I am trying to get my products to appear in the Store/Shopping section on my YouTube channel after the recent partnership between Shopify and YouTube (one of the reasons why I switched to Shopify from my previous website host). In order to link the products for them to appear on YouTube, I need to set up the Google Sales Channel. However, I am continuously running into errors with the Google Sales Channel.
I have 81 products. All return the same 3 errors:
- You need to add a gtin or mpn.
- Pending initial review.
- You are missing a value for .
From my digging on the forums, the answer to solve this issue was to mark the products as “custom” or “true” under custom product since these products do not have recognized barcodes. I have marked everything as custom, but am still running into this errors. Additionally, I am not sure what the missing value is in bullet 3 as I have copied & pasted the language of the errors exactly, and it does not tell me what I am missing a value for.
Please assist.
The free app you are using, which is built by Shopify, has lots of bugs and issues. I don’t recommend using it. You can achieve the same by using any other app.
All you need to do is submit a feed.
Then setup a video campaign in Google Ads.
The only thing Shopify is offering, is the easy setup, but that is if you have no issues. So its not really easy setup.
Pending review always happens when you submit your products for the first time. Make sure you comply with all Google policies. I have a list of most common things you need to check for here: https://community.shopify.com/c/Ecommerce-Marketing/Checklist-Suspended-Google-Merchant-Center-Account-Fix-amp/m-p/1086444/highlight/true#M39128
Then for the feed, I recommend a better app, such as: https://apps.shopify.com/multiple-google-shopping-feeds
Hi @kdigitalstudio
The issues you have mentioned are very common with the sales channel app. Since that is a free app, it does not provide you with real-time information, which cannot be very clear. You can also submit your feeds using other apps that have free plans.
For the GTIN issue, you can mark your products as custom products or use an app that will send the GTIN value as null in your merchant center, which will solve the issue. Also, ensure you have submitted the availability of products and prices correctly to avoid errors.
You might also check the AdNabu for Google Shopping, which can help you send the correct information to your merchant center feed and update it automatically.
You can also get in touch with our experts and request a demo.
Hope this helps.
If your products are custom made and don’t have barcodes at all, you also have to send your brand name across to Google Merchant. Best way to diagnose the issue is to head to Google Merchant, go to the menu, click on Products > Diagnostics to see the listed item/feed/account issues.
@claricelin that is not 100% correct, and will lead to more issues, if you follow what you say.
Google only requires you to submit a brand value if the brand is well recognized or has a clearly defined barcode on the product packaging. In the majority of cases, if the manufacturer has not assigned a barcode, it’s either a white label product or a custom (homemade / small business made) product, which in this case, brands are not assigned.
If you do assign a brand value, the resulting issue will be that the products are going to be limited due to missing barcodes.
While yes, you can submit brands, it will not be the best option concerning the requirements or performance.
Reference: https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/6324351
Thanks for your reply @EmmanuelFlossie , the solution I proposed was based on the assumption that the products were self-manufactured or white-labelled.
In that case do not submit brand, gtin or mpn values, and have the identifier exist value set to no.
You can follow the guide in this video how to set this up: https://youtu.be/AyvilyMb2Bo?t=222
This, unfortunately, does not help as Google has recognized that I have compiled with their policies. My account is not suspended and that is not the issue I am running into. Shopify recently announced their partnership with YouTube to display products on YouTube’s merch shelf. This is where I need assistance. I’ve listed the error messages I am receiving above for my products. I have already connected my product feed and Google Ads account.
@kdigitalstudio have you checked if you fulfiled the requirements to connect your YouTube channel with your store? Not everyone who creates a YouTube channel is eligible to link it to the Shopify store. There is a list of requirements: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/12257682?visit_id=637956669987729581-2931848919&rd=1
@kdigitalstudio you have indicated that you have issues with having to add gtin and mpn. My reply is to resolve that specific issue. Google may say you are approved, but that does not mean you have resolved all your diagnostics issues. You can find the issues in Google Merchant Center > Products > Diagnostics.
When you have errors in the diagnostics, Google will not review the products. It is ok to have warnings, just not errors.