Limited performance due to missing identifiers [gtin, mpn, brand]

[Mistercola]

I know this question has been asked a lot. But, I will ask again as I guess I still don't understand. I am getting this warning on all my products in GMC. After several rounds of e-mails with Google Support I have received a bunch of different answers. None of which have worked. What I sell are collectibles made long before any of the numbers like GTIN or bar codes existed. They are Vintage advertising items that were made in the 1930's, 40's, 50s' and 60's. They are old but in new unused condition. So what I need are the exact ways to fill in the proper Google fields to get my products better performance. What do I put in Identifier Exists, Brand, Condition, GTIN, MPN, Bar Code and Category and any other fields that may help? And what is the best way to make these changes. I have tried to edit some in the Google app through Shopify but I have over 6500 products to make these changes on and once you get to around 1000 it stalls and will not edit any more. Should I make the changes in Shopify or on Google? I do have Ablestar bulk editor and am somewhat familiar with Google Feed Rules . I just need some exact instructions that work for my unique Vintage products.

[Moira]

Hey @Mistercola,

I understand your frustration, and I'll do my best to provide you with some guidance. For vintage products, it's true that there may not be standardized product identifiers like GTINs, but there are still some steps you can take to improve the performance of your product listings on Google.

• You should set the "Identifier Exists" attribute to "FALSE" to indicate that there are no standardized product identifiers available for your vintage items.
• For the "Brand" attribute, you can use the name of the manufacturer or the brand that appears on the item. If there is no recognizable brand, you can leave this attribute blank.
• For the "Condition" attribute, you should describe the item's condition as accurately as possible. For example, you can use terms like "New," "Used," "Excellent," "Very Good," "Good," "Fair," or "Poor." Since your items are new and unused, you should use "New" as the condition.
• For the "GTIN" and "MPN" attributes, you can leave these blank since your vintage items don't have standardized product identifiers.
• For the "Barcode" attribute, you can leave this blank as well, since your vintage items don't have barcodes. Lastly, for the "Category" attribute, you should select the most appropriate category for your vintage items. You can refer to Google's product taxonomy to find the appropriate category for your items.

As for making these changes, you can use either Shopify or the Google Merchant Center to update your product listings. If you have over 6500 products, I would recommend using a bulk editor like Ablestar to make the changes more efficiently.

Lastly, if you're looking to become more confident with investing in Google Ads to grow your business, I recommend checking out this Shopify Learn course where you’ll learn the step-by-step process to launch three different Google Ads campaigns. Shopify Compass provides you with webinars and courses on things like store design, marketing, and more. It's 100% free for everyone and new content is being added all the time. This program will help you drive more traffic into your store and also convert that traffic into sales.

I hope this helps you improve the performance of your product listings on Google. If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to ask.

[Mistercola]

Moira,

I certainly appreciate your prompt reply and most of all that makes sense to me. But for some reason Google wanted me to change my listings to Custom Product = True? I think here is where the problem may be. Of the many products I have for sale a lot of them have recognizable brands on them like Coca-Cola or Pepsi or Wonder Bread. BUT, I do not sell those products. What I actually do sell is the packaging that used to contain those products like an empty bread wrapper or an empty pop bottle. So if I put the brand as Coca-Cola Google is going to want some kind of identifier which I do not have. The bottle, or bread wrapper, does not have any kind of number on it, It was just something made to contain the product. People collect such things. So, should I leave the Brand/Vendor field blank? Shopify has automatically filled that in with my store name Mistercola and I am using Ablestar right now to remove that and leave the field blank? Is that correct? Thank you in advance for any assistance you may provide. 

Robert

[EmmanuelFlossie]

For vintage products, even if they are unused, need to have the condition set to used, reference: https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/6324461

Do not set it to new.

Remove the brand and mpn values and set identifier exists to no.

You can also use feed rules to accomplish this, which is explained here: https://youtu.be/AyvilyMb2Bo?t=199

[Mistercola]

In response to EmmanuelFlossie. I actually watched a couple of your Youtube Videos on this subject. I have already tried to set the condition to Used. When I did that all of my products were immediately denied. I believe the reason is that I use the word "new" in the title and description. My products are a what is called "new old stock" by collectors. It means that the product was made decades ago but was left over stock that was never used, hence in "new" condition but still old. I know it does not make sense but that is what collectors look for in my type of products. So, I cannot change the wording on my products. I am in the process of removing the Brand and MPN from my listings in Shopify, and setting the identifier to "no" in Feed Rules. I am also setting the category to 3893 which is Art & Entertainment - Hobbies & Creative Arts - Collectibles - Vintage Advertisements since I sell Vintage advertising items. But I still think I will be denied as apparently Google believes that a vintage product can be only be used. So Google has recommended setting the products to Custom Product = True and then supplying some type of MPN even though my products do not have one and I am NOT manufacturing them. But Shopify recommends setting the Condition to New since that matches what my products are. So, I am getting quite a bit of conflicting answers because I thing I am having difficulty explaining just exactly how unique my products are. Thanks for any help you may provide, I certainly appreciate it.

Robert

Mistercola

[Digit_PaxMentis]

New with Google Merchant Center since 04/2024 ... the Feed function in Merchant Next does not exist. 

I followed your video and others ... like that of Clarice Lin ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjVvf2RZuaw ), but same here. The vid is 2 years old, I suppose that time Google had a different version. 

How to change this Identifier to "false" (or "no") ?? I had been in contact with Google ... but their answer via email was only: We cant do anything, its the system. Check out on your own. Ridiculous.

I have 4,000 pages in my shopify system, so says Google (I suppose they identify every color, size and hardware combination as single page), related to 370 products. Google says in the Merchant center, that theoretically I can expect per week 3-4.500 clicks . So I lose lots of money, as the products are flagged "red" 😞 

Hope to get help here quickly. Its desperatful situation. 

[SheaYourWay]

Hello Moira, 

I have read a few responses and I kind of understand your explanation more than others so please help. I have body butters, oils, soaps; with the options to customize. I "manufacture" my products from multiple raw materials. I am not sure how to handle solving the above issue. I have 18ish products and growing. Can you please help.  

[Moira]

Hey @SheaYourWay,

1. Identifier exists: This attribute is required and should be set to "false" if none of the other product identifiers (Brand, GTIN, MPN) are available for your product. This means that your products do not have a unique identifier such as an SKU, ISBN, or UPC.

2. Brand: If your products have a brand name, you should fill in this field with the appropriate brand name. If your products don't have a brand name, you can leave this field blank.

3. Condition: This attribute is used to describe the condition of your product. If your products are new and unused, you should set this attribute to "new". If your products are used or refurbished, you should set this attribute to "used" or "refurbished" respectively.

4. GTIN: This global trade item number uniquely identifies your products. If your products have a GTIN, you should fill in this field with the appropriate number. If your products do not have a GTIN, you can leave this field blank.

5. MPN: Manufacturer part number is a unique identifier that the manufacturer assigns to each product they produce. If your products have an MPN, you should fill in this field with the appropriate number. If your products do not have an MPN, you can leave this field blank.

6. Bar Code: This attribute is used to list the barcodes for your products. If your products have a barcode, you should fill in this field with the appropriate barcode number. If your products do not have a barcode, you can leave this field blank.

7. Category: This attribute is used to categorize your products. You should select the appropriate category for each of your products. This will help Google understand what your products are and show them to the right people.

In addition to these attributes, there are many other optional attributes you can use to provide more information about your products such as Product Title, Description, Image URL, Availability, Price, Shipping Weight, etc.

Let me know how you get on!

[Digit_PaxMentis]

Maybe you can give orientation how to change the Identifier in Google Merchant NEXT ? I don't have there the "Feed function", as watched in other videos (which are all 2-4 years old). E.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjVvf2RZuaw

I suppose Google changed to this new Next version, which I have registered in 04/2024. Pls help. - Tks in advance.

[flareAI]

Hello @Mistercola,

Greetings from flareAI app helping Shopify merchants get $6Million+ in sales from Google Search, on autopilot! I am Gina, and I am here to help.

It sounds like you're facing a common issue when it comes to selling vintage products on Google Shopping. Since these items were made before the introduction of modern barcodes and product identifiers, it can be challenging to properly fill out the required fields in Google Merchant Center. However, there are still ways to optimize your product data to improve your performance on the platform.

Here are some guidelines to follow when filling out the relevant fields in your product data.

1. Identifier Exists
Set this field to "FALSE" since your vintage items likely don't have a modern barcode or product identifier.

2. Brand
If the vintage items you're selling were manufactured by a well-known company, you can use that brand name. Otherwise, you can leave this field blank.

3. Condition
Be sure to accurately describe the condition of your items. Since they are unused but old, you can use terms like "new old stock" or "vintage new."

4. GTIN
Since your products don't have a modern GTIN, leave this field blank.

5. MPN
Again, since your products don't have a modern MPN, leave this field blank.

6. Bar Code
Since your products don't have a modern barcode, leave this field blank.

7. Category
Choose the most relevant category for your products. If you're unsure, use Google's Category Taxonomy tool to help you select the appropriate category.

When it comes to making changes to your product data, it's best to use a bulk editor tool like Ablestar to make the changes in batches. You can make changes to your product data in Shopify, and then use the Google Shopping app to sync your updates to Google Merchant Center.

In addition to optimizing your product data, you may also want to consider running Google Shopping ads to help promote your vintage items to potential customers. Good luck!

Gina

[UXGuy]

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@flareAI wrote:

Hello @Mistercola,

1. Identifier Exists
Set this field to "FALSE" since your vintage items likely don't have a modern barcode or product identifier.

Gina

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Where is this?  I don't see the field in the bulk editor or metadata.  Where should I be looking? 

[Moira]

There is another community thread where this is discussed below:

• Changing Identifier To False For Google Shopping?