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Variant slicing FAQs

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This guide lists the FAQs for the Variant slicing feature.

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How can I access Variant slicing?

Variant slicing is in active Beta for Standard package customers. Contact your Bloomreach representative to access this feature.

Technical implementation requirements

Required Pixel implementation

Send product IDs for all events (view, add-to-cart, conversion) and ensure SKU IDs are sent for conversion events. SKU parameters are essential for optimal feature function.

Required Feed implementation

Send the variants in the correct feed format. Each product must have at least one variant; otherwise, the system ignores the product for Variant slicing.

Merchandising operations

Which merchandising operations are supported for Variant slicing?

What happens to my existing merchandising rules?

Check the detailed impact guide on ranking rules.

Can I boost specific variant attributes after slicing?

Yes, attribute-based operations work on the variant level after slicing. For example, if you slice by color and then boost color=red, all red variants that appear as separate listings will be boosted.

Can I remove Variant slicing after enabling it?

Yes, you can remove slicing for individual rules. When removed, some existing configurations are discarded. Check the detailed guide.

Can I apply merchandising operations to variants via API?

You can apply all merchandising operations to variants via API, except for lock operations.

Are there any changes to the API response?

There are no changes to the API response.

If you want to get slice IDs in the response, pass slice_id in the fl parameter. The response contains a docs array, where each document represents a product variant with a slice_id field. Slice ID is the same as the Listing ID in the Variant slicing UI. 

{
  "response": {
    "numFound": 115355,
    "start": 0,
    "docs": [
      {
        "sale_price": 65,
        "title": "black therma fit sportswear",
        "sale_price_range": [65, 65],
        "price_range": [65, 65],
        "pid": "H20906",
        "url": "https://pacifichome/style/SU7108",
        "price": 65,
        "slice_id": "H20906:L",
        "variants": [
          {
            "sku_thumb_images": [
              "https://xcdn.pacifichome.com/itemimages/3_4Ratio/Product_SIP/Lge/H20906.jpg"
            ],
            "sku_swatch_images": [
              "https://xcdn.pacifichome.com/itemImages/AltItemSwatch/21x21/H20906.jpg"
            ]
          }
        ]
      }

Understanding the response

  • pid: The parent product ID ("H20906"). This identifies the main product to which this variant belongs.
  • slice_id: "H20906:L": The slice_id uniquely identifies this specific variant of the product. In this example, "H20906" is the parent product, and "L" is the variant attribute (likely the size group).

Can a sliced variant be further split by its attributes? For instance, if a dress has color variants (red, green, blue), is it possible to further slice the red dress variant by size?

No, it's not possible to split twice, and variants can't be sliced by their attributes.

Can I manage variant facets via the Facet application?

Yes, you can configure and manage facets via the Facet application. The facets that are configured from the facet are returned in the response. Note that Dynamic faceting isn’t supported.

How can I access and control variant data via API?

To return variant data via API, check the Requesting product and SKU attributes article. To apply faceted filters, check the faceting and filtering article.

Catalog compatibility

Can I use Variant slicing with multiview catalogs?

Yes, Variant slicing works with multiview catalogs without additional setup.

Can I use Variant slicing with multilingual catalogs?

Yes, you can send attributes in different languages and apply Variant slicing.

Testing and analytics

Can I A/B test Variant slicing rules?

Yes, you can A/B test Variant slicing rules.

Can I A/B test Variant slicing rules against a product ranking rule?

Yes, you can test a variant with slicing applied against:

  • The same ranking rule without slicing.
  • The same rule with a different slicing attribute selected.

Can I view Variant slicing rules in Product grid insights?

Yes, you can view sliced listings in Product grid insights. Performance scores aren't yet available.

Display and ranking behavior

Will variants from the same product be grouped together in the grid?

No, sliced variants won't be grouped next to each other. Each sliced listing has its own ranking score and behaves independently like an individual listing.

Note: If the scores are very close (for example, 4.99 and 5.00), the variants might display adjacent to each other. This might occur when there is limited data.

How are ranking scores calculated for sliced listings?

Each sliced listing receives a ranking score based on its contribution to conversions for a given query/category, SKU popularity, and freshness. The highest-ranking variant is typically the hero variant.
Example
 Product score: 5.2
Variant 1 score: 1.0, Variant 2 score: 2.4, Variant 3 score: 7.1

Slicing applied
 Listing score: 7.1 (top performing variant)
Variant 1 score: 1.0, Variant 2 score: 2.4, Variant 3 score: 7.1

Can I display Hero SKU while applying Variant slicing?

The variant with the highest ranking score automatically displays as the Hero SKU. This can't be manually selected.

What happens to out-of-stock variants?

A product is considered out of stock only when all its variants are unavailable. Such products stay buried in the recall. If a variant is out of stock, only that variant stays buried.

Algorithm Support

Can a shopper search by variants and see variant suggestions?

Yes.

Which algorithm can be used to retrieve and rank variants?

Variant slicing supports the following:

Updated about 5 hours ago