Google has recently rolled out a significant update to its policy on unit pricing measures, which will impact many merchants advertising through Shopping ads and free listings.
What Changed?
Until now, adding the unit pricing measure attribute has been mostly optional. In fact, the only place where it was consistently required was in Germany for specific categories, such as perfumes and liquids. That’s no longer the case.
With the new policy update, Google now requires unit pricing measures for products sold in the EU, EFTA countries, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. This means that products sold by weight, volume, length, or area must display a unit price to comply with local regulations.
What This Means for Merchants
If you sell products in these regions, expect to see warnings and most likely disapprovals in your Google Merchant Center account if you don’t provide unit pricing. In other words, your products will not be eligible to show until you fix the missing attribute.
To stay compliant, you’ll need to make sure your backend includes:
- Base price units (such as per kilogram, per liter, per meter, etc.)
- Product sizes, weights, or volumes
This information can then be submitted in your product feed so Google can display the correct unit pricing alongside your standard price.
Categories Likely to Be Affected
The new requirement applies to a broad range of products, including:
- Food and beverages
- Hardware
- Office supplies
- Flooring and building materials
- Business cards
- Perfumes and cosmetics
While this list is not exhaustive, it gives an idea of the types of products where unit pricing will now be enforced.
Final Thoughts
For merchants, this is more than just a minor policy tweak, it’s a shift that could directly affect product eligibility and visibility. If you don’t already include unit pricing in your product data, now is the time to set it up.
If you’re unsure how to implement the attribute or need help troubleshooting warnings in Merchant Center, consider reaching out to a Google Shopping specialist who can guide you through the process.