Ensuring your products have accurate Global Trade Item Numbers (GTINs) and Manufacturer Part Numbers (MPNs) is crucial for successful listings on Google Shopping. Proper use of these unique product identifiers enhances product visibility and ensures compliance with Google's Merchant Center policies.
Understanding GTINs and MPNs
GTIN (Global Trade Item Number): A unique identifier assigned to products, facilitating their recognition in global commerce. GTINs come in various formats, including GTIN-12, GTIN-13, GTIN-14, and GTIN-8.
MPN (Manufacturer Part Number): A unique alphanumeric code assigned by manufacturers to identify individual products within their catalog.
Why Am I Seeing a GTIN or MPN Warning?
If you see a GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) or MPN (Manufacturer Part Number) warning in Google Shopping, it means your product is missing a required identifier or has incorrect product data.
Google requires GTINs or MPNs for most branded products to improve product visibility and accuracy in Shopping ads. If your products lack these identifiers, they may be disapproved or shown with limited reach.
If your product does not have a GTIN or MPN, this is OK.
Refer to the section below What If My Product Doesn’t Have a GTIN or MPN?
How to Check and Fix GTIN Issues
A common issue with GTIN data is that it may not be complete, or it may be inconsistent with other identifiers used in your product description, or elsewhere on your website, or within your store catalog.
If your products have GTINs/MPNs - please review the following sections. If NOT, skip to What if My Product Doesn't Have a GTIN or MPN?
Before progressing to further steps, make sure that your GTIN as entered in the identifier section of your store catalog is correct. It can be quite easy to accidentally drop a digit, or have the GTIN in your product description instead of the catalog data section for identifiers.
Once you have verified that all the data is 'correct' and consistent - the next step is to validate the GTIN. The ID may appear correct, but it may be missing a trailing digit to match the official GS codes.
You can do this by utilizing the GS1 code validation tool here.
This calculator ensures the code is correctly composed. Often times you may have the number - but in an inconsistent format to the official GS1 data base.
Update your product feed with the correct GTINs once verified.
If you need to create GTINs, visit GS1 to register your business and generate product identifiers.
More details can be found here on Google's minimum requirements.
What If My Product Doesn’t Have a GTIN or MPN?
Some products, such as handmade, custom, or unique items, may not have a GTIN or MPN. Google allows these products to be listed, but you must correctly configure your product data to prevent disapproval.
How to Indicate That a Product Doesn’t Have a GTIN
If your product does not have a GTIN, you must set the identifier_exists attribute to false in your product settings.
For Individual Products in Google Merchant Center:
Access Your Product List:
Log in to your Google Merchant Center account.
Navigate to the Products section on the left hand side of the page.
Edit the Specific Product:
Find and click on the product that lacks a GTIN.
Click "Edit product" to modify its details.
Scroll down to the Product Identifiers section.
Locate the Product Identifiers section.
Ensure the box I don't have a GTIN, UPC, EAN, JAN or ISBN is selected.
Save Changes:
After updating, click "Save" to apply the changes.
Best Practices for Product Identifiers
Use accurate GTINs – Avoid using placeholders or incorrect numbers.
Validate your GTINs – Check them with the GS1 validator before submitting to Google.
If you don't have GTIN or MPN - Ensure you have input the correct information into your catalog for brand, leave the GTIN section empty and if necessary - select 'I do not have a GTIN....' confirmation box in your Merchant Center Account.
By ensuring your products have the correct identifiers, you improve visibility and reduce disapprovals in Google Shopping.