What is a Child Product?
Child Product Definition
A child product is a purchasable variant linked to a parent product. It represents one specific combination of attributes (a size, color, or configuration) and carries the information unique to that version: its own SKU, stock level, and sometimes its own price.
What does a child product actually look like?
If a parent product is a wool sweater, each child is a specific option a customer can buy: the navy blue in size medium, the grey in size large, and so on. On the storefront, customers see the parent page and select their preferred child by choosing attributes. The child's stock level is what determines whether that option shows as available.
What happens when a child is discontinued?
The child is deactivated rather than deleted, so historical orders tied to that SKU stay intact. If every child under a parent is discontinued, the parent is typically unpublished from the storefront too.
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