Variant Metafield Price

We’ve introduced a powerful new discount type inside Unified Discounts β†’ General Discounts called Variant Metafield Price.

This discount type allows you to:

  • Pull discount values directly from a Variant metafield (JSON type)

  • Retrieve a specific key from that JSON

  • Apply the discount dynamically based on how you interpret the value

This is ideal for brands that want to reduce config size, simplify complex setups, and store pricing logic directly at the variant level.


Why Use Variant Metafield Price?

Instead of:

  • Creating multiple large discount configs

  • Hardcoding tier logic in multiple places

  • Managing dozens of group conditions

You can:

βœ… Store discount data inside the variant βœ… Keep Unified Discount configs lightweight βœ… Scale across hundreds of products easily βœ… Maintain pricing in one place (the variant)


How It Works

Each variant contains a JSON metafield that stores discount values.

The discount reads:

  1. The Namespace.Key

  2. The JSON key

  3. Interprets the value as:

    • Fixed Amount Off

    • Percentage Off

    • Specific Price


Step 1: Create a Variant JSON Metafield

Go to:

Shopify Admin β†’ Settings β†’ Custom Data β†’ Variants β†’ Add Definition

  1. Name it (example: pricing_information)

  2. Select type: JSON

  3. Save

You now have a JSON metafield attached to variants.


Step 2: Store Pricing Data Inside the Variant

Inside a variant, populate the JSON metafield like this:

You can store:

  • Specific prices

  • Fixed discounts

  • Percentage discounts

  • Or multiple pricing tiers inside the same JSON


Step 3: Configure Variant Metafield Price Discount

Go to:

Unified Discounts β†’ General Discounts β†’ Create Discount

Select: Discount Type: Variant Metafield Price

You’ll see three important fields:

1️⃣ Metafield Namespace.Key

Example:

2️⃣ Value Key from Metafield

Example:

This tells the discount which key to read from the JSON.

3️⃣ Value Interpretation

Choose how the value should be applied:

  • Fixed Amount Off

  • Percentage Off

  • Specific Price

Example: If the JSON value is 575 and interpretation is Specific Price, the product price becomes 575.


Example: Tiered Pricing (1–6, 7–12, 13+)

Let’s say your store has:

  • 1–6 units β†’ $575

  • 7–12 units β†’ $550

  • 13+ units β†’ $525

Instead of creating large legacy discount configs, you can:

Create 3 Groups in Unified Discount


Group 1: 1–6 Units

Condition:

  • Line quantity < 7

Value Key:

Interpretation: Specific Price


Group 2: 7–12 Units

Condition:

  • Line quantity > 6

  • Line quantity < 13

Value Key:

Interpretation: Specific Price


Group 3: 13+ Units

Condition:

  • Line quantity β‰₯ 13

Value Key:

Interpretation: Specific Price


Now the discount engine:

βœ” Checks the condition βœ” Reads the correct JSON key from the variant βœ” Applies the value dynamically

No hardcoded price logic inside the discount config.


Subscription vs One-Time Example

You can also store multiple pricing types:

Then:

Config 1 – One-Time Users

Conditions:

  • Order count = 0

  • Selling plan = false

Key:

Interpretation: Fixed Amount Off


Config 2 – Subscription Users

Conditions:

  • Selling plan = true

Key:

Interpretation: Fixed Amount Off


The same variant JSON powers multiple discount scenarios.


Real-World Use Case

If you previously used legacy discounts for tier pricing and noticed inconsistencies (for example 7–12 works but 13+ doesn’t), switching to Unified Discount + Variant Metafield Price is the recommended approach.

Why?

  • Legacy discounts are older implementations.

  • Unified Discounts are more scalable and actively supported.

  • Variant Metafield Price reduces config complexity significantly.


Best Practices

  • Fill the JSON metafield for every variant you want the discount to apply to

  • Keep your JSON keys consistent across products

  • Use β€œAll” discount allocation type when appropriate

  • Use descriptive keys (price_1_6, sub_discount, vip_price, etc.)


When Should You Use This?

This feature is perfect if:

  • You have many SKUs with different pricing tiers

  • You manage complex subscription vs one-time pricing

  • You want pricing logic stored at the product level

  • You want smaller, cleaner discount configs

  • You are migrating from legacy discount setups


Summary

Variant Metafield Price lets you:

  • Store discount logic in variant JSON

  • Pull values dynamically

  • Interpret them as:

    • Fixed Amount Off

    • Percentage Off

    • Specific Price

  • Build scalable and future-proof pricing systems

If you have any questions or need help setting this up, feel free to reach out.

Last updated