Google has quietly added two new requirements to its Merchant Center product data specification. One affects any business running local inventory ads. The other affects products that need warranty disclosure under a Canadian law. Neither change comes with a loud announcement or a clear deadline — which is exactly why advertisers should check their feeds now, before Diwali on November 8 and Black Friday on November 27 bring the year’s highest-stakes traffic.
This article explains both changes in plain terms, what we could verify directly from Google’s own documentation, and what remains open or unconfirmed.
Google’s Merchant Center Help page for store_address lists it plainly as “Required” for each applicable product. The attribute specifies the postal address of the physical store where a product is available — separate from store_code, which must still match the store codes in your verified Google Business Profile.
Local inventory ads (the paid Shopping format showing in-store stock) and free local product listings. Since local inventory ads became enabled by default for many linked Merchant Center accounts in August 2026, more advertisers than ever are now subject to this requirement, often without realising it.
Google’s own help documentation states that products failing minimum requirements are disapproved, and Merchant Center flags the affected items in your account. For a brand depending on local-stock visibility during festive shopping, that is lost visibility at the worst possible time.
A genuinely useful distinction here: store_address does not replace store_code. You likely still need both — the address identifies the store, and the code links that store back to your Business Profile.
Google’s product data specification now documents a warranty attribute as required for products that need warranty information shown under regional law — explicitly citing Quebec’s Bill 29, Canada, which took effect October 5, 2026. For vehicle ads (a separate, Japan-only use case), the attribute remains optional.
Quebec’s Bill 29 amended the province’s Consumer Protection Act to require a prominent, displayed warranty period on 14 categories of goods — from 3 years on laptops and phones to 6 years on major appliances — shown near the advertised price, in-store, online, and in ads. Businesses cannot exclude or shorten that legal minimum.
Google has not published when the warranty duration will actually start appearing on live ads and listings, beyond saying it will begin “later this year.” Whether it will ever extend beyond Quebec to other markets is not stated either.
store_address is the one with real, immediate local relevance: any Kolkata, Bengaluru, Delhi NCR, or Chandigarh retailer running local inventory ads — showing “in stock nearby” on Shopping listings — needs this field correct today, not after a disapproval notice arrives mid-festive-season.
warranty is narrower. It matters directly only if you sell into Canada, particularly Quebec. But it is worth watching as a pattern: Google is increasingly building region-specific legal-compliance fields directly into its global feed specification. A similar mandatory attribute tied to Indian consumer-protection requirements is plausible in the future, though nothing like that has been announced, and this should be read as an informed observation, not a prediction.
Our feed optimization experts can map your SKU-level warranties, clean up your local inventory store codes, and keep your Shopping ads running smoothly.
A 15-minute session?
Take the first step toward future-proof growth:
For a Direct Business Query: Call us at 99034 72194
For a Quick Consultation: WhatsApp our team at 79807 31010
#GoogleMerchantCenter #GoogleShopping #GoogleAds #PerformanceMax #EcommerceMarketing #DiwaliMarketing #DigitalMarketingIndia #PPC #TejomDigital
Google just announced five changes to show more, and more prominent, links inside AI Mode and AI Overviews. This Google AI Mode more links 2026 update includes a tested “official site” section and 7x growth in Preferred Sources use. Here’s what changed, what’s still unconfirmed, and what it means for your content strategy.
Shopify’s AI shopping channels — Meta’s Muse, Google’s AI Mode, Microsoft Copilot, and ChatGPT — are switched on by default for eligible stores, not opt-in. Here’s exactly what’s shared, what direct checkout means for your analytics, and what to audit before your festive sales traffic arrives.
LinkedIn CTV ads for B2B marketers just became easier to buy at scale — LinkedIn’s professional audience data now reaches Connected TV through Google’s DV360. Here’s what’s confirmed, what’s still unclear, and what it means for 2027 account-based marketing budgets.
OpenAI has started testing a new ad format inside ChatGPT: labeled display ads next to the images users generate. It’s US-only for now, but it signals where AI chat advertising is headed. Here’s what ChatGPT image generation ads actually involve, what’s confirmed, and what Indian marketers should watch before it reaches here.
Google Ads customer retention goals have moved from beta to wide availability this month, with new Shopping support and a percentage-based value multiplier. Here’s what actually changed, what Google hasn’t confirmed yet, and how to use it to hold onto the festive-season buyers you’re about to acquire.
Google confirmed on its Q3 2026 earnings call that AI Mode ads are scaling to more countries and gaining a new multi-turn ad format, even as Search revenue growth slows. Here’s what Google AI Mode ads in 2026 mean for advertisers already running campaigns in India — and the practical steps to take now.
Google’s Q3 2026 earnings call revealed that year-over-year search query growth is the highest it has been in five years, fuelled by AI Mode and more conversational, multimodal searching. Here’s what this ai search query growth means for how Indian businesses should plan content and SEO for the months ahead.
Discover how Tier-2 and Tier-3 Markets Driving the Next Wave of Social Commerce are reshaping Indian retail. Insights on vernacular video discovery, micro-entrepreneurs, and D2C strategy from Tejom Insights.
Google just added two new budget-allocation modes to the Recommendations page. This guide breaks down Google Ads Holistic Mode vs Growth Mode — what each one does, which campaigns they apply to, and how to decide before festive-quarter budgets are locked.
Google Ads AI labeling requirements took effect in July 2026, letting advertisers disclose when ad creative is made or edited with AI. Here’s what to check before your festive campaigns go live.
Google quietly added a way to see which of your pages get traffic from image-based searches. This guide explains the new Google Search Console multimodal filter — what it covers, what it doesn’t show, and what site owners with visual product catalogs should actually do about it.
Amazon Great Indian Festival opens October 8, with Flipkart Big Billion Days the same week. This Amazon Great Indian Festival advertising strategy guide walks D2C and FMCG sellers through budget pacing, Sponsored Ads allocation, and daily campaign management for the biggest marketplace sale window of the year.
ASCI’s draft AI content labelling guidelines could reshape how Indian brands disclose AI-generated and AI-enhanced ad creative. Here’s what the draft actually says, its current status, and what advertisers should do before festive-season production scales up.
If you run Google Ads, this Google Ads AI Max migration guide explains what changed when your Search campaigns auto-upgraded on September 1, 2026 — and the specific checks to run this week so automation doesn’t quietly drain your budget before the festive season.
Durga Puja and Diwali fall five and eight weeks from now. This festive season marketing calendar 2026 walks through what Indian brands — especially in Kolkata, Bengaluru, Delhi NCR, and Chandigarh — should be locking in this month to avoid a rushed, underprepared festive push.
In an era where digital content moves at breakneck speed, cutting corners with budget agencies or unvetted freelancers can invite catastrophic legal liability. This ready reckoner breaks down how unlicensed stock photos, stolen vectors, and unverified media assets can result in hefty copyright penalties under Section 63 of the Indian Copyright Act, forced rebrands, and lasting reputational fallout.
