Pretty certain everyone using Google Product Feeds will have gotten the following email, but just in case here it is:

Hello,

Thank you for participating in Google Product Search.  We are reaching out to you to inform you about important changes we’re making to our Product Search attribute requirements for unique identifiers and tax and shipping information.

Starting May 3rd, 2011, we’ll require your product listings to include at least two of the three unique identifiers (Brand, MPN, GTIN). In order to provide as much information as possible to our users, we need your help in matching your products to our “product pages”, where users are able to view useful data such as product specifications or reviews. While these attributes will not be required for your data feed to process correctly, they may prevent your items from appearing in Product Search results if not included. For more details, including what specific identifiers you should include for each category of item, please see our Help Center at http://www.google.com/support/merchants/bin/answer.py?answer=160161

Starting June 6th, 2011, we’ll also require your product listings to include tax and shipping information to provide buyers with important price information. This information will be required at either the account or item level (in the “tax” or “shipping” attribute) in order for your items to process and appear in Google Product Search results. For instructions on how to include tax and shipping information, please visit http://www.google.com/support/merchants/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=160162

Please update your account settings or data feeds as soon as possible to ensure that you are complying with these new requirements by the dates specified above.  For more information about these changes, please visit our Google Merchant blog at http://googlemerchantblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/changes-for-google-product-search.html

Sincerely,

The Google Product Search Team

© 2011 Google Inc. 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043

You have received this mandatory email service announcement to update you about important changes to your Google Merchant Center product or account.

So we are here today to give you the skinny on what you will need to do to meet these new requirements. Your product listings to include at least two of the three unique identifiers (Brand, MPN, GTIN). So here we need 2 of 3… Well not really as Global Trade Item Numbers (GTINs), which include UPC, EAN (in Europe), JAN (in Japan), and ISBN.

So here is the shortlist of your options:

• Brand
• Manufacturer Part Number (MPN)
• Universal Product Code (UPC) – 12 numeric digits
• International Standard Book Number (ISBN) (for books)

Why should I include these values?

Please note that products in all categories except for the apparel and custom made categories may not appear in Product Search if your product data does not include the following unique product identifiers:

Category	Identifiers necessary for each product
Media (i.e., Music, Movies, Video games)	UPC, EAN, or JAN
Books	ISBN (Either ISBN-10 or ISBN-13. Exceptions apply for books published before 1970.)
Apparel, custom made goods	No identifiers are required at the moment
All other	At least two of the following three identifiers:  UPC, EAN, or JAN Brand MPN

How do I find the correct identifier values for my products?

If you don’t have the identifier data, you can find it on the Product Search “Compare prices” pages, under the “technical specifications” section for Electronics items, the “Tracks” or “Details” section for Media, and the “Overview” section for books.

What is an invalid unique product identifier?

We may provide you with feedback that the unique product identifier you submitted is invalid. There are several potential reasons for this, including:

• Too many or too few digits
• Letters or symbols (instead of numbers only)
• Invalid check digit*

As you can see Google will squash the little guy here as price shopping will be the only metric that benefits from this change. Many of you, including myself will not be able to supply all 3 metrics, and thus will suffer at the hands of the big box price fixers with the rest of you who will be able to supply all three. While some will be able to provide 2 as needed, we cannot compete in the price war. I am very disappointed that Google should toss the small merchants to the lions.

Starting June 6th, 2011, we’ll also require your product listings to include tax and shipping information to provide buyers with important price information. This information will be required at either the account or item level (in the “tax” or “shipping” attribute) in order for your items to process and appear in Google Product Search results. For instructions on how to include tax and shipping information, please visit http://www.google.com/support/merchants/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=160162

This part is easy and you likely should have done it already, login and provide your shipping and tax info… Quick and painless.

I really hope that Google lessens the required identifiers to 1 as smaller merchants, specifically drop shippers really cannot do this and thus the smallest of vendors such as ourselves who stock some and drop ship the rest cannot compete and get by on our great service and easy to navigate websites any longer…. Cheaper will be the commanding metric for Google product search… As if it is the only value merchants provide.

Advice, do the best you can to meet the new requirements using the tools you have and live with it. Even if you spend development dollars to meet all identifier requirements that won’t bring sales if you’re not the cheapest price. Why build great websites, write unique and descriptive content and provide great and honest service if Google is going to throw our great product images, unique content and fair prices in with Wal Mart and the other price fixing big box stores which we can never compete with? Face it, if you have in front of you 3 widgets in product search with the same product codes… what is left to cause you to click? PRICE ONLY.