Google Shopping XML feed: spec, optimization, and dynamic images for 2026.

• Since April 14, 2026: new attributes are live: handling_cutoff_time, minimum_order_value, video_link, plus loyalty program sub-attributes. They are optional; Merchant Center reports technical validation errors on them, and images under 500×500 get warnings.
• Since June 30, 2026: videos submitted via video_link are eligible to serve on Google Shopping listings, with quality and policy validation.
• From September 30, 2026: in the UK, Switzerland, and the EEA, pickup-cost and minimum-order attributes become mandatory for in-store products enabled for pickup. No pickup there, no change for you.
• From January 31, 2027: minimum image size of 500×500 pixels enforced. Until then the minimum is 100×100 (non-apparel) and 250×250 (apparel). Products under 500×500 get warnings now and disapprovals after this date.

What each date changed, and what to do about it, is in our Google Merchant Center 2026 changes article.

Google strictly requires only seven fields for every product. The rest are conditional, required only when certain other fields are set. Emberfeed's validator checks these fields and common format issues on every product and shows which ones fail before you ship. It also measures product photos, while rendering them and in the background after each refresh, and flags the ones under Google's size minimum.

Strictly required (all products)

• idUnique stable identifier per product. Don't reuse, don't change.
• titleProduct name. ≤150 chars. Or use structured_title for AI-readable structured data.
• descriptionUp to 5,000 chars. Or use structured_description.
• linkProduct page URL. Must be live (200) when GMC fetches.
• image_linkPrimary product image URL. 500×500 min enforced January 31, 2027.
• availabilityin_stock, out_of_stock, preorder, or backorder.
• priceNumber + ISO 4217 currency code. e.g. "299.00 CZK".

Conditionally required

• conditionRequired for used or refurbished products. Values: new, refurbished, used.
• brandRequired for new branded products, except movies, books, and musical recordings.
• gtinRequired when manufacturer-assigned GTIN exists for the product.
• mpnRequired only when product has no manufacturer GTIN.
• identifier_existsSet false when product has no GTIN/MPN. Violations are now warning-only (not disapproval) since late 2023.
• availability_dateRequired when availability = preorder or backorder.

Optional: google_product_category Google auto-classifies if omitted, but setting it manually improves Performance Max optimisation.

• →Minimum: 500×500 pixels (enforced January 31, 2027). Already a warning before that date. Apparel was historically 250×250, that drops too.
• →Recommended: 1500×1500 pixels or larger. Google's image guidelines also say not to scale up an image or submit a thumbnail, so a small photo needs a larger original, not an enlarged copy.
• →Max file size: 16 MB. Max megapixels: 64.
• →Formats: JPEG, WebP, PNG, GIF (non-animated), BMP, TIFF.
• →Background: Solid white or transparent. Product fills 75–90% of the frame.
• →Forbidden: two canonical diagnostics, "Promotional overlay on image" (any promotional text/graphics: "SALE", "20% OFF", urgency banners, price stickers) and "Generic image" (logo as the product image, placeholders, single-colour squares, stock photos). Also: borders, watermarks, brand overlays as decoration.
• →AI-generated images REQUIRE IPTC metadata: mandatory since February 2024. Set DigitalSourceType to one of: TrainedAlgorithmicMedia, CompositeSynthetic, AlgorithmicMedia. Applies to image_link, additional_image_link, lifestyle_image_link.

The trickiest GMC image rule is the prohibition on promotional overlays. You can't put "SALE" or "20% OFF" text on theimage_linkyou submit, Google rejects it. But Meta lets you. So the same product needs different image variants for different platforms.

Emberfeed solves this with one-click feed duplication. Keep a Google feed with a clean, no-overlay template (no text, no logo, no border, white background, product filling 75–90% of the frame). Duplicate it for Meta with the same source URL but an aggressive promo template (price overlays, "SALE" badges, brand frames). Each feed serves its own URL. The same product, automatically rendered the right way for each platform.

One limit to know: Emberfeed doesn't inspect the rendered images for overlays, so keeping the Google template clean is a design decision you make once. The duplicate-feed setup is what keeps it from drifting.

DataFeedWatch and Channable are the standard international feed managers. Neither publishes a simple price list (DataFeedWatch hides its prices, Channable sells packages by items and channels); third-party reviews put their entry plans under $100 a month, rising with SKUs, channels, and add-ons. Cropink's entry tier is $39/month (≤100 products); Marpipe starts at $199/month; Confect publishes $299/$499/$999 tiers. In the Czech market the popular stack is Mergado's entry tariff (286 CZK/mo) + feed-image-editor.cz (1,986 CZK/mo), about 2,272 CZK a month combined (excl. VAT) for the dynamic-image side of things, more on bigger catalogues and with extra Mergado apps for advanced data work.

Emberfeed combines feed editing and templated catalog images in one tool: field rules, checks of the required fields, and a per-product image rendered from one template, with no separate tools to wire together. ~€25/month per feed. Free for 3 months on one feed up to 1,000 products.