Changes to Categories in Google Merchant

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Changes to Categories in Google Merchant

Google has changed some of their major categories

Bewenched

5:29 am on Feb 10, 2012 (gmt 0)

I log into Google Merchant at least once a week to do updates and check for errors and today I logged in to find errors that had never been there before and since I had not make any changes to the code that creates my feed I went to check to see why it was showing the following error:

Invalid google_product_category

Apparently Google has changed a lot of the taxonomy of their categories.

Example, what used to be
Vehicles & Parts > Automotive Parts
is now
Vehicles & Parts > Auto Parts

If you need to find what the new categories are here's the link
[support.google.com...]

But wait, there's two versions online and they're DIFFERENT
Here's the other one
[support.google.com...]

I highly recommend that you download the version here in excel.
[google.co.uk...]

Marshall

6:08 am on Feb 10, 2012 (gmt 0)

Saw that earlier this evening. Same warning messages after never having one for years. Why can't that leave well enough alone, or is this their way of weeding out people/companies who just mass produce product feeds. I know I have seen blatantly false information in their product searches, and I do not mean human error. Plain and simple misrepresentation.

Marshall

ohno

11:39 am on Feb 13, 2012 (gmt 0)

Perhaps they should spend more time enforcing the new rules regarding shipping & tax inclusive prices rather than mess around with category names. Google is fast becoming a joke which seems to want nothing more than put the genuine business out of business!

Marshall

3:56 pm on Feb 13, 2012 (gmt 0)

Perhaps they should spend more time enforcing the new rules regarding shipping & tax inclusive prices rather than mess around with category names.

I have actually contacted them about product feeds which were obviously misleading. Never heard back nor saw any action taken. IMHO, their actions, or lack thereof, is a statement in itself.

Marshall

ohno

4:01 pm on Feb 13, 2012 (gmt 0)

Indeed. But no doubt if a amended our feeds to mislead we'd be hammered even more than we have been of late with the latest algo updates!

ohno

1:01 pm on Mar 1, 2012 (gmt 0)

Now appearing in merchant centre.....

"Items may soon fail to process due to missing Tax and Shipping or invalid Google Product Category values. View warnings under 'x of x items inserted'."

Why only "may" Google" You either have a rule or you don't. Reward those that play fair & dump the ones that claim free shipping or omit tax prices etc..........

webdevfv

12:29 pm on Mar 2, 2012 (gmt 0)

Given the lack of posts in this section - is it a sign that no one cares about the merchant center?

I added some shipping stuff to what I thought met the regs and now it appears they want this and that and the other information also.

Is it becoming worth it to spend the time updating our databases to meet their requirements?

They might just drop it anyways given that product ads are now showing product images and prices in the rh column.

ohno

9:22 am on Mar 13, 2012 (gmt 0)

I don't think they will drop it, too may ads in there now for them to do that! It used to be fair but now it's ads and half the merchants have false prices anyway. Zero come back from Google, great.