Variant groups: grouping items so every option leads to the right product

A group is a set of items that share a Variant Group ID (a string you define, unique to the family) and declare the same variant attribute names — the product-type attributes that vary, such as color, size, or count. Each item carries its own values for those attributes. One item is flagged the primary variant: the one shown by default on the group page. Unlike Amazon, there is no non-buyable parent record; the group is a relationship between real items.

Confirm the items are related versions of the same product — same brand, same product, differing only in the variant attributes — and that the product type allows those attributes. A 750 mL bottle in three colors is a group. A bottle and a lid are not, even from the same brand.

Map every item to accurate, distinct values. Two items with the same color value collapse into one option, and one of them becomes unreachable. Use the normalized values the spec offers where they exist (Walmart's color and size lists), and keep spelling and casing identical across the group.

• From the Catalog page — select existing items in Manage Items and group them, assigning the Variant Group ID, the variant attributes, and the primary variant. Walmart caps a group at 49 items.
• In the Full Item Spec — fill the variant columns (Variant Group ID, variant attribute names, the per-item values, primary flag) for all items in one upload.

Grouping is a content change: it goes through a feed, shows up in the Activity Feed, and can be blocked for the same reasons as any other content update.

After processing, open the group on Walmart.com and click through every option. Each must lead to the right item, with its own image, name, price, and availability. Check that the primary variant is the one you intended and that no option is duplicated or missing. Group membership is only half the job; the option-to-item mapping is the other half.