UPIs on Google

[Mark_AO]

I was wondering what peoples feeling were about the changes to Google Shopping - re UPIs?

We stock a number of items with variations in colour and size, which we have grouped onto common products to make it, in our opinion, more users friendly. It would appear that the changes to Google Shoping is pushing us toward having a separate product for each option when uploaded to Google shopping. This will also result in considerable duplication of content, as the only variation in product detail will be size or colour.

Does anyone have a view on the best approach going forward?

Thanks.

[leehack]

I feel Google's approach is best and correct, each derivative of a product is a product in its own right, in fact you order each derivative as its own product, i think that should cascade down to all levels at which that product is sold.

Many sites need to stock control their products, to do that each option must exist as a product, even though you may have 5 colours of one product, its still one product with a drop down box to choose colour from (on your site) but can easily be 5 products within Google.

For some sites, i suspect it will be a right PITA though, i guess it's a majority decision being made.

[dvote]

Google has published this article to explain the changes: http://www.google.com/support/mercha...answer=1346661

They will start to check web sites for compliancy. The deadline to be compliant is 22 September 2011.

I guess the best approach will be to use the stock control in Actinic in order to decline the products by their available sizes, colours and patterns (those are the only three attributes which are mandatory).

As we manufacture all our products on order, this is a major change for us because we do not "stock control" in Actinic...