How to Add Product Variants, Colours, Sizes and Quantities in Elite Core

After a product is added to a project, the next step is to define exactly what the customer is ordering. A single product may have several variants based on colour, size, style, material, finish, capacity, gender or fit, packaging, or other product-specific options.

Quantities are normally entered against the selected variants. The resulting breakdown may later appear on estimates, presentations, Sales Orders, Purchase Orders, production records, shipping records and invoices.

Incorrect colours, sizes or quantities can create purchasing, production and billing errors later.

Before you begin

Confirm that:

• The correct project is open
• The correct customer is attached
• The correct product was added
• The supplier is correct
• The SKU or product ID is correct
• The customer’s requested colours are known
• The required sizes are known
• The quantity breakdown is available
• The total requested quantity is understood
• The required date is known or marked as tentative
• The product has not been added twice by mistake

Do not guess at sizes, colours or quantities when the customer has not confirmed them.

Understanding products and variants

The product is the main item. A product variant is a specific version of that item.

Product: Performance Polo

Possible variants:

• Black / Small
• Black / Medium
• Black / Large
• Navy / Medium
• Navy / Large
• Navy / Extra Large

Some products use other attributes instead of colour and size, such as 16 oz / Black, Gold finish / 6 inch, Men’s / Large or Women’s / Medium. Elite Core may display supplier-defined variant names, SKUs or style codes.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Open the project

Open the Sales, Projects or Orders area and search using the customer name, project name, project number or contact name.

Warning: Confirm that the correct project is open before editing product details.

Step 2: Open the project cart

Open the area containing the products already added to the project. Depending on the current interface, it may be labelled Cart, Project Cart, Products, Order Items, Product Workspace or Edit Project.

Step 3: Open the product

Select or edit the product that needs its variants and quantities completed. The action may be labelled Edit Product, Edit Item, Product Details, Configure Product or View Product.

Step 4: Review the product information

Confirm the product name, supplier, SKU, product ID, image, description, currency and available variants. Do not continue when the wrong supplier or product has been selected.

Step 5: Locate the variant area

The variant area may display colours, sizes, style options, variant rows, product options, quantity fields or SKU-specific choices. Some products show all combinations, while others require a colour selection before sizes appear.

Step 6: Select the required colour

Choose the exact colour requested by the customer. Supplier colour names may be specific, such as Black, Jet Black, Charcoal, Heather Grey, Sport Red, Navy, Royal Blue or Black/White.

Similar colour names may represent different supplier variants. Confirm the colour name, image and SKU where available.

Step 7: Select the required size

Select the requested sizes. Common apparel sizes include XS, S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL, 4XL and 5XL.

Products may also use numeric sizes, youth sizes, men’s sizes, women’s sizes, unisex sizes, one size, capacity, dimensions, award height or package count.

Large in one style may not fit the same as Large in another style.

Step 8: Enter the quantity for each variant

Enter the requested quantity against each selected colour-and-size combination.

• Black / Small: 5
• Black / Medium: 12
• Black / Large: 15
• Black / XL: 8
• Navy / Medium: 6
• Navy / Large: 4

Enter quantities only for the variants the customer is ordering. Do not use placeholder quantities unless the project is clearly marked as preliminary.

Step 9: Confirm the total quantity

Review the total across all variant rows. In the example above, the total is 50 units.

Compare the total with the customer email, size spreadsheet, order form, approved breakdown, purchase request or project note. A correct total can still hide an incorrect size distribution.

Step 10: Save the product

Select Save, Update Product, Apply Changes or the equivalent action.

Step 11: Confirm the saved breakdown

Reopen or review the product and confirm that selected colours and sizes remain visible, quantities were saved, the total is correct, no unwanted variants were added, no required variants disappeared and the correct product remains attached.

Selecting colours

Supplier catalogues may contain similar colour names, colour combinations, heathered colours, trim colours, product-specific colour codes and separate SKUs by colour.

Review the colour name, product image, variant SKU, availability when shown, customer brand requirements and decoration compatibility.

The displayed image may not change automatically when a colour is selected. Do not rely on the image alone. Use a custom colour description only when the product does not have a standard supplier variant.

Selecting sizes

Not every size is available in every colour. Confirm that the size exists for the selected colour, is appropriate for the product style, uses the correct supplier SKU and has any applicable extended-size charges reviewed.

Some products use separate men’s, women’s, youth or unisex styles. Do not combine different product styles into one variant breakdown unless Elite Core specifically supports it.

Entering quantities

Quantities should represent the actual number ordered for each variant.

Avoid entering the total in every row, leaving required rows at zero, entering negative quantities, adding duplicate rows, combining two colours in one row or combining multiple sizes into one generic row when separate sizes are required.

Quantities may affect supplier pricing, quantity breaks, decoration pricing, setup charges, shipping estimates, Purchase Order quantities, production counts and invoice totals.

Reviewing the quantity breakdown

Colour	Size	Quantity
Black	Small	5
Black	Medium	12
Black	Large	15
Black	XL	8
Navy	Medium	6
Navy	Large	4
Total		50

Verify both the total quantity and each individual variant. An incorrect distribution can cause the wrong items to be purchased even when the total is correct.

Handling products without standard sizes

Drinkware, bags, awards, pens, technology products, signs, custom kits, packaging and services may not use apparel-style sizing.

Variants may instead be based on colour, capacity, finish, dimensions, material, model or package quantity. For one-size products, you may only need to select the colour and enter a total quantity. Do not create unnecessary size rows.

Handling custom variants

A custom variant may be appropriate when catalogue data is incomplete, the product is custom manufactured, the item is made in-house, a required size or finish is missing, a supplier option is unavailable in the catalogue, or the item is a custom award or one-off product.

You may need to enter a variant name, colour, size, SKU, description, quantity, cost and customer price.

Verify custom variant details carefully. Do not create a custom variant when the correct catalogue variant already exists.

What happens next

1. Confirm supplier cost
2. Enter or review customer pricing
3. Review margin
4. Add decorations
5. Add artwork
6. Add setup charges
7. Add shipping or other services
8. Review the project
9. Generate an estimate

The next guide will cover product costs and customer pricing.

Common problems

The required colour does not appear

Confirm the correct product, review alternate colour names, search by supplier SKU, confirm availability, check whether a different style is required and use a custom variant only when appropriate.

The required size does not appear

The size may not be available in that colour, may use a different label, may be an extended size, or the wrong style may have been selected. Confirm supplier information before creating a custom size.

Quantities do not save

Confirm each value is valid, check validation messages, confirm the product is editable, save again, reopen the item and confirm the project is not locked.

The total quantity is wrong

Compare every row against the customer’s confirmed breakdown. Duplicate rows or quantities entered against the wrong variant may cause an incorrect total.

The total is correct but the sizes are wrong

The overall total is not enough. Compare each colour-and-size combination individually.

A variant appears twice

Confirm whether the duplicate is intentional. Duplicate rows may result from adding the product twice, selecting the same variant twice, copying a product or repeating a save. Do not delete until you confirm the row is not required.

The product has no variants

The product may be one size, may use only a total quantity, may have incomplete catalogue data, may require a custom variant or may be the wrong product record.

The user cannot edit variants

Confirm the correct instance, required permission, editable project status and whether a later document has locked the product.

The product is already on an estimate or Sales Order

Changes may require related documents to be regenerated. Review the project status before changing approved information.

A deleted variant still appears on a document

Generated documents may preserve a previous snapshot. Review whether the estimate, Sales Order, Purchase Order or other document must be regenerated.

Best practices

• Confirm the correct product before entering variants
• Use exact supplier colour names
• Verify size availability
• Enter quantities by variant
• Compare the total against the customer request
• Compare every individual row
• Avoid duplicate variant rows
• Do not use placeholder quantities on final quotes
• Review extended-size pricing
• Save and reopen the product to confirm changes
• Regenerate documents after approved changes when required
• Keep the customer’s size breakdown attached to the project

Variant and quantity checklist

• ☐ Correct project is open
• ☐ Correct customer is attached
• ☐ Correct product is selected
• ☐ Supplier is correct
• ☐ Product SKU is correct
• ☐ Requested colours were selected
• ☐ Requested sizes were selected
• ☐ Quantities were entered by variant
• ☐ No duplicate variants exist
• ☐ No required rows remain at zero
• ☐ Total quantity matches the customer request
• ☐ Individual size breakdown matches the customer request
• ☐ Extended sizes were reviewed
• ☐ Product was saved
• ☐ Saved values were confirmed
• ☐ Pricing still needs review
• ☐ Decorations still need review

Related Knowledge Base articles

• Getting Started with Elite Core
• How to Create a Customer in Elite Core
• How to Create a Project in Elite Core
• How to Add Products to a Project in Elite Core
• How to Enter Product Costs and Customer Pricing in Elite Core
• How to Add Decorations and Artwork in Elite Core
• How to Generate an Estimate in Elite Core

Previous and next guides

Previous: How to Add Products to a Project in Elite Core

Next: How to Enter Product Costs and Customer Pricing in Elite Core

Notes for Future Expansion

Screenshots to add

• Project cart
• Product edit action
• Product details screen
• Variant selector
• Colour dropdown
• Size selector
• Quantity fields
• Total quantity
• Saved variant breakdown
• Product summary in the project cart

Interface details to confirm

• Exact label for opening a product
• Exact variant section name
• Whether colours must be selected before sizes
• Whether variants display supplier SKUs
• Whether unavailable variants are hidden
• Whether stock availability is shown
• Whether zero-quantity rows are retained
• Whether duplicate variants are prevented
• How totals are calculated
• Whether extended-size pricing is automatic
• Whether custom variants can be created
• Which roles can edit variants
• Which project statuses permit variant edits
• When variant editing becomes locked
• Whether document regeneration is prompted automatically

Future articles

• How to Enter Product Costs and Customer Pricing
• How to Review Product Margins
• How to Add Decorations
• How to Upload Artwork
• How to Handle Extended-Size Pricing
• How to Update a Size Breakdown
• How to Replace a Product Variant
• How to Correct Duplicate Variants
• How to Regenerate an Estimate After Quantity Changes