Variations not appearing on invoices?

[kjb]

Hi,

I was playing around with variations. I love that it simplifies my list of items and makes things easier to find- however- before I went too far, I decided to test an invoice.

So, let's say I have one item, with variations of SM, MD, LG and a different price for each. The problem I'm encountering is the item name is the same for all and no differentiator (like the sku, size or the details of the variation name) appear on the invoice. Surely there must be a way to distinguish one item from another? This would be beneficial for my own needs and those of customers.

Here's another example (and one that took hours to set up only to discover it wasn't all I'd hoped... I entered product "XYZ Essential Oil" ... each variation was the type/name and bottle size in ml. When I select the item and that variation, what appears on the invoice is XYZ Essential Oil, but not the attribute of the variation I assigned. So rather than "XYZ Essential Oil, Lemon, 15 ml" or "XYZ Essential Oil, Geranium, 15 ml" I see "XYZ Essential Oil" and its price- which could be one of, say, 50 others. Some variations may have the same price, so how would I or anyone else be able to figure out what I've invoiced?

Is there a way to indicate I'd like the variation details to show in the item description on invoices? Have I missed something?

Thanky much,

kimberly

[nika]

Hey @kjb!

Hmm. I just did a test on my end and named a few variables similar to how you have your essential oils set up, and each one showed by name underneath the main item in light gray font. So now I'm stumped as to why you wouldn't be able to see your different variable names underneath the item itself.

Could you please reach out to our Support Team when you have a second? They can look specifically at your setup and see if there's something that might be little off!

[kjb]

Hi, @nika ,

Thank you for conducting some tests. As a direct sale, I can also see the variation in gray on the receipt screen, and I assume the receipt will print with those details.. I haven't made a sale yet to test the theory and was hesitant to charge one to myself to see how it would print.

However, when I create an invoice (to email an itemized request for payment) and select a line item and its specific variation, the variations do not appear. (See photo) ... what I have added to the invoice was a sugar skull with variations of SM and LG. Since there are only two sizes, it would be simple to determine which is which, but does not seem to provide the SM or LG variation, or SKU to the purchaser if it was available. Then I entered the essential oil. The first is 'Aroma Siez, 5 ml' and the second 'White Angelica, 5 ml' ... each have differing SKUs but appear as the item 'Essential Oil Blend' with nothing differentiating but the price. There are many variations of singles, blends, etc. so I have grouped them this way to make locating the product easier.

If you know of a different option, I'm all ears, but will certainly speak Support to determine if I've missed the mark somehow and report back.

Thanks!

[Joe]

Thanks for the prompt response, @kjb - let us know when you speak to our Support Team and whether you find a resolution. We want to make sure this gets solved for you! 

[kjb]

@Joe @nika 

Thank you for your responses. I spoke with the support team and when hitting the button to preview the invoice, the variation title shows up! This is wonderful. SKUs do not appear, but an acceptable workaround is to include the SKU number within the variation name. I'm so glad the variations are visible to customers, just not visible to us at the time of invoice creation. I'm A-OK with that. 🙂

[JustinC]

@kjb - Thanks for looping back here to keep us updated. Glad our CS Team was able to clear things up for you. 

I'm Justin btw 👋  stepping in for my friends, Nika and Joe!  Let us know if you need help with anything else. We'll be happy to point you in the right direction. 

🙂

[kjb]

@JustinC  Weren't you in that other thread? I guess we're both getting around! 😂

I've been using this time to reorganize and restructure things, playing with features I'd ignored before (either not realizing the features were there, what they could do or didn't have the time to test and correct if I'd made a mistake) ... it's been challenging, but I'm learning a lot and appreciate all the guidance.

If there's a specific issue or question which seems to come up over and over again, I'd be curious to know about it before I waddle down the same path. Feel free to toss me a link or a PSA in anticipation of my getting there eventually! lol

[JustinC]

Yup! That was me lol. I'm sure this won't be the last time we bump into each other 😄. 

Glad to hear you're getting familiar with Square's Point of Sale and the features it offers. Great way to maximize the user experience. You'll be a pro in no time. 

To be honest, tons of questions come through the Community and vary depending on our Sellers' needs, so I can't pinpoint just one. But these Get Started Guides might help answer some basic questions for you as a new Seller.

If you come up with any pressing questions, feel free to surface them here 🙂 @kjb