Google Base Export Changes / Bongo Webinar

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Google Base Export Changes / Bongo Webinar >

September 7th, 2011 at 12:05 pm star

Please be aware of these new Google Base requirements. We have updated our System to comply.

First, you should be aware of the changes and required attributes which will go into effect Sept 22nd. Below is the relevant portion of an email from Google which explains the changes.

...We are reaching out to you to inform you about important changes we're making to our Product Search required attributes and Program Policies. All merchants will be affected by these changes.

We are now requiring a new set of basic required attributes, as well as attributes which are required for certain product categories and target countries. Please read the new Feeds Specification carefully to determine how your data feed will need to change at http://www.google.com/support/merchants/bin/answer.py?answer=188494

You can find a summary of the new requirements in table form at http://www.google.com/support/merchants/bin/answer.py?answer=1344057

Starting September 22, accounts that do not comply with the new requirements will be suspended. For more information about how we will enforce the new policies, visit this Help Center article http://www.google.com/support/merchants/bin/answer.py?answer=188484

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/2011/07/important-changes-to-google-product.html.

The following changes were applied per Google's new requirements effective Sep 22:

Field set changes

1) "Availability" is now a required field.

2) "Image Link" is now a required field.

3) "Google Product Category" field can be added via "Add Mapping". It is a recommended (and required for some product types) field which must contain a category from Google's Taxonomy.

4) "Availability" can be set to "preorder".

5) New fields for apparel products: "Material", "Pattern", "Gender" and "Age Group" can be added via "Add Mapping".

6) The following fields have become deprecated and removed: quantity, feature, manufacturer, genre, featured product, year, author, edition.

Note that our set of required fields is very basic. We require those fields only which are required by Google for any product type. Some products, e.g. apparel, have a broader set of required attributes. You need to read Google Merchant Center manual thoroughly yourself to find out what is requred for your particular store.

Option export

For apparel or variant products, Google requires every variant (size, color, material) etc. to be exported as a separate product. To achieve this, Size/Color/Material/Pattern mappings can be set to "<Option>" which allows you to specify names of options containing these attributes. Inventory grids, as well as regular options, are supported here.

Automatic Google Base export!

There is a new "Google Base Export" section added within the Ecommerce module (at the end of the Catalog section) which will allow you to set up mappings for an automatic export. This new section (in your WebsiteForge Member's Area ) will display the URL which should then be entered into Google merchant account for scheduled upload. Google will then fetch the data from this url on schedule.