Required Information for Google Shopping Feeds
In order to accurately show your products on the Google Shopping tab for people searching and also to have the feed accepted by Google you need to ensure that the following information is on your product as a minimum.
This guide doesn't include every category type, but more information can be found on the Google Shopping Feed Beginner's guide.
Some of this information is automatically generated by the Stor platform. For Clarity, anything that needs input from you is listed below as 'Merchant' anything that doesn't need your interaction is listed below as 'Automatic'.
ID - Automatic
This is a Unique ID that is generated by us for each product that you add to your shop.
Title - Merchant
Every product requires a Name or Title. This needs to clearly and concisely describe the item for sale.
Description - Merchant
We use the Long Description to send up to Google. This of course helps persuade your potential customer to head over to your shop to purchase your product for sale so make sure it's written to do just that! Google suggests that you submit around 500 to 1,000 characters for product descriptions.
Link (Landing Page) - Automatic
As long as your product is Saved and set to Enabled/Visible then this is automatic. However, note that if you have selected for products to be Disabled when out of stock, this will hide the page and you may receive a warning from Google's Merchant Centre.
Image Link - Automatic
Every product should have an image, you wouldn't buy something without seeing what it looks like and you shouldn't expect your customers to either. Images need to be static (no GIFs please), either JPEG or PNG, accurately represent the product and free from promo text or watermarks.
Availability - Automatic
If your product is in stock then we'll cover this part for you. If it's sold out then you may receive a Warning or Error on your Google Merchant Centre console to let you know that the product is not showing in search results.
Price - Merchant
If you want to list the product on Google Shopping then it needs to have a price. You cannot add 'Free' or zero priced products to Google Shopping. All prices shown on Google Shopping will be at the "Include VAT" amount.
Google Product Category - Merchant
From your Product Edit screen, head to the 'Classification' option and select the relevant category that you would like the product to be listed in. The list is fairly extensive so have a look through to ensure that you select the best/most relevant option. A full list of the Google Shopping Classifications/Taxonomy is here if you find this easier.
Note:
Adding a product under a Google Product Category will add it to your shops Shopping Feed. If you remove the category from the item then it will be removed from the shopping feed.
Brand & GTIN or Brand & MPN or None of the above - Merchant
All products sent up to GMC need either a GTIN AND Brand OR an MPN AND Brand OR none of the above.
A GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) can be a barcode number, Universal Product Code (UPC), ISBN number or European Article Number (EAN).
An MPN is a Manufacturer Product Number.
Each of the above must be valid (Google will check) and must be paired with a Brand Name.
Add a GTIN, MPN or Brand/Manufacturer using Custom Attributes in the Product Edit screen.
You don't have to show these on your shop's front end but it needs to be completed in the admin side of your shop in order to be accepted by Google.
Other Custom Attributes
Condition (if 2nd hand) - Merchant
If you are selling items that are Used or Refurbished then you need to add either 'Used' or 'Refurbished' to the "Condition" Custom attribute.
You don't have to show this on your shop's front end but it needs to be completed in the admin side of your shop in order to be accepted by Google.
Age Group - Merchant
For categories such as the Apparel & Accessories category you need to specify a an Age Group. Again, this is added under the Product Custom Attributes. The accepted formats for Age Groups include; Newborn, Infant, Toddler, Kids, or Adult only.
Size - Merchant
Similarly, if a product is in the Apparel & Accessories category then you need to have a size assigned to it. This can be a shoe size (9, 10 or 43, 45), dress size (8, 12, 16, etc) or a general size e.g. S, M, L, XL.
Colour (Color) - Merchant
If your product falls within the Apparel & Accessories category then a 'Color' is required. This can be added as a variant if you have multiple variants, otherwise add the Colour as a Custom Attribute.
Gender - Merchant
You're probably getting the idea here, if your product is in the Apparel & Accessories category head to the product edit screen and add a "Gender" Product Attribute.
Note that GMC accepts values of either Male, Female or Unisex only.
Adult - Merchant
If your product is of an Adult nature or Sexually suggestive then you need to add a Custom Attribute for "Adult" and mark it as "Yes". Alternatively, if your website is generally focused on an adult audience and contains adult-oriented content with or without nudity, head to your Merchant Center account, open General Settings and tick the box next to 'This site contains adult products as defined by our policy'.
If you tick the box, you don't need to add the adult attribute for individual products.
Shipping (inside GMC) - Merchant
At the moment, you're unable to send Shipping details to Google Merchant Centre via the Google Shopping Feed. You'll need to set this up inside your GMC account under the Shipping section. For more information on this for Google check out their Shipping & Delivery guide.