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
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> |
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.
- Don’t rely on casing to make item group ID unique. For example, we interpret the item group ID
- 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 |