As many of you will already know Google have added new requirements for unique product identifiers in Google Product Listing feeds on July 15th.
In order to maintain a good quality feed and avoid the risk of your feed being taken down. We have put together a quick guide on product identifiers to help.
What are product identifiers
There are several different types including Brand, MPN and Global Trade Item Numbers. The majority of products require at least 2 product identifiers. They are used as a way for Google and your customers to help identify your products.
Example Nike T-Shirt
Brand
Product Brand
Example – Nike
MPN – Manufacturer Part Number
Example – nikem12
This code uniquely identifies the product to its manufacturer. In particular, the combination of brand and MPN clearly specifies one product.
Global Trade Item Numbers
In this attribute, you will include Global Trade Item Numbers (GTINs) for your products. These identifiers include UPC (in North America), EAN (in Europe), JAN (in Japan), and ISBN (for books). You can include any of these values within this attribute:
- UPC: 12-digit number such as 00123567891
- EAN: 13-digit number such as 1001234567891
- JAN: 8 or 13-digit number such as 12345678 or 1234567890123
- ISBN: 10 or 13-digit number such as 0451524233. If you have both, only include 13-digit number.
You can find out more information, including how you can request exemption from product id’s from Google here.