Google Merchant Center : Brand, GTIN and MPN confusion

[Mass86]

I know this has been discussed before but I haven't found a clear answer yet...

So my products from Shopify got synched with my Google Merchant Center, and after 2 days almost all of them show up as "Approved". Before this, I had this message saying that there was limited visibility on all products because they didnt have the GTIN, MPN numbers. 

This is my case: 

1. I have products from Printify. In this case, I understand that I can set the GTIN/MPN to "No" since these products dont have a specific number and also they are custom made. The brand that shows for this product is the name of my store. 

2. I have some products that I drop ship from Aliexpress. These products show the name of my store as the brand, and they also dont have a GTIN/MPN number. 

I fixed the settings for my printing POD products, but I haven't done it for my drop ship products. However all of them are approved now. Does it matter if I dont have GTIN/MPN numbers on my drop ship products? Will I get banned if i run Google Ads because this will trigger a warning?

Should I erase the brand from the drop ship products and set the identifiers to False? So no brand and no GTIN/MPN shows for these products?

Please help, I have been trying to figure this thing out for months! 😞

[PageFly-Richard]

Hi,

This is Richard at PageFly - Shopify Advanced Page Builder app.

GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) and MPN (Manufacturer Part Number) are unique identifiers used to catalog products across the globe. While they're not always strictly required for all products, they can significantly improve product visibility and performance in online marketplaces like Google Merchant Center.

Your Specific Cases

1. Printify Products:

• GTIN/MPN: As you've correctly identified, since Printify products are custom-made, you can set the GTIN and MPN to "No."
• Brand: Using your store name as the brand is generally acceptable for custom products.

2. Drop-Shipped Products:

• GTIN/MPN: While it's not mandatory to have GTINs or MPNs for all products, they can enhance your product's visibility and search rankings. If possible, try to obtain these numbers from your drop-shipping suppliers.
• Brand: Using your store name as the brand for drop-shipped products is also acceptable. However, if the supplier provides a brand name, using that might be more beneficial for SEO purposes.

Google Ads and Product Approval

• Product Approval: The fact that your products have been approved in Google Merchant Center doesn't necessarily mean you won't face issues when running Google Ads. Google Ads has its own guidelines, and they might flag products without GTINs or MPNs, especially for branded products.
• GTIN/MPN and Google Ads: While it's not a guaranteed solution, providing GTINs or MPNs for your drop-shipped products can help reduce the risk of Google Ads disapprovals.

Hoping my solution helps you solve your problem.

Best regards,

Richard | PageFly

[EmmanuelFlossie · Accepted solution]

You can add feed rules to correctly remove all the details in the video below.

Yes, remove brand, mpn and gtin values, set identifier exists to no.

[Mass86]

Thank you so so much! 

Quick question, I even have to remove the brand from the POD products? They have the store name as the brand. 

[EmmanuelFlossie]

As indicated yes, if you want more details:

1) If a manufacturer has assigned a barcode then you are required to add this info in the GTIN field. Alongside the brand value with identifier exists to yes.

2) If the manufacturer has not assigned a barcode, then remove the values brand, mpn and gtin and set identifier exists to no.

More info:
https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/6324351
https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/6324461
https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/6324482
https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/6324478