In Google Shopping Feed

Google Shopping Feed Examples To Optimize Your Ads

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Have you ever wondered how shopping feed apps appear across different Google channels—search ads, display ads, discovery ads, etc.? It’s all because of Google Shopping Feed. 

Google Shopping Feed is the cornerstone of ad campaigns. It helps display your product listings and garner attention to your e-commerce store. These feeds contain product information in file format, which is first fed to the Google Merchant Center. The structured data files (also called product feeds) can be in various formats, such as XML, TXT, CSV, or JSON.

These files look different from each other and efficiently contain all the product data that can be integrated into any marketplace. 

In this blog, we shall focus on the different file formats and showcase different Google Shopping Feed examples that you can work with as a Google Merchant Center data feed template.

Not just that, these product feed sample files will give you an insight into the inner happenings of your Merchant Center.

So, let’s get cracking!

JUMP TO GOOGLE SHOPPING FEED EXAMPLES

What is a Google Shopping Feed?

As explained earlier, it is the cornerstone of your Google ad campaigns and is usually in a file format like .XML, .TXT, .CSV., etc, or Google Spreadsheet comprising product information.

When you add your product feed and fetch it to Google Merchant Center, your product listings will be displayed like this on Google: 

google shopping feed example

These ads are displayed when you feed the product feed file to Google Merchant Center. Then, Google Merchant Center crawls (indexing your product listing) your online channels (online store, ads, etc.) to Google, YouTube, etc. 

As you can see in the image above, ads include elements such as reviews, discounts, shipping details, these are called Google Shopping ad extensions. Merchants can enable them in their Google Merchant Center account to enhance visibility.

Google accepts the following file formats for product feeds:

❗Note: In order to display your product listings across different channels of Google, you must abide by the Google Shopping Product Feed Specifications guide. 

The product feed specification guide provides crucial information on formatting your product information for Google Merchant Center and on maintaining data that matches the correct user queries. It is mandatory to go through it whilst working with the Merchant Center. 

Now that you know what a Google Shopping Feed looks like, let’s explore different types of product feeds and then focus on examples of each type. 

Also Read: Difference between Discovery Ads vs Display Ads.

Google Shopping Feed Types: Explained 

There is a reason why we are delving into different types of Google Shopping feeds–to understand the product feed examples better. Without understanding the purpose of each example of Google Shopping feeds, merchants can get lost and may have a possibility of creating incorrect files. So, we have discussed the types in detail so that you know what goes into those file formats. 

This list contains various types of product feeds that Google offers and lets you work with different purposes: 

Primary Product Feed

A primary product feed is the main product data feed used to fetch product information for Google Merchant Center. It carries product titles, images, descriptions, prices, sizes, variants, GTINs (Global Trade Item Numbers), MPNs (Manufacturer Part Numbers), etc. Accurate product information is very important to add to prevent product disapprovals and your ad campaigns from dropping in search engine ranking.

The primary product feed is usually uploaded in either .TXT or .XML file format. The files most commonly contain the following attributes: 

  • ID [id]
  • Title [title]
  • Description [description]
  • Link [link]
  • Image link [image_link]
  • Price [price]
  • Availability [availability]
  • Brand [brand]
  • GTIN [gtin] 
  • Product type [product_type]
  • Google product category [google_product_category]
  • Product detail [product_detail]
  • MPN [mpn]
  • Item group ID [item_group_id]
  • Condition [condition]
  • Color [color]
❗Note: The list is not limited to the aforementioned attributes. There are more attributes that are specified in the product feed specification guide. Understanding them is very important for anyone selling on Google Shopping. 

Supplemental Product Feed

A supplemental product feed is an additional feed added to your primary product feed. You can view it as an appendage to the primary feed with other important attributes that are not part of the primary product feed but can be used to enhance the existing feed.

These supplemental feeds can help modify your existing product feed, add a missing attribute, and improve its overall performance by updating it with the latest titles, images, descriptions, etc.

They are also usually in .TXT or .XML file formats. 

Supplemental feeds are perfect in the following scenarios: 

  • Evade Google Merchant Center disapprovals by adding the correct attributes. Supplemental feeds update the Merchant Center with accurate data without making changes to the existing primary feed.
  • These feeds let you add extra attributes, such as promotional details such as sales or discount offers, seasonal promotions like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, or any holiday sales, specific product categories that are not available in your primary feed, product types, custom labels, etc.
  • Location-based product feeds in order to include or exclude certain products or their categories when running ad campaigns in different regions. 
🤔Did you know? You can add unique product identifiers based on the product you’re selling, regions, etc., that are not GTINs or MPNs. For that, you must understand the functioning of different product identifiers and also understand if Google approves of them. 

Local Inventory Feed

The local inventory feed usually contains in-store product information. It updates the product feed in real-time based on the prices and availability of products in a brick-and-mortar store. These feeds essentially work as a way to inform local customers about the available products through local inventory ads, which use Google Shopping to showcase available products in nearby stores.

A local inventory feed usually contains the following attributes: 

  • Product ID [id]
  • Availability [availability] 
  • Sale price [sale_price]
  • Store code [store_code]
  • Quantity [quantity]

Local inventory can also contain store pickup data, which includes store-specific pickup information.

This data is fed when using ‘pick up today’ or ‘pick up later with in-store inventory data,’ features that tell the customer when they can collect the product (only works for local listings). The attributes used are pickup method [pickup_method], which is currently an optional attribute, and pickup SLA [pickup_sla], which is mandatory. 

🤔Did you know? Supplemental feeds can also have in-store product information and can be utilized to run local inventory ads. 

Promotions Feed

True to its name, Google Promotion Feed is where you would go for everything related to Google Shopping Promotions. Suppose you plan to host a promising sale event for your store. This feed will be your biggest savior! Promotion feeds can be displayed across Search, Shopping tab, Chrome, YouTube, etc., and are usually an XML file, tab-delimited file (.CSV or .TXT), or a Google Spreadsheet.

It is the perfect option when you want to run ads promoting the latest discounts, offer free shipping, or offer BOGO (Buy one, get one) deals. 

The feed update is currently available in select countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Spain, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Promotions are also automatically enabled for all eligible accounts. 

Commonly used attributes include: 

  • Promotion ID [promotion_id]
  • Products eligible for promotion [product_applicability]
  • Coupon code required [offer_type]
  • Promotion title [long_title]
  • Promotion start date [promotion_effective_dates]
  • Eligible channel for promotion [redemption_channel]
  • Promotion destination [promotion_destination]
  • Store applicability [store_applicability]
  • Store codes inclusion [store_codes_inclusion]
  • Store codes exclusion [store_codes_exclusion]
  • Promotion URL [promotion_url]
  • Product ID for promotion [item_id]
  • Product type [product_type]
❗Note: The list is beyond the scope of the blog, and all the attributes cannot be encapsulated. Read the Promotion specification guide to learn more about other required and optional attributes.

Product Review Feeds (Product Rating Feeds)

When searching for products online, customers often look for genuine reviews and ratings, as they help build trust and can even kickstart the buying process. The star ratings and reviews you see in quotes “” are part of the product review feeds.

These ratings serve as social proof, creating a positive experience for customers and also helping your product stand out, especially if it has exceptionally good ratings or reviews.

You can fetch the Product review data source into Google Merchant Center, which will easily submit your customer reviews to Google and display them along with the product listings. Ensure the ratings match the correct unique product identifier in order to display the correct reviews on respective products.

Some attributes that are used are –

  • Review ID [review_id]
  • Product ID [product_id]
  • Review Rating [rating]
  • Review Content [content]
  • Reviewer Name [reviewer_name]
  • Review Timestamp [review_timestamp]
  • Review URL [review_url]
  • SKU [SKU]
  • GTIN [gtin]
  • MPN [mpn]

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Dynamic Remarketing Feeds 

Don’t we all hate it when a potential buyer abandons their cart just a step away from checkout? Cart abandonment issues have been a real-time problem for businesses of all kinds, which has prompted the rise of dynamic remarketing.

Dynamic remarketing feed contains product information that focuses on providing tailored ads to customers who have interacted with your products, services, websites, ads, etc., in the past.

So, using dynamic remarketing feeds can help remind customers to complete their purchases after they abandon their carts. This way, you can tailor ads to solve the cart abandonment problem and generate conversions.

These feeds can be created in .csv, .tsv, .xls, or .xlsx file formats and are primarily used to generate targeted ads that reach past customers and encourage them to complete their purchases. The data in this feed mainly focuses on these customers’ behaviors and interests.

Dynamic remarketing feeds aren’t limited to ecommerce merchants, but individuals in the flight industry, hospitality, travel, education, retail, jobs, etc., can also utilize them. Based on the business type, you can create a feed that caters to that specific business.

The feed files usually contain attributes based on different types of business:

  • Product title [title]
  • Product description [description]
  • Product link [link]
  • Image link [image_link]
  • Price [price]
  • Brand [brand]
  • Availability [availability]

To make your remarketing campaigns more targeted, you can use additional attributes to enhance their specificity.

Google Manufacturer Feed

The Google Manufacturer Feed allows product manufacturers to provide accurate and up-to-date product information. This feed is directly handled and managed by product manufacturers, which is what makes it different from the primary product feeds—manufacturers submit this feed to the Google Manufacturer Center while retailers fetch the primary feed into the Google Merchant Center. 

Aiming to provide accuracy to customers, this feed ensures that it sticks true to Google’s policies on maintaining feeds.

Here are some prominent attributes used in these feeds – 

  • ID [id]
  • Title [title]
  • Description [description]
  • Image Link [image_link]
  • Brand [brand]
  • GTIN [gtin]
  • MPN [mpn]
  • Product Page URL [product_page_url]
  • Product Name [product_name]
  • Product Line [product_line]
  • Release Date [release_date]
  • Video Link [video_link]
  • Product Detail [product_detail]
  • Disclosure Date [disclosure_date]
  • Suggested Retail Price [suggested_retail_price]
  • Product Type [product_type]
  • Additional Image Link [additional_image_link]

Now that you have a good grasp of what attributes are used in different feeds, it’s time we dive into the different Google Shopping Feed examples.

Google Shopping Feed Examples & Templates

When setting up a Google Shopping campaign, having the right feed format is essential for successful product listing. Below, you’ll find a variety of Google Shopping feed examples and templates in different formats to help you get started.

The following list contains XML, CSV, TXT, and JSON feed files: 

Primary Product Feed

This feed is fed directly to the Merchant Center, and is the main feed with all the necessary attributes:

  1. XML Feed Example – 
<rss version="2.0" xmlns:g="http://base.google.com/ns/1.0">
  <channel>
    <title>Your Store Name</title>
    <link>http://www.yourstore.com/</link>
    <description>Product feed for your store</description>
    <item>
      <g:id>ABC123</g:id>
      <g:title>Sample Product</g:title>
      <g:description>This is a sample product description.</g:description>
      <g:link>http://www.yourstore.com/sample-product</g:link>
      <g:image_link>http://www.yourstore.com/images/sample-product.jpg</g:image_link>
      <g:price>19.99 USD</g:price>
      <g:condition>new</g:condition>
      <g:availability>in stock</g:availability>
      <g:brand>Your Brand</g:brand>
      <g:gtin>1234567890123</g:gtin>
    </item>
  </channel>
</rss>

This XML structure can be broken down as follows:

  • The <rss> tag denotes the version of RSS and the namespace used, which is Google’s namespace in this case.
  • Within the <channel> tag, the <title>, <link>, and <description> fields represent the details of your store.
  • Each tag represents a product. Within each :
    • <g:id> is a unique identifier for the product.
    • <g:title> is the name of the product.
    • <g:description> provides a description of the product.
    • <g:link> provides a URL to the product’s landing page.
    • <g:image_link> provides a URL to the product’s image.
    • <g:brand> is the name of your brand.
    • <g:price> denotes the price of the product.
    • <g:availability> indicates whether the product is in stock.

This is a simple example of an XML Shopping Feed, and depending on your needs, you may need to add additional tags or fields as required by Google.

For a better understanding, downloadable XML Google Shopping Feed Example and Template here. 

2. CSV Example –

id,title,description,link,image_link,price,condition,availability,brand,gtin
ABC123,Sample Product,This is a sample product description.,http://www.yourstore.com/sample-product,http://www.yourstore.com/images/sample-product.jpg,19.99 USD,new,in stock,Your Brand,1234567890123

3. TXT Example – 

id	title	description	link	image_link	price	condition	availability	brand	gtin
ABC123	Sample Product	This is a sample product description.	http://www.yourstore.com/sample-product	http://www.yourstore.com/images/sample-product.jpg	19.99 USD	new	in stock	Your Brand	1234567890123

4. JSON Example –

{
  "products": [
    {
      "id": "ABC123",
      "title": "Sample Product",
      "description": "This is a sample product description.",
      "link": "http://www.yourstore.com/sample-product",
      "image_link": "http://www.yourstore.com/images/sample-product.jpg",
      "price": "19.99 USD",
      "condition": "new",
      "availability": "in stock",
      "brand": "Your Brand",
      "gtin": "1234567890123"
    }
  ]
}

Supplemental Product Feed

  1. XML Example –
<feed>
  <entry>
    <g:id>ABC123</g:id>
    <g:additional_image_link>http://www.yourstore.com/images/sample-product-alt.jpg</g:additional_image_link>
    <g:promotion_id>PROMO1</g:promotion_id>
  </entry>
</feed>

2. CSV Example – 

id,additional_image_link,promotion_id
ABC123,http://www.yourstore.com/images/sample-product-alt.jpg,PROMO1

3. TXT Example – 

id	additional_image_link	promotion_id
ABC123	http://www.yourstore.com/images/sample-product-alt.jpg	PROMO1

4. JSON Example –

{
  "supplemental": [
    {
      "id": "ABC123",
      "additional_image_link": "http://www.yourstore.com/images/sample-product-alt.jpg",
      "promotion_id": "PROMO1"
    }
  ]
}

Local Inventory Feed

  1. XML Example –
<feed>
  <entry>
    <g:store_code>STORE123</g:store_code>
    <g:itemid>ABC123</g:itemid>
    <g:quantity>10</g:quantity>
    <g:price>19.99 USD</g:price>
    <g:availability>in stock</g:availability>
  </entry>
</feed>

2. CSV Example – 

store_code,itemid,quantity,price,availability
STORE123,ABC123,10,19.99 USD,in stock

3. TXT Example – 

store_code	itemid	quantity	price	availability
STORE123	ABC123	10	19.99 USD	in stock

4. JSON Example – 

{
  "local_inventory": [
    {
      "store_code": "STORE123",
      "itemid": "ABC123",
      "quantity": 10,
      "price": "19.99 USD",
      "availability": "in stock"
    }
  ]
}

Promotions Feed

  1. XML Example –
<feed>
  <entry>
    <g:promotion_id>PROMO1</g:promotion_id>
    <g:product_applicability>specific</g:product_applicability>
    <g:offer_type>discount</g:offer_type>
    <g:itemid>ABC123</g:itemid>
    <g:discount_amount>5.00 USD</g:discount_amount>
    <g:promotion_effective_dates>2025-03-01T00:00:00/2025-03-31T23:59:59</g:promotion_effective_dates>
  </entry>
</feed>

2. CSV Example –

promotion_id,product_applicability,offer_type,itemid,discount_amount,promotion_effective_dates
PROMO1,specific,discount,ABC123,5.00 USD,2025-03-01T00:00:00/
::contentReference[oaicite:21]{index=21}

3. TXT Example –

promotion_id	product_applicability	offer_type	long_title	promotion_effective_dates	redemption_channel
PROMO123	all products	discount	10% off on all items	2025-03-01T00:00:00/2025-03-31T23:59:59	online

4. JSON Example –

{
  "promotions": [
    {
      "promotion_id": "PROMO123",
      "product_applicability": "all products",
      "offer_type": "discount",
      "long_title": "10% off on all items",
      "promotion_effective_dates": "2025-03-01T00:00:00/2025-03-31T23:59:59",
      "redemption_channel": "online"
    }
  ]
}

Product Review Feeds (Product Rating Feeds)

  1. XML Example –
<feed xmlns:g="http://base.google.com/ns/1.0">
  <entry>
    <g:review_id>REVIEW123</g:review_id>
    <g:reviewer>
      <g:name>John Doe</g:name>
    </g:reviewer>
    <g:review_date>2025-03-10</g:review_date>
    <g:rating>4.5</g:rating>
    <g:review_text>Great product, highly recommend!</g:review_text>
    <g:product_ids>
      <g:product_id>ABC123</g:product_id>
    </g:product_ids>
  </entry>
</feed>

2. CSV Example –

review_id,reviewer_name,review_date,rating,review_text,product_id
REVIEW123,John Doe,2025-03-10,4.5,Great product, highly recommend!,ABC123

3. TXT Example –

review_id	reviewer_name	review_date	rating	review_text	product_id
REVIEW123	John Doe	2025-03-10	4.5	Great product, highly recommend!	ABC123
review_id	reviewer_name	review_date	rating	review_text	product_id
REVIEW123	John Doe	2025-03-10	4.5	Great product, highly recommend!	ABC123

4. JSON Example

{
  "reviews": [
    {
      "review_id": "REVIEW123",
      "reviewer": {
        "name": "John Doe"
      },
      "review_date": "2025-03-10",
      "rating": 4.5,
      "review_text": "Great product, highly recommend!",
      "product_ids": ["ABC123"]
    }
  ]
}

Dynamic Remarketing Feeds 

  1. XML Example – 
<feed>
  <entry>
    <g:id>SKU12345</g:id>
    <g:item_title>Sample Product</g:item_title>
    <g:item_description>This is a sample product description.</g:item_description>
    <g:final_url>http://www.example.com/product/SKU12345</g:final_url>
    <g:image_url>http://www.example.com/images/product_image.jpg</g:image_url>
    <g:price>29.99 USD</g:price>
    <g:brand>ExampleBrand</g:brand>
    <g:availability>in stock</g:availability>
  </entry>
</feed>

2. CSV Example –

ID,Item title,Final URL,Image URL,Price,Brand,Availability
SKU12345,Sample Product,http://www.example.com/product/SKU12345,http://www.example.com/images/product_image.jpg,29.99 USD,ExampleBrand,in stock

3. TXT Example – 

ID	Item title	Final URL	Image URL	Price	Brand	Availability
SKU12345	Sample Product	http://www.example.com/product/SKU12345	http://www.example.com/images/product_image.jpg	29.99 USD	ExampleBrand	in stock

4. JSON Example – 

{
  "products": [
    {
      "id": "SKU12345",
      "item_title": "Sample Product",
      "final_url": "http://www.example.com/product/SKU12345",
      "image_url": "http://www.example.com/images/product_image.jpg",
      "price": "29.99 USD",
      "brand": "ExampleBrand",
      "availability": "in stock"
    }
  ]
}

Google Manufacturer Feed

  1. XML Example – 
<feed xmlns:g="http://base.google.com/ns/1.0">
  <entry>
    <g:id>ABC123</g:id>
    <g:gtin>1234567890123</g:gtin>
    <g:brand>Your Brand</g:brand>
    <g:title>Sample Product</g:title>
    <g:description>This is a sample product description.</g:description>
    <g:image_link>http://www.yourstore.com/images/sample-product.jpg</g:image_link>
  </entry>
</feed>

2. CSV Example – 

id,gtin,brand,title,description,image_link
ABC123,1234567890123,Your Brand,Sample Product,This is a sample product description.,http://www.yourstore.com/images/sample-product.jpg

3. TXT Example –

id	gtin	brand	title	description	image_link
ABC123	1234567890123	Your Brand	Sample Product	This is a sample product description.	http://www.yourstore.com/images/sample-product.jpg

4. JSON Example – 

{
  "products": [
    {
      "id": "ABC123",
      "gtin": "1234567890123",
      "brand": "Your Brand",
      "title": "Sample Product",
      "description": "This is a sample product description.",
      "image_link": "http://www.yourstore.com/images/sample-product.jpg"
    }
  ]
}

Best Practices for Google Shopping Feed Examples

Now that you have seen Google Shopping Feed examples, you should elevate your feed to the next level. It all comes down to following a few key optimization practices. Here are five game-changing tips that can significantly enhance your product visibility and boost your conversion rates:

  • Use recognized barcodes (8,12,13,14 digits) from your Shopify products as globally recognized GTINs (Global Trade Item Numbers) in Google Merchant Center for better product visibility.
  • Make your product titles more engaging with relevant Google Shopping ads keywords and brand names. Consider using AdNabu’s AI-powered product title generator to optimize your titles effortlessly.
  • Keep it simple and clear by using standard color names in your color attributes.
  • Stay competitive with dynamic repricing based on market conditions.
  • Use custom labels to segment your products based on different criteria such as seasonality, profitability, or popularity.

These strategies can make a world of difference. So, why wait? Implement these best practices today, and prepare to see your Google Shopping Feed performance leap forward!

Conclusion

So far, we have seen how you can create effective Google Shopping feeds and how it is easy to insert it into Google Merchant Center.

With that, you can create successful feeds that are accurate and updated at all times, providing correct product information to your customers.

FAQs

What format should my Google Shopping Feed be in?
Google Shopping Feeds should be in XML, TSV, JSON or CSV format, following Google’s product data specifications.

How do I create a Google Shopping Feed?
You can create a Google Shopping Feed manually using a spreadsheet or XML, CSV, TXT, files, through e-commerce apps provided by WooCommerce, Shopify, BigCommerce, etc., or by using an automated feed management tool.

Where do I upload my Google Shopping Feed?
Upload your Google Shopping Feed to Google Merchant Center under the “Products” section using manual upload, scheduled fetch, or Content API. If you’re using Google Manufacturer Feeds, then you must feed the product data to Google Manufacturer Center.

How often should I update my Google Shopping Feed?
Update your feed at least once every 30 days; however, daily updates are recommended for price or stock changes.

How can I optimize my Google Shopping Feed for better performance?
Use high-quality images, precise product titles, relevant keywords, accurate GTINs, and competitive pricing to improve feed performance.

Why has my product been disapproved in Google Merchant Center?
Disapprovals occur due to missing attributes, incorrect GTINs, policy violations, or mismatched pricing and availability between the feed and website.

What are the essential attributes required in a Google Shopping Feed?
Key attributes include ID, title, description, link, image_link, price, availability, brand, GTIN, and product category.

Where can I find the Google product feed specification?
Google’s official product feed specifications are available in the Google Merchant Center Help documentation.

What is the Google product feed XML schema?
The Google product feed XML schema defines how product data should be structured using XML tags, following Google’s product feed specifications.

How does the Content API for Shopping work with Google Merchant Center?
The Content API for Shopping allows merchants to programmatically manage product listings, automate feed updates, and troubleshoot data issues in Google Merchant Center.

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SaaS content writer for AdNabu. 1.5+ years in the industry. A knack for SEO skills, with expertise in BoFu blogs. Started writing with a romance novel, and currently writing about products.

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