This is why your GTIN numbers are important for your product feed

Did you know that Google prioritizes product feeds with adequate information? Learn what information are essential for you by reading this blog post.

Anna Wawrzyniak
3 min read
Follow us on social media

Did you know that Google prioritizes product feeds with adequate information? It goes without saying that the more information you fill out, the better, but it's actually a determining factor to optimize your sales via PriceShape and not least via Google Shopping.

Agenda:

  • Why is GTIN important when you have to create an account in PriceShape?
  • What is GTIN?
  • Where do I find my GTIN numbers?
  • Remember to include your GTIN numbers in your product feed

Why is GTIN important when you have to create an account in PriceShape?

To show you data about your competitors' prices and stock levels, we use your GTIN numbers from your product feed. This way we're able to find all your competitors. When we have your product feed (which, of course, includes your GTIN numbers :)), we match you up with your competitors so that you can see will be able to see all competitors in the market in an easy and simple dashboard in PriceShape.

We match your products based on your product feed

To see your product feed data and competitors’ data and prices in PriceShape, we need all GTIN numbers on your products. We collect them from your product feed, so the only thing you have to do is make sure that your GTIN numbers are updated in your product feed and send your product feed to us; then, we will take care of the rest. It sounds fairly easy to do, but it requires that you keep track of your data. 

As time goes by, Google Shopping gets more and more demanding in terms of your product feed, requiring GTIN numbers on your products to list them on Google's platform. Today most marketplaces require GTIN numbers to list your products correctly on their platforms. 

Google identifies each product based on its GTIN number - therefore, there must be no errors in your GTIN. Otherwise, you may risk Google rejecting your product and thus excludes your product feed. Once Google has identified your products, they can compare them with other products and match search queries.

What is GTIN?

GTIN stands for Global Trade Item and is placed next to the product's barcode. It's also called the product’s ID and consists of 13 digits. In Europe, it's referred to as EAN and UPC in the United States. Each product has a unique GTIN number and is created by the manufacturer. These numbers follow the international standards, which you can read more about here. The international non-profit organization GS1 makes the numbers.

Did you know that GTIN is mandatory in many countries? These countries require a mandatory GTIN: Australia, Brazil, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Germany, the UK, and the US.

Where do I find my GTIN numbers?

The majority of mass-produced products have a unique ID, except for self-made products where you have to buy IDs from GS1. 

You will be able to see your GTIN next to the barcode on the product packaging. We recommend that you check GTINs regularly to ensure that they are correct and up to date, especially before you send your product feed to us. This data must be accurate, as Google must be able to understand which products you sell. 

If you don’t already have your products on Google Shopping, then start with submitting your GTINs using the GTIN attribute to Google Shopping. This attribute can be used for the following types of numbers: 

  • UPC
  • EAN
  • JAN
  • ISBN
  • IFT-14

Learn how you format your numbers and which guidelines you must follow, so Google understands the data they receive from you and prevents your products from being rejected by Google Shopping.

Remember to include your GTIN numbers in your product feed

A product feed is available in various formats (csv, txt, and xml). It contains important data about your products and details such as product image, title, product ID, and product attributes. These are typically used to display your products on Google Shopping and other marketplaces. But we also use it to obtain necessary data when you need to get started using PriceShape. If your GTIN numbers are not included in your product feed when you send it to us, we may not be able to scrape your products correctly. 

To add GTIN to your product feed, do it manually one by one or add all of them in a bulk action. However, how you add them to your product feed depends on your domain hosting, so contact them if you doubt how to do it. Possibly you can use a special data feed tool to upload if you have many products in your catalog. If your product feed is not already uploaded to Google Shopping, please do so before submitting your product feed to us.

If you do not have GTIN on your products, you must contact the manufacturer of the product to get the GTIN.

Sources: https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/6324461?hl=da&ref_topic=6324338#zippy=%2Cmedicin%2Cprodukter-uden-et-gtin

Newsletter

Stay up to date with PriceShape’s newsletter

You can expect lots of cool content and updates in our newsletter, such as free webinars and blogs. We strive to share our knowledge and inform people about pricing and trends in the world of e-commerce.