Google Updates Shopping Feed Requirements

Google has announced new shopping feed requirements.

Google AdWords ads (both text and image) are created from inventory information that sellers communicate to Google through a feed.

Google’s feed specifications, or what Google requires merchants send in the inventory file, is changing to match Google Shopping’s recent updates.

Sept. 30 is when Google will start enforcing the new feed format, which is designed to accommodate Google’s recent mobile ad format update and Shopping Campaigns (coming in August).

2014 Google Shopping Feed Specifications Update

Google’s new feed specifications include updates to mobile links, bundle attributes, availability specification changes, and changes to apparel identifiers.

• Mobile Link Attribute: Retailers with mobile landing pages can submit a mobile link attribute through the data feed
• Merchant Defined Bundles: Allows retailers to identify products that are sold in bundles. Bundles fall under Google’s unique product identifiers for the product feed. Note that bundles aren’t the same as multipacks.
• Availability: Google is updating quantity labels to lump all quantity labels in with “in stock” and updating availability to include an “availability” attribute to note when pre-ordered items will be available.
• Apparel Attributes: Apparel is a notoriously difficult category for Google to categorize. The recent feed update includes details to help retailers share more information using new labels such as “age group” and size attributes “size system” and “size type”.
• Landing Page Content Policy: Google’s destination URL policy is getting updated with new background details and implementation guidelines for landing page URL submitting.
• Image Quality: Google also updated its image recommendations to help retailers submit higher quality product images.

For more details on Google’s Feed Specification update, you can view the new specifications and enforcement policy.