Updating already-published variants during a Sync Update
By default, Sync Update only adds variants that have never been pushed to Shopify. If you have made changes to data like prices, SKU codes, or barcodes in Luminous and want those changes reflected on variants that are already live in Shopify, you can opt in to refreshing them during the Sync Update.
Who this applies to
This option appears only when:
- The product is a master SKU (has variants underneath it), and
- At least one variant is already published to the Shopify integration.
It does not appear for simple (non-variant) products or for products that have never been pushed.
Steps
- Open the product detail page in Luminous (Inventory → SKUs → select the master SKU).
- Open the Publishing tab and find the Shopify integration row.
- Click Sync Update.
- A confirmation dialog will appear showing how many variants are already published.
- To refresh existing variants, check the box: Also update all already-published variants (SKU, price, barcode, and mapped fields).
- Click Sync Update to confirm.
Luminous will:
- Add any new variants that have not yet been pushed, and
- Update each already-published variant individually via Shopify's per-variant endpoint.
What gets updated on existing variants
| Field | Updated? |
|---|---|
| SKU code | ✅ |
| Price (retail → wholesale → cost fallback) | ✅ |
| Barcode / UPC | ✅ |
| Custom field mappings | ✅ |
| Variant option values (Size, Color, etc.) | ✅ |
Default behavior (checkbox unchecked)
Leaving the checkbox unchecked is safe — Luminous only adds variants that have never been pushed and does not touch variants already in Shopify. Use this default when you only want to publish newly added variants without affecting existing data.
Frequently asked questions
Will updating existing variants affect sibling variants or delete any Shopify variants? No. Luminous updates each variant individually using Shopify's per-variant endpoint, so no other variants on the same product are touched or removed.
Does this work for simple (non-variant) products? No prompt is shown for simple products — Sync Update always refreshes simple products in place.
Can I refresh all linked products at once rather than one at a time? Yes. Administrators can trigger a bulk update for all linked products in an integration account via the integration settings. That bulk action also accepts the update-existing-variants flag.
My changes in Luminous are not appearing in Shopify after Sync Update. What should I check?
- Confirm the checkbox was checked before clicking Sync Update.
- Check that the variant has a linked Shopify product record (shown in the Publishing panel's external ID column).
- If a variant is missing its external ID, publish it fresh using Publish Now on the master SKU first.