item_group_id: Definition
Use the 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
, color
, material
, pattern
, age_group
, size_type
, size_system
, and unit_pricing_measure
.
When you use an item_group_id
to group your products, you can ensure that your product and its variants are shown to users as a group, instead of separately.
When to use
- Brazil
- France
- Germany
- Japan
- United Kingdom
- United States
Format
Follow these formatting guidelines to make sure we understand the data you're submitting.
Type | Unicode characters (Recommended: ASCII only): alphanumeric, underscores, and dashes |
---|---|
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> |
For format API information, see the Content API for Shopping.
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 ads for your product. If you don't follow these requirements, we'll disapprove your product and let you know in the Diagnostics page of your Merchant 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 (e.g., 9 separate products), and submit the same value of
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
abc123 and ABC123 as the same product. - Don’t reuse or recycle the same
item_group_id
for different products.
- Don’t rely on casing to make item_group_id unique. For example, we interpret the
- Submit a variant attribute along with
item_group_id
. So when submittingitem_group_id
, make sure that your variants use at least one of the variant attributes:color
,pattern
,material
,age_group
,gender
,size
,size_type
,size_system
, andunit_pricing_measure
. - 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
attribute and thesize
attribute. Don't just provide the color or size for one dress, but not the others. - Make sure that the product details displayed on your landing page match the values you provide for each attribute like
title
,color
,pattern
,material
,price
,availability
, andimage_link
. Learn more about requirements for Shopping ads landing pages
Best practices
These are best practices that can help you go beyond the basic requirements to optimize your product data for performance.
- Use the parent SKU as the
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 foritem_group_id
for all products in the variant group. - Don’t mix up
item_group_id
andid
attributes. Use the id attribute to uniquely identify a single product, and use item_group_id to group together several products as variants. - Don’t submit
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 submititem_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
for each group of product variants. Once you've assigned an item_group_id to a product, don't change it. Ifitem_group_id
changes often, it could cause inconsistency in they way variants are grouped and shown to users. - Don’t use
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 useitem_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 | Google logo T-shirt |
title |
Google Logo T-shirt - Small - Red |
id |
12345-S-R |
color |
red |
size |
S |
item_group_id |
12345 |
Product | Google logo T-shirt |
title |
Google Logo T-shirt - Medium - Blue |
id |
12345-M-B |
color |
blue |
size |
M |
item_group_id |
12345 |
Don’t submit variants without variant attributes. For example, don’t do this: |
Product | Google logo T-shirt |
title |
Google Logo T-shirt - Small - Red |
id |
12345-S-R |
item_group_id |
12345 |
Product | Google logo T-shirt |
title |
Google Logo T-shirt - Small - Blue |
id |
12345-S-B |
item_group_id |
12345 |
Apparel products
Apparel products typically come in variants. Use the same item_group_id
for each variant. Here’s an example that comes in 2 colors, each in 3 sizes.
Note: The gender
attribute may be mandatory depending on the country of sale, and is required in order for variant attributes to be displayed accurately.
For this example, you’d submit these 6 variants:
Product | Google logo T-shirt |
title |
Google Logo T-shirt - Small - White |
id |
12345-S-W |
color |
white |
size |
S |
item_group_id |
12345 |
Product | Google logo T-shirt |
title |
Google Logo T-shirt - Small - Black |
id |
12345-S-B |
color |
black |
size |
S |
item_group_id |
12345 |
Product | Google logo T-shirt |
title |
Google Logo T-shirt - Medium - White |
id |
12345-M-W |
color |
white |
size |
M |
item_group_id |
12345 |
Product | Google logo T-shirt |
title |
Google Logo T-shirt - Medium - Black |
id |
12345-M-B |
color |
black |
size |
M |
item_group_id |
12345 |
Product | Google logo T-shirt |
title |
Google Logo T-shirt - Large - White |
id |
12345-L-W |
color |
white |
size |
L |
item_group_id |
12345 |
Product | Google logo T-shirt |
title |
Google Logo T-shirt - Large - Black |
id |
12345-L-B |
color |
black |
size |
L |
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
to each variant.
Product | Low top shoes |
title |
Low Top Shoes - 8 Narrow |
id |
12460-8b-blu |
color |
blue/orange/green |
size |
8B |
item_group_id |
12345 |
Product | Low top shoes |
title |
Low Top Shoes - 8 |
id |
12460-8-blu |
color |
blue/orange/green |
size |
8 |
item_group_id |
12345 |
Product | Low top shoes |
title |
Low Top Shoes - 8 - Wide |
id |
12460-8w-blu |
color |
blue/orange/green |
size |
8W |
item_group_id |
12345 |
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
.
Product | Google Nexus 6 |
title |
Google Nexus 6 - 32 GB - Midnight Blue - unlocked |
id |
2345-32gb-midblu |
color |
midnight blue |
item_group_id |
2345 |
Product | Refurbished Google Nexus 6 |
title |
Google Nexus 6 - 32 GB - Cloud White - With contract |
id |
2345-32gb-cldwh |
color |
cloud white |
item_group_id |
2345 |
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
.
Product | Mid-century sofa |
title |
Mid-Century Microfiber Sofa - Dot Pattern - Yellow and Gray |
id |
3456-dot-yllw-gry |
color |
yellow/gray |
material |
suede |
item_group_id |
3456 |
Product | Mid-century sofa |
title |
Mid-Century Microfiber Sofa - Leather - Green |
id |
3456-lth-grn |
color |
green |
material |
leather |
item_group_id |
3456 |
Product | Molded plywood lounge chair |
title |
Molded Plywood Lounge Chair - Walnut |
id |
1a2b3c-wal |
color |
walnut |
material |
plywood |
item_group_id |
1a2b3c |
Product | Molded plywood lounge chair |
title |
Molded Plywood Lounge Chair - Ash |
id |
1a2b3c-ash |
color |
ash |
material |
plywood |
item_group_id |
1a2b3c |
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
.
Product | Blend liquid makeup |
title |
Blend Liquid Makeup - Beige |
id |
0987-b |
color |
beige |
item_group_id |
0987 |
Product | Blend liquid makeup |
title |
Blend Liquid Makeup - Beige Medium |
id |
0987-bmed |
color |
beige medium |
item_group_id |
0987 |
Groceries
item_group_id
. Product | Basmati Rice |
title |
Basmati Rice - Extra long grain |
id |
575185159 |
item_group_id |
123456 |
price |
$11.20 |
unit_pricing_measure |
5 lbs |
unit_pricing_base_measure |
1 lb |