The Complete Guide to Magento 2 Grouped Product

Magento 2 grouped product is one of the three complex product types represented in Magento. Why do we call them complex, you will ask? Because a group of products called a parent product consists of several simple products called child products. Thus, you get an unusual structure with its own rules and laws. 

In the article below, you will find a Magento 2 grouped product example that shows what grouped products are and how they work. We also highlight the difference between a bundle product and a grouped product in Magento 2. And of course, there is a small guide that illustrates how to create a grouped product in Magento 2.

The last part of this article sheds light on the Magento grouped product import. We explore an import table with all the required attributes. Besides, you will learn how to get associated products of a grouped product in Magento 2 and remove product associations. At the end of this blog post, you will find a small but useful Magento 2 grouped product FAQ.

What Magento 2 Grouped Product Is

As suggested by the name, a Magento grouped product is a complex product that consists of a group of simple items composed according to the merchant’s preferences. Another distinctive feature of a grouped product in Magento 2 is that you buy each product separately or purchase them together as a part of the group. Let’s look at an example.

Magento 2 Grouped Product Example

Let’s suppose you sell goods for hiking and camping. You can simplify the life of your clients who are first-time hikers dramatically by offering a grouped product that combines all the items necessary for their first trip. For instance, the grouped product example below consists of two items: Camping Bags and Sleeping Bag:

As you can see, it is possible to specify any number of each item, including zero quantity. It means that a customer can purchase only a camping bag if they already have a sleeping bag.

Let’s name a few more examples of a grouped product in Magneto 2. For instance, it can be a massive group that includes everything necessary for hiking: tracking shoes, a tent, a backpack, etc. Or you can offer smaller grouped products, such as:

• Dress up for a Hike – a grouped product that consists of hiking clothes and shoes.
• Cooking on a Hike – everything you need for cooking during a hike, including a portable camping table, heat source, utensils, etc.
• Sleep Well During a Hike – the basic trio of a tent, sleeping bag, and sleeping pad.

Note that Magento 2 lets you have a parent grouped product and its child simple products available as separate items:

So what is the purpose of grouped products in Magento 2? It is a sole convenience. Instead of navigating different categories to get a shopping cart full, your customers can purchase all the necessary items in a couple of clicks. And of course, the good thing is that they are not forced to buy all the goods together.  

Difference Between Bundle Product and Grouped Products in Magento 2

With a Magento 2 bundle product customers can choose the variety of options for each item in the bundle, customizing the size, color, material, etc. A Magento 2 grouped product, in turn, is made of simple standalone products that can be bought separately with minimum customization options that include only quantity alterations. You can see a more detailed side-by-side comparison of the Magento grouped product vs bundle in the table below:

You can find other Magento 2 product types described here:

• Complete Guide to Magento 2 Product Import
• Magento 2 Configurable Products
• Magento 2 Bundle Products
• Magento 2 Products With Custom Options

Proceed to our Magento 2 import/export guide list for more.

Now, let’s see how to create a grouped product.

How to Create Grouped Product in Magento 2

Before we create a Magento grouped product, we need to create simple products associated with it. In Magento 2, you don’t have to create a dedicated grouped product. You rather put multiple simple products together. Before creating a grouped product in Magento 2, consider the following information:

1. You cannot set up a price for a Magento grouped product. Instead, the price of a grouped product consists of the simple product prices of the associated child products a customer purchases.
2. The stock is controlled on the simple product level, meaning, that any stock updates associated with your grouped products involve only the corresponding simple product quantities.

Now, that you are aware of these peculiarities, we can create a grouped product in Magento 2. Follow these steps:

1. Go to the Catalog > Products screen.
2. Click the Add Product button.
3. Choose Grouped Product from the dropdown.
   
4. The grouped product settings are similar to the setting of a simple product: specify the product name, SKU, URL, description, and other parameters.
5. Scroll down to the Grouped Products settings section.
6. Click the Add Products to Group button to assign simple products to the grouped parent.
   Note: the same simple product can belong to multiple grouped products.
   Use filters to find products you want to assign to the group.
   
   
7. When you have found and ticked all required products, click the Add Selected Products button.
8. Now, you can save your grouped product.

That’s it. As you can see, creating a grouped product in Magento 2 is a simple task that shouldn’t get you any trouble. Make sure to check the product at the storefront to see if everything went fine.

How to Import Magento Grouped Products

Now, let’s explore the Magento 2 grouped product import. Spoiler: it is a very simple and intuitive process.

The transfer is as simple as importing a new product to your Magento 2 website. You need to prepare a properly adjusted CSV file and perform a couple of manipulations over your admin. A detailed description of the basic import process is available here: Complete Guide to Magento 2 Product Import. However, it is possible to further enhance your import and export processes with the help of the Improved Import and Export extension. Both cases are described below.

Step 1: Get CSV with Grouped Products

Before starting the import process, acquire a CSV table with products formatted for Magento 2 import. There are several ways to do it.

• Firstly, you can export your product catalog using the native Magento 2 functionality, which can be found under System > Data Transfer > Export.
• Secondly, you can rely on our Google Sheet Master Table. Proceed to the Magento 2 Grouped Product CSV.
• Thirdly, you can refer to the FireBear Studio GitHub to find all the necessary tables for the product, customer, and other import procedures.

In the screenshot above, you can see a sample tab of the Google Sheet Master Table. We will use it to describe the Magento 2 grouped product import.

Step 2: Fill in Grouped Product Attributes

In Magento 2, grouped products use all the same product attributes as simple products. The only difference is the associated_skus attribute column. That’s where you assign existing simple products to a grouped parent product.

So, what is the associated_skus column?

It is the column where you can put SKUs of all associated simple (child) products to indicate the components of the group. Moreover, in this very column, you can specify the default quantity of the simple product that should be applied in the grouped product settings.

For instance, we need to import a grouped product named Training Kit with an SKU training1.

This Training Kit consists of the following simple products:

• A bag – with SKU training_bag1;
• Pushup Grips – with SKU training_grips1;
• Tone Band – with SKU training_band1.

Fill in the associated_skus column as follows to add these products to the parent Training Kit grouped product:

training_bag1,training_grips1,training_band1

Note that you need to fill it in only in the row where the grouped product is specified, using the following pattern: sku1,sku2,sku3,… The associated_skus column should be empty for simple products that form a group.

So, this is simple.

If you wish to apply default quantities per child product, add “=” after the SKU and put a default quantity, using this pattern: sku1=10,sku2=15,sku3=20,… Then, the content of the associated_skus column should look as follows:

training_bag1=10,training_grips1=15,training_band1=20

In case you need a quick attribute reference, go to the Master Table and hover the mouse over the attribute of interest to get a quick tip on what it does and what values are expected.

Step 3: Import Grouped Product to Magento 2

Follow these steps to import grouped products to Magento 2:

1. Navigate to System > Data Transfer > Import.
2. Select “Products” in the Entity Type field.
3. Choose”Add/Update” as your Import Behavior.
4. Click the “Browse” button on the right to Select File to Import to select a CSV table with grouped products.
5. Click the “Check Data” button to see if the grouped product attributes meet the Magento 2 requirements.
6. Click the “Import” button to import grouped products to Magento 2.

Advance Step: Remove Product Associations

When you use the Improved Import and Export extension to import grouped products to Magento 2, you can use multiple enhancements, such as schedules, mapping, and support for multiple file formats and sources. However, there is a feature aimed at Magento grouped products.  The tool lets you reassign simple products to the grouped product during the import process. Enable the Remove Product Association feature in the import job.

If Remove Product Association is enabled, only the simple products from the currently imported table will be assigned to grouped products. All other simple products will be removed from the grouped products. For example: you have grouped product A, with simple products B, C, and D. If you import the grouped product A, with only simple B and C assigned, with Remove Product Association enabled, you remove product D from the group.

You can find the full product import procedure associated with the Improved Import & Export Magento 2 extension here in the Improved Import & Export manual. 

Magento 2 Grouped Product Import & Export FAQ

Let’s take a look at other nuances of importing and exporting grouped products in Magento 2 with the help of the Improved Import & Export Magento 2 extension.

Final Words

Magento 2 grouped products introduce a user-friendly addition to the catalog. You can use such items to simplify the customer journey and enhance the overall user experience. Combine simple products in groups and let your prospects avoid hours of useless browsing. Provide them with the opportunity to choose the exact simple items in any quantity. Create grouped products either manually or via an intuitive import process. And if you need to automate and enhance the Magento 2 grouped product import, get our Improved Import & Export extension.