Google Plans New Product IDs for Multi-Channel Products

Google is said to be making some important changes to how businesses manage their products across different sales channels. The company has announced that merchants who sell the same items both online and in physical stores will now need to use separate product identification numbers if they want different information to appear for each channel. This shift is part of a broader update to Google’s shopping system that aims to reduce confusion and prevent errors that may arise.

For years, businesses that sell through multiple channels have been able to use a single product listing that works for both their website and their brick-and-mortar locations. This made things simpler in some ways, as merchants only had to maintain one set of product information. However, this approach is said to have created problems when businesses needed to show different details for online shoppers versus people browsing local store inventory.

The change affects what Google calls multi-channel products, which are items available for purchase both through a company’s website and at their physical stores. Previously, merchants could upload one product listing and have it appear in both online shopping results and local inventory listings. While this sounds convenient, it often led to conflicts and errors, especially when businesses wanted to highlight different features or use different descriptions for their online versus in-store inventory.

According to Google’s explanation, the main reason for this update is to ensure consistency and accuracy. When a product is sold through multiple channels, the company wants shoppers to see reliable information that matches how that item is actually being offered. If a business needs to present different details for their online store compared to their physical location, Google now recommends creating two distinct product entries with unique identification numbers.

This requirement becomes particularly important when businesses are running advertisements for their physical stores while also maintaining an online presence. In the past, trying to use the same product number for both channels while having different information could cause the system to reject one version or create processing errors. The new approach eliminates this confusion by keeping the two channels completely separate when needed.

For merchants who have been managing their product listings through Google’s system, this change means they may need to review their current setup. If they’ve been using a single product listing for items sold both online and in stores, and they need different information to appear in each place, they’ll need to create separate entries. This involves assigning a new identification number to one version of the product and making sure the two versions don’t overlap in ways that could cause conflicts.

For businesses that don’t actually need different information for their online and in-store offerings, the good news is that multi-channel products can still work with a single listing. The requirement for separate identification numbers only applies when merchants want to maintain different details, descriptions, or targeting for each channel. If the product information is the same regardless of where it’s sold, one listing can continue to serve both purposes.

Google has also clarified that merchants shouldn’t try to work around the system by using different capitalization to create unique identification numbers. The company recommends using completely different numbers instead. Another important point is that businesses should never reuse product identification numbers, even for items they’re no longer selling. Once a number has been assigned to a specific product, that Google keeps track of its history and performance data.

Industry experts who work with online merchants see this update as both necessary and potentially disruptive. On one hand, having clearer rules about when separate listings are needed should prevent the confusion and errors that plagued the old system. On the other hand, businesses that have been operating under the previous approach will need to invest time and effort to review their product feeds and make necessary changes.

The practical impact for shoppers should be positive, assuming merchants implement the changes correctly. When product information is consistent and accurate, people searching for items to buy online or checking what’s available at nearby stores should see reliable details that match reality. This reduces the frustration of finding a product online only to discover the in-store version is different than expected, or vice versa.

As these changes continue rolling out, merchants will need to stay informed about Google’s requirements and be prepared to adjust their product management strategies. The old approach of trying to use one listing for everything is giving way to a more structured system that demands clarity about how products are being sold and where.