Item group ID [item_group_id]

Use the item group ID [item_group_id] attribute to group product variants in your product data. Variants are a group of similar items that only differ from one another by product details like size [size], color [color], material [material], pattern [pattern], age group [age_group], size type [size_type], and size system [size_system].

When you use an item group ID [item_group_id] to group your products, we recommend that your product and its variants are shown to customers as a group, instead of separately.

When to use

Recommended for products with variants

Format

Follow these formatting guidelines to make sure Google understands the data you're submitting.

For details on when and how to submit values in English, learn more about submitting your product data.

Type:	String (Unicode characters. Recommended: ASCII only)
Limits:	1–50 characters
Repeated field:	No

 

File format	Example value
Text feeds	AB12345
XML feeds	<g:item_group_id>AB12345</g:item_group_id>

Guidelines

Follow these guidelines to make sure you submit high-quality data for your products.

Minimum requirements

These are the requirements you'll need to meet to show your product on Google. If you don't follow these requirements, we'll disapprove your product and let you know in the Diagnostics page of your Manufacturer Center account.

• Use the same value of item group ID for all variants of the same product. For example, a T-shirt comes in 9 variants: 3 sizes ("small", "medium", and "large") and 3 colors ("red", "blue", and "green"). Submit each variant as a separate product (for a total of 9 separate products), and submit the same value of item group ID [item_group_id] for each product to indicate that these are variants.
• Each distinct item group must have a unique value for item group ID.
  • Don’t rely on casing to make item group ID unique. For example, we interpret the item group ID [item_group_id] "abc123" and "ABC123" as the same product.
  • Each variant must differ from other variants in the item group. However, the brand attribute should be the same across variants.
• Submit a variant attribute along with item group ID. When submitting item group ID [item_group_id] , make sure that your variants use at least one of the variant attributes: color [color], size [size], material [material], etc.
• Use the same variant attributes for all products with the same item group ID. For example, if you submit a dress in 2 colors and 2 sizes, each product you submit must provide a value for the color [color] attribute and the size [size] attribute. Do not just provide the color or size for one dress, but not the others.

Best practices

These best practices can help you go beyond the basic requirements to optimize your product data for performance.

• Use the parent SKU as the item group ID [item_group_id] for all variants of the same product. Don't submit a parent SKU as a separate product. If you'd like to group variants using a parent SKU, use the parent SKU as the value for item group ID [item_group_id] for all products in the variant group.
• Don’t mix up item group ID [item_group_id] and ID [id] attributes. Use the ID attribute to uniquely identify a single product, and use the item group ID [item_group_id] attribute to group together several products as variants.
• Don’t submit item group ID [item_group_id] if your product is not a variant. If your product is similar to other products, but not specifically a variant, don’t submit item group ID [item_group_id]. Some examples of products that are not variants include assorted items (a suit consisting of a jacket and pants) or any other set of dissimilar items that are sold together (a set of bath accessories).
• Use a stable item group ID [item_group_id] for each group of product variants. Once you've assigned an item group ID [item_group_id] to a product, don't change it. If item group ID [item_group_id] changes often, it could cause inconsistency in the way variants are grouped and shown to users.
• Don’t use item group ID [item_group_id] for unsupported variants. If your product varies by an unsupported attribute (such as car make and model), or if your product is a build-to-order custom good with a large number of variants (more than 30), then don't use item group ID [item_group_id] to indicate your variants. Review best practices for unsupported variants.

Examples

General examples

Submit variant details through the variant attributes. For example:

Product data for a Google Logo T-shirt, small, red
Attribute	Value
Title [title]	Google Logo T-shirt - Small - Red
ID [id]	12345-S-R
Color [color]	Red
Size [size]	S
Item group ID [item_group_id]	12345

 

Product data for a Google Logo T-shirt, medium, blue
Attribute	Value
Title [title]	Google Logo T-shirt - Medium - Blue
ID [id]	12345-M-B
Color [color]	Blue
Size [size]	M
Item group ID [item_group_id]	12345

Do not submit variants without variant attributes.

Apparel products

Apparel products typically come in variants. Use the same item group ID [item_group_id] for each variant. Here is an example that comes in 2 colors, each in 3 sizes. For this example, you would submit these 6 variants:

Product data for a Google logo T-shirt, small, white
Attribute	Value
Title [title]	Google Logo T-shirt - Small - White
ID [id]	12345-S-W
Color [color]	White
Size [size]	S
Item group ID [item_group_id]	12345

 

Product data for a Google logo T-shirt, small, black
Attribute	Value
Title [title]	Google Logo T-shirt - Small - Black
ID [id]	12345-S-B
Color [color]	Black
Size [size]	S
Item group ID [item_group_id]	12345

 

Product data for a Google logo T-shirt, medium, white
Attribute	Value
Title [title]	Google Logo T-shirt - Medium - White
ID [id]	12345-M-W
Color [color]	White
Size [size]	M
Item group ID [item_group_id]	12345

 

Product data for a Google logo T-shirt, medium, black
Attribute	Value
Title [title]	Google Logo T-shirt - Medium - Black
ID [id]	12345-M-B
Color [color]	Black
Size [size]	M
Item group ID [item_group_id]	12345

 

Product data for a Google logo T-shirt, large, white
Attribute	Value
Title [title]	Google Logo T-shirt - Large - White
ID [id]	12345-L-W
Color [color]	White
Size [size]	L
Item group ID [item_group_id]	12345

 

Product data for a Google logo T-shirt, large, black
Attribute	Value
Title [title]	Google Logo T-shirt - Large - Black
ID [id]	12345-L-B
Color [color]	Black
Size [size]	L
Item group ID [item_group_id]	12345

Shoes

Submit shoes in the same way as other apparel products. Group variants of the same product by adding the same item group ID [item_group_id] to each variant.

Product data for low top shoes, size 8 narrow
Attribute	Value
Title [title]	Low Top Shoes - 8 Narrow
ID [id]	12460-8b-blu
Color [color]	Blue/orange/green
Size [size]	8B
Item group ID [item_group_id]	32455

 

Product data for low top shoes, size 8
Attribute	Value
Title [title]	Low Top Shoes - 8
ID [id]	12460-8-blu
Color [color]	Blue/orange/green
Size [size]	8
Item group ID [item_group_id]	32455

 

Product data for low top shoes, size 8 wide
Attribute	Value
Title [title]	Low Top Shoes - 8 - Wide
ID [id]	12460-8w-blu
Color [color]	Blue/orange/green
Size [size]	8W
Item group ID [item_group_id]	32455

Electronics

Electronics can be submitted as variants. For example, if a phone is available in multiple colors, you can submit each as a variant by using the same value for item group ID [item_group_id].

Product data for a Google Nexus 6, 32 GB, midnight blue, unlocked
Attribute	Value
Title [title]	Google Nexus 6 - 32 GB - Midnight Blue - unlocked
ID [id]	6526-32gb-midblu
Color [color]	Midnight blue
Item group ID [item_group_id]	6526

 

Product data for a Google Nexus 6, 32 GB, cloud white, with contract
Attribute	Value
Title [title]	Google Nexus 6 - 32 GB - Cloud White - with contract
ID [id]	6526-32gb-cldwh
Color [color]	Cloud white
Item group ID [item_group_id]	6526

Furniture

Furniture can be submitted as variants. For example, if a couch is available in multiple fabrics, you can submit each as a variant by using the same value for item group ID [item_group_id].

Product data for a mid-century sofa, microfiber, dot pattern, yellow and gray
Attribute	Value
Title [title]	Mid-Century Microfiber Sofa - Dot Pattern - Yellow and Gray
ID [id]	3456-dot-yllw-gry
Color [color]	Yellow/gray
Material [material]	Suede
Item group ID [item_group_id]	3456

 

Product data for a mid-century sofa, microfiber, leather, green
Attribute	Value
Title [title]	Mid-Century Microfiber Sofa - Leather - Green
ID [id]	3456-lth-grn
Color [color]	Green
Material [material]	Leather
Item group ID [item_group_id]	3456

 

Product data for a lounge chair, molded plywood, walnut
Attribute	Value
Title [title]	Molded Plywood Lounge Chair - Walnut
ID [id]	1a2b3c-wal
Color [color]	Walnut
Material [material]	Plywood
Item group ID [item_group_id]	1a2b3c

 

Product data for a lounge chair, molded plywood, ash
Attribute	Value
Title [title]	Molded Plywood Lounge Chair - Ash
ID [id]	1a2b3c-ash
Color [color]	Ash
Material [material]	Plywood
Item group ID [item_group_id]	1a2b3c

Makeup

Makeup products can be submitted as variants. For example, if makeup comes in multiple colors, you could submit each color as a variant by using the same value for item group ID [item_group_id] .

Product data for blend liquid makeup, beige
Attribute	Value
Title [title]	Blend Liquid Makeup - Beige
ID [id]	0987-b
Color [color]	Beige
Item group ID [item_group_id]	0987

 

Product data for blend liquid makeup, beige medium
Attribute	Value
Title [title]	Blend Liquid Makeup - Beige Medium
ID [id]	0987-bmed
Color [color]	Beige medium
Item group ID [item_group_id]	0987