Product matching
Product matching means confirming which real product a supplier’s row describes, using its codes and specifications, before any value is copied onto it.
- Product identification
- Record matching
What it means
Tie each supplier row to one real product before adding any value to it. Match in order of certainty:
- A valid GTIN: the right length, a check digit that passes, and outside the ranges Google rules out.1
- Brand and MPN together, with the part number exactly as the manufacturer writes it. A part number alone is not enough, because two manufacturers can use the same one.
- The product name, accepted only when a hard specification on the page, such as a width or a voltage, agrees with what you already know.
- Otherwise, unmatched: mark the row as such and never fill it from the nearest lookalike.
A check digit proves a number is well formed, not that it is the right product. A valid GTIN on the wrong row passes every arithmetic test. Model codes are looser still, as one code can cover versions sold with a different plug or voltage. Confirm each match on the product page, and note which step it came from.
Think of it like this
Claiming a suitcase at the airport follows the same order. The tag number settles it; failing that, the brand and model; failing that, a description, accepted only when your own jumper turns up inside.
For example
A row gives Brackmore and NX4821W, with no barcode. Brackmore writes the part number NX-4821-W, and a machine comparing the two sees different codes, so the hyphens go back in first. The match is accepted once the page’s 595 mm width agrees with the row.
Why it matters
Every value added later rests on the match. A capacity copied from the wrong page looks finished while being wrong, which is worse than a blank. Channels depend on it too: Google says “Accurate matching to products can’t be assured when GTIN is missing”.1
Not to be confused with
Product matching differs from finding a duplicate product, though both use the same keys. Matching ties a row to a real product; a duplicate check finds two rows tied to the same one.
Sources
- Google Merchant Center Help. GTIN [gtin].