EAN Codes
Google Shopping and the majority of marketplaces request barcodes to allow your products to be created. There are several types, which must be added to the structure of your product catalogue.
- EAN: 13-digit barcode (highly recommended)
- MPN: manufacturer or supplier's ID
- ISBN: barcode used for books
- UPC: Universal Product Code
- GTIN: Global Trade Item Number
Refer to channel guides in our HelpCenter or contact the channel directly to find out which of these barcodes will be relevant to you.
Products Variations
Google Shopping and the majority of marketplaces expect to have all the variations of one product.
Each product variation should have:
- a unique identifier (ID)
- a parent ID (a shared identifier that applies to all variations of the product)
The parent product must contain all required attributes except those that are different within the product variations, such as size and colour.
- Parent products: the showcase products of your product reference. It does not contain any variations. It is not a tangible product – it cannot be purchased. A parent product can be attached to multiple child products.
- Child products: these are the products that can be purchased. The child product contains all the aspects that distinguish them from other child products. A child product is attached to one single parent product.
In this case (see image), the parent ID mapes the unique identifier of the parent product.
Multiple product variations
It's possible to have multiple product variations in your product catalogue:
- size variation
- colour variation
- size AND colour variation etc.,
It is then recommended that your Catalogue contain a specific field naming this variation, such as "variation_type" which must be completed for parent and child product lines with the relevant variation type.
There is no restriction on the values for the field but they must be shared between each variation type, e.g., "size", "size,colour" etc.
