Retailers using Google Shopping must update feeds by Sept 2015 [@SmartInsights alert]

A new update from Google on the changes that need to be implemented by 15 September 2015

Importance: ★★★★★ (For Multichannel retailers)

Any retailer using Google Shopping to sell their products should take heed of this latest update - if they're not already aware of the changes upcoming in 2015. In this new reminder Google has just clarified its guidance on its updated shopping feed specifications and most of these changes will be implemented in September of this year.

So make sure to get all the fields that need updating changed for then.

What are the changes?

Details of the update to the Google Shopping specification for 15 September 2015 include:

• In the US, Units and Quantity attributes are now available for products sold in high volume.
• Apparel and Variants are now included under a new section called Detailed Product Attributes and Item Groupings to help merchants describe their products with more detail.
• There are now tighter requirements for GTINs (Global Trade Item Numbers (GTINs), which include UPC (in the US), EAN (in Europe), JAN (in Japan), and ISBN) and ID Attributes.
• Shipping requirements, which enable the total price to show to users, is expanding to Switzerland, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, and Japan. The shipping rate specs won’t be enforced until February 1, 2016 because getting that implemented is more complex for many merchants.

Google Product Taxonomy

Google has made some changes to its product taxonomy by removing some that it felt were over-complicated. A number of more specific product types are going to be removed, and rolled up into their overall categories. So for example there will now just be one category for trousers and this will no-longer be broken down into sub-categories like jeans, cords etc.

The deadline

Google will start enforcing the new and updated attributes on 15 September 2015, except for showing shipping requirements in the total price, which, as mentioned early, will not be enforced till 2016.

If you have not updated your product specifications in time for the deadline then, non-compliant items in your product data might be disapproved and removed from Google Shopping. So anyone using Google Shopping must update their feeds.

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