Guides·
Why native Shopify variants win in agentic AI shopping
Native Shopify variants beat fragmented products in agentic AI shopping. Why ChatGPT, Google AI Mode, Copilot, and Perplexity reward consolidation.
Settings
Every control on the Merges Settings page explained — what each setting does, its default, the plan and permissions it needs, and where to go deeper.
Everything Merges does during and after a merge is controlled from one place: the Settings page in the Merges app. This page is the map — what each control does, its default, the plan and permissions it needs, and a link to the full guide where one exists. Changes are staged as you edit and only take effect when you press Save.
Manage original products
A merge builds a brand-new product. This setting decides what happens to the source products it was built from.
- Archive original products — the default. Sources are set to Shopify’s Archived status: hidden from your storefront and channels, but still in your store. This is the foundation the rest of Merges depends on — redirects, Sync original products, and Order routing all read from the archived originals.
- Keep original products active — leaves the sources live and for sale, which produces duplicate listings and risks split inventory.
Available on every plan. Full guide: Manage original products.
The Manage original products setting — Archive original products selected, Keep original products active below
Activate AI tools
Merges uses AI to draft the merged product. Turning a toggle off only stops it running automatically during a merge — you can still trigger the same action by hand in the merge editor.
- Organize options and variants — always on. Merges builds the merged product’s options (Color, Size, …) and the variant matrix. It markets as AI proposes the option structure; see also Handling duplicate variant option values.
- Create smart titles and Combine descriptions — AI writes one parent title and description that cover the whole group. Full guide: AI-generated titles and descriptions.
- Content language — forces the language of the AI title and description. Defaults to Auto (detect language); available once smart titles or combine descriptions is on.
- Remove duplicate images — collapses pixel-identical images from the source products into one (Pro and Unlimited). Full guide: Remove duplicate images.
The Activate AI tools card — organize options and variants, smart titles, combine descriptions, content language, and remove duplicate images
Set up redirects
Create URL redirects writes a Shopify 301 redirect from every archived original’s URL to the merged product, so links, rankings, and ads keep working. Available on Pro and Unlimited. Full guide: URL redirects with Merges.
The Set up redirects card — Create URL redirects enabled, marked Pro and Unlimited
Shipping & delivery
Sync delivery profiles assigns the merged product’s variants to the same Shopify delivery profiles their originals used, so custom shipping rates carry over. Available on every plan; it needs a one-time shipping access permission. When off, merged products use your default delivery profile. Full guide: Sync delivery profiles.
The Shipping & delivery card — Sync delivery profiles enabled with shipping access granted
Sync original products
Once a merge is saved, the merged product is a one-time snapshot. Sync original products keeps it aligned with its sources — mirroring inventory, price, compare-at price, SKU, and barcode per location, within seconds. It markets as Inventory Sync. Full guide: Sync original products.
The Sync original products card — per-location toggles for inventory, price, compare-at price, SKU, and barcode
Order routing
Route orders to originals rewrites new-order line items from the merged variant back to its original source variant before your fulfillment, 3PL, or ERP sees them — so systems that key off the original IDs keep working. It needs a one-time order access permission, and the originals must stay in your store. It markets as Order Routing. Full guide: Order routing.
The Order routing card — Route orders to originals enabled with order access granted
What each plan includes
| Setting | Trial | Basic | Pro | Unlimited |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manage original products | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| AI titles, descriptions & option structure | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Remove duplicate images | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| URL redirects | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Sync delivery profiles | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Sync original products | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Order routing | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
For prices and credits, see merges.io/pricing.
Related
- Post-merge checklist — what to confirm after your first merge.
- Managing inventory after product merging — how stock behaves at merge time and after.
- User manual — the full merge workflow, start to finish.