Enhancing Google Product Search: New Requirements for Online Merchants
For all its praiseworthy attributes, the one which I believe allows the Internet to shine best is its ability to be dynamic. Every minute, proponents of this information and communication medium add something new to the existing storehouse of knowledge. Meanwhile, the methods employed for certain activities such as social networking and research are continually being refined. Each development makes the user experience a more convenient and productive one.
Perhaps the best example of this trend is in the realm of online shopping. Owners of e-commerce sites continually pursue ways and means to make their web-based shops more accessible to potential buyers. Consumers, for their part, are learning to make more intelligent decisions when purchasing in the virtual marketplace.
But it does not stop there. At present, search engine giant Google has announced the need for merchants, who submit their product and company data to the Google Merchant Centre (for inclusion in the Google Product Search), to add unique product identifiers. These additional requirements aim to help “shoppers accurately compare prices and learn more about products they want to buy”. The table below shows the necessary information that a merchant with product feeds in Google Product Search needs to include, according to target location.
| Countries targeted by product feed: United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany | Additional Requirements for Product feeds solely targeting the United States |
|---|---|
| • Beginning on the 3rd of May, unique product identifiers should be added for most categories. Examples of this include the European Article Number (EAN) or International Standard Book Number (ISBN). | • Tax Information (will be in effect starting on June 6) |
| • Shipping information (will be in effect starting on June 6) | • Sale Information |
Finally concerned sellers should note: “Products without unique product identifiers may not be listed in Google Product Search, though the feed may not be disapproved. “ For more information on the aforementioned topic, click on http://googlemerchantblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/changes-for-google-product-search.html.
