Custom Variant‑Driven Visibility App (Nyla + Shopify)
Single‑page Shopify PDP that conditionally shows/hides content based on variant selection using metafield‑driven logic—no page reloads, faster UX.
Task
Create a custom app that lets the team mark sections as visible or hidden based on the selected variant, so each configuration can surface its own content (warnings, features, images, measurements, promos) while keeping everything on one PDP.
Background
Build a single‑page PDP with variant‑aware content that updates instantly—no DOM reload, no extra page loads, and clean control via metafields.
This project was built to solve a common problem in Shopify’s variant handling — delivering variant-specific content without breaking the user’s flow with page reloads. Working within the Nyla platform, we restructured the client’s product setup to support multiple variants under a single SKU, and we shifted their PDP (Product Detail Page) to a true single-page layout. This eliminated the jarring “jump” between variant selections that’s typical of multi-page setups, ensuring a fluid, uninterrupted browsing experience.
The core challenge was enabling selective content visibility based on the chosen variant. For example, some helmet variants required unique informational blocks — like promotional banners, technical notes, or community feeds — while others did not. Instead of duplicating pages, we implemented a conditional visibility script that dynamically shows or hides sections according to the variant selected.
Each variant’s radio button in the DOM carries a unique ID, which the script reads to determine which group of section IDs should be displayed. These groupings are defined in arrays — for example, all SIG1–SIG5 variants belong to one group, “Hi-Vis” belongs to another, and “VC Adventures” belongs to a third. When a variant from a given group is selected, its associated sections become visible, while sections tied to other groups are instantly hidden.
This method allows the PDP to preload all relevant blocks for every variant while only displaying what’s needed for the active selection. It mirrors the flexibility of metafield-based data targeting — but instead of swapping data sources, it toggles DOM visibility for a seamless UX.
The implementation is scalable, letting merchandisers map any number of section IDs to any variant grouping, and it works perfectly with Nyla’s dynamic rendering thanks to a MutationObserver that rebinds the logic when the DOM updates.
Conclusion & Reflection
This solution grew out of a clear user-experience issue: the client’s prior variant handling caused unnecessary page reloads that disrupted browsing. By moving to a single-page PDP and integrating the conditional visibility script, we not only reduced friction but gave the client complete flexibility in how they surface variant-specific content.
The approach keeps everything maintainable and scalable — merchandisers simply update metafields and group mappings instead of creating duplicate product pages. The logic adapts to evolving product lines, like when the client’s original SIG1–SIG5 helmets were phased out and replaced with Hi-Vis and VC Adventures models.
Beyond its immediate impact, the script has opened up new possibilities: variant-based landing content, targeted promotional sections, and even multi-layered conditional logic for more complex product lines. The client has already reported positive feedback on the smoother navigation and is eager to expand its use across other product types.
By aligning UX, technical flexibility, and merchandising control, this project represents a scalable pattern for modern, high-performance ecommerce PDPs — one that avoids compromise between design ambitions and platform constraints.