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Smart Feed: Updating Product ID

Product ID is the unique identifier of a product in Google Merchant Center (or GMC). This article introduces the background of changing product ID, its impact and operating processes as part of the Smart Feed app.

 

  

Background of Product ID

When a product ID is combined with a destination country/region and language, an identifiable product is generated in the Google Ecosystem. With that, you can retrieve product information in Google and track the product’s performance history in Merchant Center and Google Ads.

Notes: When a product ID is changed, the product and related historical data under the original ID will be overwritten. Therefore, it is not recommended to change product IDs in normal operation, except for migration and setting errors.

 

Smart Feed can apply different ID rules to populate the product ID field as the following:

  • Product SKU ID (default value)
  • Product SKU
  • Product SKU - Product SPU ID
  • Product SKU - Target market - Target language
  • Product SKU ID - Target market - Target language

 

 

Product ID Changing Options Currently Supported

There are two ways to change the product ID population rule:

  1. Change product ID for all products: This will populate product ID for all products in GMC as per the new rule, and historical products not conforming to the new rule will be deactivated.
    • Pros: Keeps everything unified and easy to manage.
    • Cons: Historical products and advertising data in GMC will be deleted.

  2. Change product ID for new products: product ID of existing products before the rule change remains unchanged, and will not be affected by future synchronizations and updates. For new products, the new population rule applies.
    • Pros: Historical products and advertising data in GMC remain available.
    • Cons: Different product ID population rules apply for products in GMC, which can be user-unfriendly.

 

  

Product ID Changing Process

Here are the steps to change your ID:

  1. Download a backup copy of Google Feed files in GMC for backup. Go to GMC, click Products > All products in the navigation bar on the left side of the page, and then click Download.
  1. Confirm the product ID population rule for existing products in GMC. If you have used Smart Feed, you can check the rule in Feed details > Product field rules tab > Product ID. If you haven’t installed Smart Feed, confirm the rule in GMC or other plugins.
  1. Contact your SHOPLINE website consultant to request a whitelist. Share the following information with the consultant and wait for the whitelist.
    • Handle
    • Existing Product ID Rules
    • New Product ID Rules
    • Whether the existing product ID is unchanged

  1. Select a new rule for Product ID.

Once the whitelist is available, change the Product ID field to a new rule. Please refer to the following path: Select a feed > go to Product field rules tab > Product ID > Select a rule > Save.