Use the availability date [availability_date] attribute to tell customers when a preordered or backordered product will be shipped.
In this article
When to use
Optional for each product
Required if you set the availability
[availability]attribute to preorder or backorder. (You can then provide the date (up to 1 year in the future) when your product will be shipped using the availability date[availability_date]attribute).
Format
Follow these formatting guidelines to make sure Google understands the data you're submitting. Learn when and how to submit your product data in English
| Type | Date, time, and timezone, ISO 8601 compliant ( YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm[±hhmm], or YYYY-MM-DDThh:mmZ) |
|---|---|
| Limits | 1–25 characters |
| Repeated field | No |
| Schema.org property (What's this?) |
|
| File format | Example value |
|---|---|
| Text (TSV) | 2016-12-25T13:00-0800 |
| XML (Feeds) | <g:availability_date>2016-11-25T13:00-0800</g:availability_date> |
To format your data for Content API, see the Content API for Shopping resource.
Minimum requirements
These are the requirements you'll need to meet to show your product. If you don't follow these requirements, we'll disapprove your product and let you know in your Merchant Center account.
- There are no minimum requirements for this attribute. Keep in mind that you still need to follow the formatting guidelines or the information you submit can't be used.
Note: The availability date should also be added to the product’s landing page and be clear to your customers (for example, “May 6, 2023”). If an exact date can’t be provided, you can use an estimated date (for example, “May 2023”).
Best practices
These best practices can help you go beyond the basic requirements to optimize your product data for performance.
- Only submit the availability date attribute for products with the availability
[availability]attribute value set to preorder or backorder. - Specify a time and timezone in addition to the date. If you don't, the default time is 12 AM, midnight, in the UTC timezone.
- Don’t include date ranges. Since the attribute is required for products with the availability
[availability]attribute value set topreorderorbackorder, Google recommends adding an estimated date (up to 1 year in the future) and updating the value as soon as the expected date the product can be shipped to the consumer is confirmed.
Examples
Product is available for preorders
| Product data for an android squishable | |
| Attribute | Value |
Availability [availability] |
preorder |
Availability date [availability_date] |
2016-12-25T13:00-0800 |
Product is available for backorder
| Product data for an android squishable | |
| Attribute | Value |
Availability [availability] |
backorder |
Availability date [availability_date] |
2016-12-25T13:00-0800 |
Get ready for the release date
| Product data for an android squishable | |
| Release status | Not released |
| Attribute | Value |
Availability [availability] |
preorder |
Availability date [availability_date] |
2016-12-25T13:00-0800 |