Types of Products in Magento

Magento provides us with selecting from 6 different types of products profile to choose from. Appropriate selection of product type is essential for accessing the appropriate set of features required to sell the products.

Here’s a breakdown of the individual product type and what each is intended for to help you guide in setting up products in magento.

Product Types available in Magento:

1. Simple Products
2. Grouped Products
3. Configurable Products
4. Virtual Products
5. Bundled Products
6. Downloadable Products

Simple Products – As the name suggests this profile is best suited for products that require no-options, that are very basic. Example – toys, office supplies, DVDs and other physical media etc.

Grouped Products – This profile is used when you want to sell existing product concurrently as a single group. The best example is the Magento Red Furniture set. The 3 products in this group – Ottoman, Chair and Couch – each are separate products, available for purchase individually. But they are available as a set.

Note that there is no special feature allowing to sell this product at a special price. However this can be achieved if we set the price rules.

Configurable Products – The very best example of configurable products is apparel. Since clothes comes in different size and color users would like to “configure” their products (select size and color) before purchasing.

Let’s take an example say you are selling a shirt that comes in different sizes Small, Medium and Large. We create a simple product for each size with different color. So there will be as many products as there are different sizes and colors. These products should be enabled and should not be available to viewing from the Admin panel. Then we create a configurable product for the catalog. And under the associated products you will select all the products you created for each of the sizes and color. While doing so we can also set a separate price for each option.
This configuration will create a drop down for color as well as for the sizes allowing user to select which size and color they wish to buy.

Virtual Product – If the product does not need to be shipped, downloaded or delivered in any way, then this is probably the most appropriate profile. Products that are not tangible and require no shipping or stock management. Services like an online training course are a good example of a virtual product.

Downloadable Product - This profile is best for products which have a downloadable counterpart. This is suitable for software, digital music files, and other electronic products.

Note that a “Downloadable Product” may include one or more downloadable file, and you have the option to require all files to be purchased or to allow the customer to select which files they would like to include in their purchase. If multiple files are included, you may also include a surcharge for each file, affecting the final price of the product.

Source: http://www.amicontech.com/blog/types-of-products-in-magento/

P.S.: Now you know all the main facts about Magento products. So if you want to start your product import right now, everything you need to do is register an account and enjoy your fast import!