---
title: "Google's 2026 Merchant Center product spec, three effective dates"
url: https://seomadman.com/news/merchant-center-product-data-spec-2026
section: news
published: 2026-04-14T00:00:00.000Z
modified: 2026-04-14T00:00:00.000Z
author: Adam Hafez
topics: ["Structured data"]
---

# Google's 2026 Merchant Center product spec, three effective dates

## The short answer

Google updated the Merchant Center product data specification with three effective dates. New shipping attributes and a video_link attribute for product videos take effect 14 April 2026, video serving and quality validation begin 30 June 2026, and a 500x500 pixel minimum image resolution is enforced from 31 January 2027, after a warning period.

## Key takeaways

- New shipping attributes handling_cutoff_time and minimum_order_value, plus loyalty_program_label and loyalty_tier_label under shipping, take effect 14 April 2026.
- A new video_link attribute lets merchants submit product video links, with technical validation errors reported from 14 April 2026.
- Video serving plus policy and quality validation for video_link begins later, on 30 June 2026.
- Minimum image resolution rises to 500x500 pixels for image_link and additional_image_link, with warnings from 14 April 2026 and enforcement from 31 January 2027.
- Google says it will auto-optimize some undersized images using high-resolution near-duplicates or AI upscaling rather than rejecting them outright.

Google has updated the Merchant Center product data specification, and the changes land on three
different dates rather than one. Two new shipping-related attributes and a video attribute take
effect 14 April 2026, video serving and content validation follow on 30 June 2026, and a higher
minimum image resolution is enforced from 31 January 2027. The staggered rollout is the point:
merchants get a validation-only or warning-only period before anything is actually enforced.

## New shipping and video attributes, effective 14 April 2026

Two new product-level shipping attributes: `handling_cutoff_time`, the daily deadline for
processing an order before it slips to the next handling day, and `minimum_order_value`, a
minimum purchase threshold. Google also adds `loyalty_program_label` and `loyalty_tier_label` as
sub-attributes of `shipping`, so a shipping benefit can be tied to loyalty program membership.

The same date introduces `video_link`, a new attribute for submitting a link to a product video.
From 14 April 2026, Google only runs technical validation on it: malformed or broken links are
reported as feed errors. It does not yet check the video's content.

## Video serving and image resolution, on later dates

**30 June 2026.** Video serving begins, along with policy and quality validation for whatever a
`video_link` points to. Until this date a technically valid link sits in the feed without being
shown or checked for content; after it, Google evaluates and can serve the video itself.

**31 January 2027.** The minimum resolution for `image_link` and `additional_image_link` rises to
500x500 pixels across all product categories. Google issues warnings for undersized images
starting 14 April 2026, the same date as the shipping and video changes, giving merchants roughly
nine and a half months before enforcement begins. Google says it will auto-optimize some smaller
images itself, using high-resolution near-duplicate images or AI upscaling, rather than requiring
every merchant to re-source assets.

## Why we care

A three-date rollout for one spec update is unusual, and it matters for how you sequence work: the
image resolution warning starts the same day as the new attributes but does not bite for close to
a year, while video validation tightens in two separate steps. Treat 14 April 2026 as the date to
start feeding the new attributes and clearing image warnings, not the date enforcement lands.

## Frequently asked questions

### Do I need to add the new attributes right away?

They become effective 14 April 2026, but Google's own change log treats them as additive rather than as a replacement for existing fields. Add handling_cutoff_time and minimum_order_value where they apply to your shipping setup, and treat video_link as optional until you have real video assets to link.

### What happens to images below 500x500 pixels?

Nothing breaks immediately. Warnings start 14 April 2026 so you have time to fix source images, and enforcement does not begin until 31 January 2027. Google also says it will auto-optimize some smaller images using high-resolution near-duplicates or AI upscaling rather than disapproving them outright.

### Why does video_link have two dates instead of one?

Google separates the technical check from the substantive one. From 14 April 2026 it validates that a submitted link is well-formed and reports errors on the feed. From 30 June 2026 it starts actually serving the video and applying policy and quality validation to what is shown.

## Sources

1. [Product data specification: Shopping ads and free listings](https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/16989427?hl=en) - Google Merchant Center Help (primary)
2. [Google Updates Some Merchant Center Product Spec](https://www.seroundtable.com/google-updates-some-merchant-center-product-spec-41171.html) - Search Engine Roundtable