Google's inventory verification programme checks product information in your local shops to ensure that it matches the information that you provide in your inventory data. This programme helps ensure the accuracy of information in local inventory ads and free local listings. Learn more about requesting inventory verification.
On this page
- Required inventory verifications per online shop experience
- Inventory verification process
- Inventory re-verification
- Request inventory verification
Required inventory verifications per online shop experience
You can initiate inventory verification checks after submitting your product data and validating your inventory contact. Depending on your landing page experience, you'll need to complete a minimum number of inventory verifications.
Note: If any inventory verification is unsuccessful, the number of inventory verifications can exceed the minimum number of inventory verifications listed below.
|
Number of inventory verifications per number of shops |
||
|
Landing page experience |
1–2 shops |
3+ shops |
|
In-store product and price availability hosted on Google |
1 | 3 |
| 0 | 0 | |
|
Store-specific product page with in-store availability and price |
0 | 0 |
Inventory verification process
After you have requested inventory verification, Google will email you to confirm that your account is ready for the inventory verification stage. Here's how the inventory verification process works:
- You submit your shop representative's contact information and their availability to conduct the review. This person can be someone who works in your shop, a marketing team member or an intern.
- On an agreed-upon date, Google will email your shop representative a survey form with a random selection of 100 products pulled from the shop's data feeds. Using the form, the shop representative needs to add the price and availability of said products in the shop. The form is compatible with all browsers.
- The shop representative also needs to photograph some products, clearly showing the product label and shelf price or price tag.
Once in your shop, the verification process takes approximately two hours per shop. The survey form must be completed within the same working day. Once you have completed the inventory verification, submit the survey to transfer the results.
Inventory re-verification
Once your local inventory ads or free local listings are live, Google may require additional inventory verifications to be conducted. These checks help to ensure that the product, price and availability information of your local products continues to be accurate. We recommend that you update any price and availability changes in your inventory data as frequently as possible and refresh your inventory data at least once per day.
Request inventory verification
When using in-store product and price availability hosted on Google, you will be asked to perform an inventory verification. After you've provided your product and inventory data, you'll be asked to provide an inventory verification contact email address.
In your Merchant Center account, click the Settings and tools icon
. Then, select Add-ons.
Select your add-ons.
In the 'Local inventory ads' or 'Free local listings' card, click Go to local inventory ads or Go to free local listings.
Click Continue setup next to the country in which you want to request inventory verification.
Select 'Verify your inventory data'.
Enter the name and email for the contact information for someone who can coordinate the inventory verification. That person will receive an email from Google to verify their email address.
Click on Request inventory verification.
Note: The Request inventory verification button will only be turned on within 48 hours of the contact name and email address having been provided, and your shop and inventory data having been added.
Inventory verification review status
In your Merchant Center account, click the Settings and tools icon
. Then, select Add-ons.
Select your add-ons.
In the 'Local inventory ads' or 'Free local listings' card, click Go to local inventory ads or Go to free local listings.
Click Show me next to the country that you want to view the status of.
Select 'Verify your inventory data'.
Check the status at the bottom.
Your product page with in-store availability status may show:
- Verified: No further action needed.
- Under review: If you haven't scheduled an inventory check yet, your inventory verification contact should have received an email from Google to schedule it. If you have already submitted the inventory verification form, we are reviewing the data provided. This can take up to seven working days.
- Ineligible: Google has reviewed the data provided and found mismatches between your inventory data and what's in your shop. After the inventory data has been updated, you can request a new inventory verification.