Product attribute: definition
A product attribute is a characteristic that varies between versions of an item, such as colour or size, and that's used to generate combinations sold separately.
The building block of products with variants
On PrestaShop 1.7 and later, attributes are defined under Catalog > Attributes & Features, on the Attributes tab: you create an attribute, say "Colour", then attach values to it, such as "Red" or "Blue". These attributes are then combined on a product page, in its Combinations tab, to generate the variants that are actually sellable: "T-shirt, red, size M" and "T-shirt, red, size L" become two distinct variants of the same base product.
For an online seller, structuring attributes properly avoids creating a separate product page for every colour or size, which would bloat the catalogue and dilute the SEO of a single range. It's this system that lets you show a single "Nordika Chair" product, with a colour and size selector, instead of ten separate pages for ten variants of the same model.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between an attribute and a product feature?
How many attributes can be combined on the same product?
Does a product need an attribute even without a real variant?
Describe your need in one minute
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