to Buy It Now listings (including Flash Sales), and must be reserved for live. Additionally, Variants are not eligible to receive Offers.
• Variants can be purchased by buyers on any platform, and can be created by sellers on Web, Seller Hub, or iOS. Android support is coming soon.

Creating a variant

On iOS

Step 1: Within a live, go into your shop and tap the “+” button to create a listing

Select “Create Quality Listing”

Step 2: Enter Buy It Now listing details as usual

Add a category, title, description, price, shipping profile, and images as usual. Ensure Buy It Now is selected as your Pricing format.

Step 3: Instead of choosing a Quantity, tap the row called “Variants” to enter your Variants

Use the + button in the top right and the trash icon next to each row to add or remove variants. You can have up to 1,000 total quantity across all your variants. When you’re done, press the “<” button to go back.

Step 4: Finish configuring the listing and hit Publish

Ensure the listing is “Reserved for Live”, optionally add a Flash Sale, and hit the “Publish” button when you’re ready.

Buyers can now view and purchase your variant-enabled listing from the shop, when you pin the listing, or when you run the Flash Sale.

On Seller Hub

Step 1: Create a new listing

From the Inventory page, press the “Create Product” button in the top right corner.

Step 2: Configure Buy It Now listing details as usual

Ensure Buy It Now is selected as the Pricing format, and enter price, images, and other product details as usual. Ensure “Accept Offers” is turned off and “Reserve for Live” is turned on.

Step 3: Configure your variants

Scroll down and enable the section titled Variants below quantity. Here, you can enter your variants. Use the + button to add additional variants and the trash icon to delete variants. You can have up to 1,000 total quantity across all your variants.

Step 4: Hit Publish

If there are any validation issues, you’ll have an opportunity to fix those. You can also save the listing as a draft if you’re not ready to publish yet.

Step 5: You’re all done!

Your buyers can now purchase your variant-enabled listing as usual in your live shows, whether you pin the listing, they buy from your Live Shop, or from a Flash Sale.

On Web Live Show

Step 1: Click the “Add” button in your Live Shop and select “Create Temporary Listing”

If you click Create Quality Listing instead, that will take you to Seller Hub and you can follow the instructions above.

Step 2: Configure Buy It Now listing details as usual

Add a name, description, price, shipping profile, and other details to your listing. Don’t worry about entering a quantity since the quantity will be calculated by your Variants.

Step 3: Scroll Down and tap on the “Variants” section

You must choose Buy It Now as your pricing format and have “Allow offers on this listing?” turned off in order to use Variants.

Step 4: Configure your variants

Use the + button and the trash icon next to each row to add or remove variants. You can have up to 1,000 total quantity across all your variants. When you’re done, press the “Confirm” button to continue.

Step 5: Click “Confirm” again to publish your listing and you’re all done!

Buyers can now view and purchase your variant-enabled listing from the shop, when you pin the listing, or when you run the Flash Sale.

FAQs

How will Variants appear in the Sold tab as well as in my Shipping & Orders flows?

Purchases of variant-enabled listings will appear in the following format: Listing Title [Variant Title] everywhere on Whatnot, including livestream reports and shipping labels. So for the listing above, buying a yellow pin would show up as “Whatnot Pin [Yellow]”.

What should I do if my buyers are getting an error when trying to buy a Variant?

If your buyers are on iOS or Android, make sure they have updated to the latest version of the Whatnot app in the App Store or Play Store, respectively.

Can I use Flash Sales with Variants?

Yes! Flash Sales go well with Variants, so you can sell multiple sizes, colors, or other options in the same sale.

Can I use Variants with gifting or offers?

Variants do not currently support offers or gifting.