Update product details in Google Merchant Center vs. Shopify Products?

Shopify Discussion
1

My store sells curated care packages that bundle a number of items together. We don’t use a GTIN for the packages. From the Google & YouTube channel on Shopify, I was getting the “limited visibility due to not GTIN” flag. In reading a bit on the matter, I decided to identify these packages as having no GTIN.

I went into the Google Merchant Center, and for the relevant packages, I selected these settings:

  • "I don’t have a GTIN, UPC, EAN, JAN or ISBN
    • "This is a one-of-a-kind or vintage product with no identifier

Within a few minutes, the status of these packages in Google Merchant Center updated from “Limited” to “Approved”.

My question is whether updating this setting within Google Merchant Center is the right approach, or should I be doing this from within Shopify? I’m a little concerned that if I were to edit anything within these packages on the Shopify side, that might trigger an update to the listing in Google Merchant Center and override the settings I had manually updated there.

Any suggestions? Thanks!

1 Like
2

An update: I tested out updating products in Shopify and directly in Google Merchant Center.

  • Updating the products in Shopify (toggling the “Custom” field to “True”) updated the relevant Product Identifier fields in Google Merchant Center within 10 minutes. The status of these products also updated from “Limited” to “Approved”. So that’s a good outcome.
  • On the other hand, the products I updated directly in the Google Merchant Center, and whose status in the Merchant Center was subsequently updated to “Approved,” are not showing as being Approved in Shopify even two hours later.

So I’m guessing that the API may one-way and not bi-directional. And if that’s the case, I should update the products in Shopify rather than in Google Merchant Center.

3

Make sure when you bundle the products and the main item has a barcode, then you must add this info to that specific bundle. And not say its one of a kind.

Where you update this info, does not matter, as long as the end result in Google Merchant Center shows the correct info.

4

Thanks for the comment, Emmanuel. The concern I have with that suggestion is that there isn’t a main item in the package.

My care packages are not like the examples that Google provides of a camera with accessories. The items in our packages are only loosely connected by a theme. There’s no item that’s the main attraction. So setting it up as a bundle doesn’t seem to be a great fit.

Also, if I set it up as a bundle, then it appears I’d need to assign a GTIN. I’m hesitant to pay for GTINs before I get some data on which packages are most successful. It’s very likely we may need to swap out some items in the packages. Not sure I want to spend $30 every time I decide to change out a book in one of our care packages.

Finally, I only see the ability to set up bundle within Google Merchant Center. I don’t see the ability to do that with the Shopify bulk edit tool. Am I missing it?

Thanks again for the suggestion, Emmanuel.

5

If there is no main item, then choose one, for example the most expensive item.

If you are the manufacturer, you are not required to buy barcodes, simply use the MPN value instead + brand.

is_bundle is not supported in the app, that is correct.

You may instead, want to use a much more advanced app such as: https://apps.shopify.com/multiple-google-shopping-feeds

6

Hmm, many of the items (and usually the more expensive items) are purchased from artisan vendors or Etsy sellers who don’t use GTINs or MPNs on their products. I suppose I could use the GTIN of one of the more commoditized items (a package of pocket tissues, for instance), but that seems to be a weird way to configure a bundle.

7

If the manufactuere, ie the artisan vendor, have not assigned any barcodes, then you the reseller, can not assign a barcode.

You the reseller, are also not allow to self assign, randomize, buy, barcodes.

As indicated, ONLY a manufacturer, which is the business or individual who produces the product, can purchase and assign barcodes.

As indicated, if no barcode exist, do not assign one.

Yes you will potentially be limited, but that is something you have to accept, and can not change.

You may want to consult the manufacturer, if they are willing to buy barcodes.

8

Why again must I set this up as a bundle without a barcode instead of selecting “I don’t have a GTIN, UPC, EAN, JAN or ISBN”? I don’t see selecting that option as being misleading. It wasn’t clear to me what the problem is with going that route.