Google Merchant Centre Enforces Unique Product Identifiers 

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Google recently announced that it will enforce correct unique product identifiers (UPIs) for products uploaded to Google Merchant Centre, even for free listings. Google said it is “expanding this enforcement and applying it to products listed in free listings.”

Google explained that “providing the correct unique product identifiers (UPIs) for your products ensures that Google recognises them and can provide optimal customer experience.” Some examples of common unique product identifiers (UPIs) include Global Trade Item Numbers (GTINs), Manufacturer Part Numbers (MPNs), and brand names.

In order to unify the enforcement of UPIs across programs, specifically the enforcement for multiple different products that use the same GTIN, Google is expanding this enforcement and applying it to products listed in free listings.

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The following enforcement will apply to products shown in free listings:

• Different products that use the same GTIN with the same variant attributes will be considered ambiguous and will be disapproved.
• Variant attributes include condition [condition] and multipack [multipack] for all products, as well as colour [colour] and [size] for apparel products.
• If a group of products are identified as duplicates, only one will remain active and eligible to show in free listings.

In March, Google pushed the importance of unique identifiers for products and in April began enforcing unique MPNs.