Hi,
An option is another product which could be attached to the product (like a insurance).
A characteristic is a product modification (a color for example) which would have his own price, quantity, image, etc.
By mixing both, you can make something like:
demo.hikashop.com/index.php?option=com_h...ayout=show&Itemid=91
The color is a variant.
Each other elements (webcam, RAM, etc) are options which are products with variants.
Regards,
Jerome - Obsidev.com
HikaMarket & HikaSerial developer / HikaShop core dev team.
Also helping the HikaShop support team when having some time or couldn't sleep.
By the way, do not send me private message, use the "contact us" form instead.