[PAID] Google Merchant Static Feed

[Martin]

Hello i have recently updated to the latest version but getting an error from google on <missing google product category> . how to fix this?

Can you PM me with your order reference to confirm you are a customer please...

[Martin]

Just to note that I'm aware the taxonomy needs an update and I've downloaded the latest versions from Google Merchant with a view to getting this done in the next 10 days.

Just to update on this...

I've started the process today and now remember what a complete and utter pig this is...

Google basically change their taxonomy at will, they critically have no index applied to each expanded category. It's a lot like going into a library where everything is in order but they like to shift the fiction books for one author to another part of the library without telling anyone where it has moved to.

Net result it will require hours of work to identify:

1. If a category has been expanded to include new sub-categories
2. If a sub-category has been moved to a new category
3. If a category has been renamed
4. ... and all manner of other variations

The bottom line is this... If you are wondering why the 180 day support limit... It's to help pay for a fraction of the time required to get the taxonomies updated.



Just to note one limitation... I will NOT be updating the French, German or any other non-English taxonomy... I simply do not have the language skills to detect the nuances required. Sorry folks, you might as well ask a gymnast to plumb in a nuclear reactor, it just ain't gonna happen!

[Chow]

Martin,

GM does not allow me to sell Apple iPhone case as I am not an authorized dealer listing the Apple brand. So I went disabling the respective items, and even the entire product category. Still the feed has them in. Regenerated the feed for a few days and no difference.

Now I am manually deleting the 250+ items from the feed and use manual uploading to GM. It is a painful process because the 250+ items are ranking randomly in the 10000+ item feed.

Is there a way to truly disable item/category to appear in the xml file? Or a way to to generate the feed sorting by category, so I can delete them all in one single block?

Cheers,

Chow

[Martin]

I'm currently away from my dev' machine so can't check and my memory is fuzzy at the moment.

I'll check on my return back to civilisation and update this post then.. Please bump this post on Tuesday if you haven't heard before then.

[Chow]

Martin,

Please really make the disable-on-feed-per-item function working. GM is getting crazy by suspending account on a host of common words over trademarking policy:

Trademark violation for the term 'Flirt'
Trademark violation for the term 'Boots'
Trademark violation for the term 'COCO'
Trademark violation for the term 'Flying Blue'
Trademark violation for the term 'Pure White'
Trademark violation for the term 'Swarovki'
Trademark violation for the term 'Sweet Sun'
Trademark violation for the term 'Viva'

What else I could describe my boot shoes if they are prohibiting 'boots" as a trademark??!!

GM has the upper hand feeding me traffic. I think I could just disable all those items from feed

[Martin]

Just checked the code out and there's an option built in that I wasn't sure was in or not when I first replied.

If you set the option "Disable Google Checkout" in Products > Edit Product > "Other" tab (see bottom of page) for each of your problem products, the item will be skipped and not included in the feed.

Sorry I didn't get this back to you sooner but as to the "Boots" thing trademark violation issue... That's more than a bit nuts!

[Martin]

Just noticed that ALL country feeds now require unique product identifier information as per UK and US requirements previously, so to fix this you need to do the following:

Open: /includes/classes/class.froogle.php

Find:

Code: Select all

elseif(in_array(strtoupper($countryiso), array('US','GB')) && (empty($mpn) || empty($brand))) {

Replace with:

Code: Select all

elseif(empty($mpn) || empty($brand)) {

[mardukeme]

Just received this email from Google Shopping, posting as a FYI.

We sell product with sku and some without will the new specification get added to the Google Merchant Static Feed? Maybe there is currently a work around that I am not familiar with.

Thank you for your participation in Google Shopping. We’re reaching out today to remind you about an upcoming change in the way we handle exemptions to our unique product identifier requirements (https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/160161). As we announced on May 8th, we’re changing the way we enforce our unique product identifier requirements. You can read the full announcement at http://googlecommerce.blogspot.com/2013 ... -feed.html

Our records indicate that your Google Merchant Center account(s) ####### received a previous exemption from our unique product identifier requirements.

Account level exemptions for unique product identifiers will no longer be supported after July 15th, 2013 in the US, and September 16th, 2013 in all other target countries. After these dates, non-compliant items might then be disapproved and disappear from Google Shopping.

We recently introduced a new attribute named ‘identifier exists’ that allows you to indicate in your feed that items such as custom goods, vintage items, or collectibles have no unique product identifiers. Since you previously received an account exemption from the unique product identifier requirements, you should add the ‘identifier exists’ attribute with a value of ‘FALSE’ for items where no identifier exists. For more information on this attribute, please visit https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/188494.

However, when an identifier does exist for a product but you do not have it, it is important to obtain and add the correct identifier for that product rather than using the ‘identifier exists’ attribute. Setting the ‘identifier exists’ attribute to FALSE for items where unique product identifiers exist could lead to item or account suspension.

For accounts that have not received exemptions in the past, enforcement for our updated unique product identifier requirements, including the new ‘identifier exists’ attribute, will start July 15th, 2013 for the US, France, Germany and the United Kingdom, and September 16th, 2013 for all other target countries. To review our updated unique product identifer requirements, please visit https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/188494

Sincerely,

The Google Shopping Team

Thanks,

Mardukeme

[Martin]

Just received this email from Google Shopping, posting as a FYI.

Thanks for the heads up...

I'll put some time aside to get the whole thing updated, probably next Tuesday.

[timbofasho]

Just received this email from Google Shopping, posting as a FYI.

Thanks for the heads up...

I'll put some time aside to get the whole thing updated, probably next Tuesday.

Thank you Martin, I received the same email as well!

-Tim