11 How does B2C Commerce handle product variations — master, variant, and variation group?

B2C Commerce uses a structured hierarchy for products that have multiple purchasable variations (such as a shirt available in multiple sizes and colours):

1. Master product — defines the variation attributes (e.g., size, colour) and their allowed values. The master itself is never added to the cart. The product detail page typically displays the master, allowing the customer to select attributes.
2. Variant — a specific combination of variation attribute values (e.g., size Large, colour Blue). Only variants are purchasable. Each variant has its own SKU, inventory record, and optionally its own price in the pricebook.
3. Variation group — an optional intermediate product that groups variants sharing one common attribute value (e.g., all Blue variants regardless of size). Useful for displaying colour swatches that link to a pre-filtered view.

In SFRA, the Product Detail Page controller fetches the master, renders variation selectors, and updates to the specific variant as the customer makes selections via AJAX.