Google Product Categories

Product categories are used by Google and Facebook to help them identify your products and to better match them to search queries.

Google and Facebook have each defined their own taxonomies, whereby Facebook actually recognizes both types of categories. More information about product categories can be found here: google_product_category: Definition
or here in regards of Facebook: Product Categories

Some product categories might require additional fields in the feed.

There are a number of ways to set the google_product_category

• If you have already provided product types on Shopify, you can create mapping rules which should assign the Google product category (GPC) automatically. Please refer to our tutorial "Create Mapping Rules in Flexify".

• the recommended way is to use Shopify’s own Google Shopping Sales Channel. The Flexify app will pick up those categories and use them for your Facebook Product Feed as well. Do the work once, use it twice!

• the Facebook Sales Channel - it will add a Google product category automatically

• the old Google Shopping App

• the product metafield facebook.google_product_category

If you want all variants of a product to get this product category, you can either use a metafield app (e.g. Matrixify app, Metafield guru) or the Shopify bulk editor link like so (please replace STORE_NAME with your Shopify domain):

https://admin.shopify.com/store/STORE_NAME/bulk?resource_name=Product&edit=metafields.facebook.google_product_category:string

• the variant metafield facebook.google_product_category

If you want only the selected variant to get this product category, you can either use a metafield app or the Shopify bulk editor link like so (please replace STORE_NAME with your Shopify domain):

https://admin.shopify.com/store/STORE_NAME/bulk?resource_name=ProductVariant&edit=metafields.facebook.google_product_category&show=full_title

You can find more information on employing metafields for GPC in our article titled "Why do I receive a 'No Shopify Product Type' warning on my Flexify Feed Quality Page?".

Please note, if more than one product category has been found, the last entry will be prioritized.

By the way: we will also re-use the “custom label” fields that you set with the Google Shopping Sales Channel. As well as the condition, age_group, brand, color, material, size, pattern, style and the gender fields provided with the following variants metafields:

UPDATE: The Google product category field is required on Pinterest. While it is safe to ignore the warning when uploading products to Facebook, you need to set the field on Pinterest!