As we previously announced, we began enforcement of the new unique product identifier feed specification as part of an ongoing effort to improve product data quality on Google Shopping. These new specifications help us serve better results to our users while creating more opportunities for merchants.
Enforcement of these new specifications has begun and will continue to ramp up over the coming weeks. By September, all violating offers will be rejected and will not be served through Product Listing Ads.
These new feed specifications will affect all accounts in the United States and non-exempt accounts in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. Beginning September 16th, all previously exempt accounts in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom as well as all other targeted countries will be subject to these new requirements.
Partnering with a channel management company is one solution to make the necessary changes to comply with feed attribute requirements. Channel partners improve performance through feed management and optimization, which includes providing the necessary data in the right format to comply with feed specifications. There are a number of channel partners to choose from, including Google’s in-house provider Channel Intelligence as well as other members of the Google Shopping Partner Program.
For more information, please review the unique product identifier requirements and the latest product feed specifications to make the appropriate changes to your data. To help merchants with this transition, we’ll be hosting a Hangout on Air this Friday, July 19th (9am PT/12pm ET) to walk through the changes and answer any questions you may have about your feeds. You’ll be able to view the session video on the link above if you miss the live broadcast.
Posted by Angelika Rohrer, Program Manager, Google Shopping