Google's inventory verification program checks product information in your local stores to ensure it matches the information you provide in your inventory data. This program helps ensure the accuracy of information in local inventory ads and free local listings. Learn more about requesting inventory verification.
On this page
- Required inventory verifications per online store experience
- Inventory verification process
- Inventory re-verification
- Request Inventory Verification
Required inventory verifications per online store experience
You can initiate inventory verification checks after submitting your product data and validating your inventory contact. Depending on your landing page experience, you need to complete a minimum number of inventory verifications.
Note: If any inventory verification is unsuccessful, the number of inventory verifications can exceed the minimum number of inventory verifications listed below.
|
Number of inventory verifications per number of stores |
||
|
Landing page experience |
1-2 stores |
3+ stores |
|
In-store product and price availability hosted on Google |
1 | 3 |
| 0 | 0 | |
|
Store-specific product pages with in-store availability and price |
0 | 0 |
Inventory verification process
After you request inventory verification, Google emails you to confirm that your account is ready for the inventory verification stage. Here's how the inventory verification process works:
- You submit your store representative’s contact information and their availability to conduct the review. This person can be someone who works in your store, a marketing team member, or an intern.
- On an agreed upon date, Google emails your store representative a survey form with a random selection of 100 products pulled from the store’s data feeds. Using the form, the store representative adds the price and availability of said products in the store. The form is compatible with all browsers.
- The store representative also needs to photograph some products, clearly showing the product label and shelf price or price tag.
Once in your store, the verification process takes approximately 2 hours per store. The survey form must be completed within the same business day. Once you have completed the inventory verification, submit the survey to transfer the results.
Inventory re-verification
Once your local inventory ads or free local listings are live, Google may require additional inventory verifications to be conducted. These checks help ensure that product, price, and availability information of your local products continues to be accurate. We recommend updating price and availability changes in your inventory data as frequently as possible and refreshing your inventory data at least once per day.
Request Inventory Verification
When using in-store product and price availability hosted on Google, you will be asked to perform an inventory verification. After you provide your product and inventory data, you’ll be asked to provide an inventory verification contact email address.
In your Merchant Center account, click the Settings & tools icon
. Then, select Add-ons.
Select your add-ons.
In the “Local inventory ads” or "free local listings" card, click Go to Local inventory ads or Go to Free local listings.
Click Continue setup next to the country you want to request inventory verification.
Select “Verify your inventory data”.
Enter the name and email for the contact information for someone who can coordinate the inventory verification. That person will receive an email from Google to verify their email address.
Click on request store inventory verification.
Note: The Request inventory verification button will only be turned on within 48 hours after the contact name and email address are provided, your stores and inventory data have been added.
Inventory verification review status
In your Merchant Center account, click the Settings & tools icon
. Then, select Add-ons.
Select your add-ons.
In the “Local inventory ads” or "free local listings" card, click Go to Local inventory ads or Go to Free local listings.
Click Show me next to the country you want to view status.
Select “Verify your inventory data”.
Check the status at the bottom.
Your product pages with in-store availability status may show:
- Verified: No further action needed.
- Under review: If you haven't scheduled an inventory check yet, inventory verification contact should have received an email from Google to schedule it. If you have already submitted the inventory verification form, we are reviewing the data provided. This can take up to 7 business days.
- Ineligible: Google has reviewed the data provided and found mismatches between your inventory data and what's in-store. After the inventory data has been updated, you can request a new inventory verification.