Not every product variation is best represented with standard attributes. Sometimes each color, volume, model, configuration, or other variation needs to remain a separate full product — with its own page, price, stock, images, description, and characteristics.
Products Flow for JoomShopping 5+ allows these separate products to be logically connected into one product flow, giving customers an easy way to move between related variants without searching for them manually in the catalog.
The administrator selects a characteristic, the system finds products with the corresponding value, and the required products are combined into a related group.
Separate products presented as variants of one product line.
Each item remains an independent JoomShopping product while customers can easily move to a related model, color, volume, or configuration.
When standard attributes are not enough
JoomShopping attributes work well for many product variations, but they do not always match the structure of a real catalog.
For example, different variants of the same product may require:
- different descriptions;
- separate images;
- their own sets of characteristics;
- different prices;
- independent stock levels;
- individual SEO parameters;
- separate page URLs.
In this situation, it can be more practical to create several full products and logically connect them.
This is exactly what Products Flow is designed for.
Related variants
Separate products can be combined into one logical group based on a shared characteristic.
Semi-automatic selection
The system finds matching products by the selected characteristic value, while the administrator decides which products belong in the flow.
Visual selection
Characteristic values can be represented using a color, icon, or image.
Separate product pages
Every variant remains a full product with its own data, price, stock, content, and SEO parameters.
How a product flow is created
Product linking is performed in a semi-automatic mode.
The administrator:
- selects the characteristic used to find related products;
- the system finds products with the corresponding value;
- the administrator selects which products should be included in the group.
For example, the characteristic can represent a series, model, type, volume, or another property that logically connects several products.
Automatic search — manual control over the result.
The system helps find matching products quickly, while the administrator determines the final composition of the flow.
Cross-linked product group
A flow is not stored only in a single “main” product.
Once products are connected, the relationship applies across all products in the group.
This means the flow can be viewed and adjusted from any product that belongs to it.
This approach makes catalog administration more convenient and avoids tying the group to one specific item.
An alternative to attributes when separate products are needed
Products Flow does more than duplicate standard JoomShopping attributes.
It allows you to build a different catalog structure: instead of one product with multiple variations, create several independent products and connect them to each other.
For example, instead of one product page:
- Paint — 1 L / 5 L / 10 L;
you can create three separate products:
- Paint 1 L;
- Paint 5 L;
- Paint 10 L.
Each has its own page, while customers can clearly see the connection between available volumes and quickly move to the required option.
Separate content for every variant
The main advantage of separate product pages is that every variation can have its own data.
Each product can independently have its own:
- name;
- short and full description;
- images;
- characteristics;
- price;
- stock level;
- SEO Title, Meta Description, and other SEO parameters;
- individual URL.
This is particularly useful when the differences between variants go far beyond a single attribute value.
Move between product variants
For the customer, related products can work like a variant selector.
Instead of changing an attribute within one product page, the customer moves to another complete product page.
As a result, available variants remain visible and easy to access while every option stays an independent catalog item.
Visual representation of characteristics
Characteristic values used for navigation between products can be made more visual.
They can be represented using:
- a color through the built-in Color Picker;
- an icon;
- an image.
For example, a product color can be displayed as a colored element, while surface type, material, or another variant can be represented by an appropriate image.
Individual display type for each variant
The current version allows an individual display type to be configured for each variant.
This provides additional flexibility when presenting related products and allows the selection interface to be adapted to a specific characteristic.
More convenient for filter-based catalogs
When variants are created as separate products, each has its own characteristics and participates in the standard catalog logic as an independent item.
This is particularly useful when using the
Product Filter Module for JoomShopping 5+
,
which allows products to be filtered by categories, manufacturers, characteristics, attributes, and other parameters.
For example, if volumes or colors are represented as separate products with corresponding characteristics, they can participate in filtering as independent catalog items.
Internal linking between product pages
Separate product variants receive their own pages, while Products Flow creates logical navigation between them.
This creates natural internal linking between related catalog items.
For example, a page for one volume can link to the same product series in other volumes or configurations.
For search engines, this also creates additional connections between closely related pages.
Separate pages and internal links by themselves do not guarantee higher rankings or more SEO traffic. Results depend on content quality, catalog structure, search demand, and other factors.
More SEO flexibility for individual variants
When attributes are used, all variations normally remain within a single product page.
When variants are created as separate products, each can have its own landing page with relevant content.
This can be useful when users actually search for specific modifications separately — for example, a particular volume, model, power level, color, or configuration.
In this structure, each variant can have:
- its own Title;
- its own Meta Description;
- a unique description;
- separate images;
- its own URL;
- individual semantic page content.
More than SEO — independent product management
A separate product page provides benefits beyond site structure.
Every variant can be managed independently:
- set its own price;
- manage stock;
- publish or hide it;
- edit characteristics;
- use individual product images;
- edit descriptions and SEO data.
For large catalogs, products, characteristics, and other store data can also be managed with
Nevigen Audit for JoomShopping 5+
.
Where Products Flow is especially useful
The extension is well suited to catalogs where one product is represented by several independent modifications.
For example:
- equipment and machinery — power, model, version;
- tools — size, series, configuration;
- clothing and footwear — color or other variants that need separate products;
- paint, chemicals, and consumables — volume, package size, concentration;
- professional materials — series, type, format;
- products with different configurations that require separate pages.
When standard attributes are a better choice
Products Flow does not mean that all attributes should be replaced with separate products.
If variations differ only by one simple parameter and do not require separate pages, descriptions, SEO data, or independent management, standard JoomShopping attributes may be completely sufficient.
Products Flow is most useful when a variant is effectively a separate product but customers still need to clearly see its relationship with other products in the same line.
Attribute or separate product?
If you only need a simple variation, use an attribute. If you need a separate page, content, price, stock, characteristics, and SEO, Products Flow allows these products to be connected into one logical group.
Characteristic type limitation
Products Flow works with JoomShopping characteristics, but the current version has one important limitation:
the “Multiple List” characteristic type is not supported for creating product flows.
This should be considered when planning your product characteristic structure.
Main Products Flow features
- linking separate JoomShopping products into logical groups;
- creating product flows based on product characteristics;
- semi-automatic matching of relevant products;
- manual selection of products included in a flow;
- cross-linking between all products in the group;
- ability to edit a flow from any product that belongs to it;
- using separate products as an alternative to selected standard attributes;
- independent prices and stock levels for every variant;
- individual characteristics for every product;
- separate descriptions and images;
- individual SEO parameters and URLs for each product page;
- visual representation of characteristic values using colors;
- icons or images for characteristic values;
- individual display type for each variant;
- internal navigation between related products;
- support for all applicable characteristic types except “Multiple List”.
Products Flow for JoomShopping 5+ allows product lines to be built from separate full products instead of combining every variation into one product page. Each item keeps its own characteristics, content, price, stock, and SEO parameters, while customers get convenient navigation between related variants.