If your wholesale customers order variable products, the way variations appear on your order form affects how quickly they can place an order. Wholesale Order Form lets you choose how product variations are displayed. This guide covers the Standard and Combo variation styles, when to use each, which form column the setting lives in, and the extra display settings available.
Requirements
Before you change your variation styles, you need:
- Wholesale Order Form installed and activated.
- Variable products configured in your WooCommerce store.
- An active Order Form has already been created within the plugin settings. If you haven’t set this up yet, see Set up Wholesale Order Form
Where the variation style is set
The variation style is saved per form column, not per product. Every variable product in that column uses the same style. Three columns can show a variation dropdown, and each one has its own Variation Style setting:
- Variation Dropdown column: its default heading is Options. The Variation Style setting always shows here.
- Product Name column: the Variation Style setting shows when Display Variation Dropdown is ticked. It’s ticked by default.
- Add to Cart Button column: the Variation Style setting shows when Display Variation Dropdown is ticked.
Change the style on the column that actually shows the dropdown on your form. A change on a column that doesn’t show the dropdown has no effect on what customers see. The default style is Combo.
Standard variation style
The Standard style is the familiar WooCommerce layout, with a separate selection box for each attribute.
- Click the gear icon on the column that shows the variation dropdown (for example, the Options column).
- In the settings panel that opens, find the Variation Style setting.
- Select Standard (One Box Per Attribute).
Keep in mind that the Standard variation style shows up to 100 variations per product.
On the ordering form, it will look like this:
Combo variation style
The Combo style consolidates all variation selectors into a single selection box. It’s the default style, and it’s recommended for products with over 100 variations. It keeps the form fast because variations are lazy-loaded as the customer scrolls down.
You can find the setting by doing the following:
- Click the gear icon on the column that shows the variation dropdown (for example, the Options column).
- In the settings panel that opens, find the Variation Style setting.
- Select Combo (Less Clicks/Faster).
On the Wholesale Ordering Form, it’ll look like this:
Extra settings
In Wholesale Order Form 3.0.5 or later, a column set to the Combo variation style has a Hide Combo Variation Name Prefix checkbox in its column settings. On the Product Name and Add to Cart Button columns, it shows only when Display Variation Dropdown is ticked. Enable it to remove the numeric position prefix from each Combo dropdown label while keeping the variation’s attribute names and values.
For example, (1/4) Color: Blue, Size: Large becomes Color: Blue, Size: Large. This changes only the label shown to customers; it does not change the variation itself.
Before enabling the setting:
After enabling the setting:
You can also choose to display the variation selectors directly under the product name rather than in a separate “Options” column. Display Variation Dropdown is ticked by default on the Product Name column. To check it or turn it on, do the following:
- Click the gear icon in the Product Name column.
- Tick the Display Variation Dropdown checkbox (“Add a variation dropdown below the product name.”).
- Choose the Variation Style for this column. It appears below the checkbox once it’s ticked.
The variation selectors now appear directly under the product name instead of in the separate Options column. The Add to Cart Button column has the same Display Variation Dropdown checkbox and its own Variation Style setting.
Troubleshooting
The Variation Style setting doesn’t appear in the column settings. Open the settings of a column that can show a variation dropdown: Options, Product Name, or Add to Cart Button. On Product Name and Add to Cart Button, tick Display Variation Dropdown first. If it still doesn’t show, check that you’re using the order form builder and not the legacy V1 form, and that Wholesale Order Form is up to date.
I changed the variation style but the order form still looks the same. Check that you changed the style on the column that shows the variation dropdown. See Where the variation style is set. Then clear any page or server-side cache. If you use a caching plugin such as WP Rocket or W3 Total Cache, or your host applies its own cache, flush it and reload the order form page. If the issue persists, view the form in a private or incognito browser window to rule out a local browser cache problem.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between the Standard and Combo variation styles?
The Standard style displays a separate selection box for each product attribute (e.g., Size, Color), following the familiar WooCommerce layout. The Combo style consolidates all attributes into a single dropdown, which reduces clicks and improves performance. Use Standard for simplicity and smaller variation counts; use Combo when a product has more than 100 variations.
Can I set a different variation style per product?
No. The variation style is saved per form column, so every variable product in that column uses the same style. You can use a different style on each column that shows a variation dropdown (Options, Product Name, or Add to Cart Button), or create a separate order form for products that need a different style.
What happens when a product has more than 100 variations and I use the Standard style?
The Standard style shows up to 100 variations per product. If a product exceeds this limit, not all variations will be displayed on the order form. Switch to the Combo style for products with over 100 variations. It lazy-loads variations as customers scroll, which keeps the page fast no matter how many variations the product has.
What does “lazy-loaded” mean for the Combo style?
Lazy-loading means variations are fetched and displayed on demand as customers scroll through the order form, rather than all at once when the page first loads. This significantly improves initial page load times for large catalogs with many variable products.
Can I use variation styles with simple (non-variable) products?
No. Simple products have no variations, so the variation style has no effect on them. They show on the order form without a variation dropdown.
Will changing the variation style affect how prices are displayed?
No. The variation style only controls how the variation selector is presented on the form (layout only). Pricing, wholesale discounts, and stock availability are determined separately and will display correctly regardless of which style you choose.
Can I hide a single variation from the order form?
Yes, in Wholesale Order Form 3.1.2 or later. Type the variation’s numeric ID in the Exclude Products field in the order form settings, then select it. Searching by name doesn’t find variations. Only Exclude Products accepts variations. Include Products and Priority Products take parent products only. Exclude Products is disabled while Include Products has products in it.
Which image shows when a customer selects a variation?
The form shows the variation’s own image. If the variation has no image, it shows the parent product’s image instead. If neither has an image, it shows the WooCommerce placeholder image.
Need help?
- Premium users: please go to the support ticket request form and send us a message. Our dedicated support team knows our products, WooCommerce, and the industry very well.
- Free plugin users: please send us a support request on the forum. We actively monitor the WordPress.org support forums and help our users there as best as we can.
