TL;DR Summary:
Flexible Availability Display: Merchants can now show out-of-stock products using clear text like "sold out," disabled buy buttons, or grayed-out options instead of being forced to use only one method.Variant-Specific Control: When selling products in multiple sizes or colors, you can disable individual options in selection grids to show customers which specific variants are unavailable while keeping the listing active.Preorder and Delivery Details: Landing pages must clearly display expected shipping dates for preorder and backorder items, plus any delivery restrictions such as store pickup only or other limitations customers need to know.What are the new Google Merchant Center landing page requirements for out-of-stock products?
Google just expanded the options merchants have for displaying out-of-stock products in their Google Merchant Center landing pages. The update gives you more flexibility while still requiring clear availability information for online purchases.
Updated Google Merchant Center Landing Page Requirements
The new Google Merchant Center landing page requirements replace the old rule that forced merchants to gray out buy buttons for unavailable items. You now have several ways to show when products are out of stock.
For out-of-stock products, you can display clear text like “sold out” or “item not available.” You can still use a disabled or grayed-out buy button if you prefer. When your page shows multiple product variants, you can disable specific options in the selection grid to show which ones are unavailable.
Products that are available for purchase must feature a working “buy” or “add to basket” button. This requirement stays the same.
New Options for Preorder and Backorder Items
The updated requirements also address preorder and backorder situations. Your landing pages for these items must display the expected shipping date clearly.
Any delivery restrictions must appear on the landing page too. This includes notices like “store pickup only” or other limitations customers need to know about.
Why This Change Helps Merchants
Emmanuel Flossie from Feedarmy, who first spotted this update, called it “a positive change for merchants.” The previous Google Merchant Center landing page requirements were more restrictive.
The old rules required graying out buttons specifically. Now you have more control over how you communicate availability to customers while meeting Google’s standards.
This flexibility means you can match your brand’s design and user experience preferences. Some merchants find text notifications work better than disabled buttons for their customers.
Ensuring Compliance with Multiple Product Variants
The variant-specific guidance addresses a common challenge for merchants. When you sell items in different sizes, colors, or configurations, you can now disable individual options rather than the entire product listing.
This approach gives customers better information about what they can actually buy. It also helps your pages meet Google’s requirement for clear availability displays.
As merchants update their product pages to use these more flexible options, monitoring tools like Screpy can automatically audit your landing pages to verify compliance with the new standards. Screpy helps identify pages that still use outdated implementations or fail to clearly display product availability as required. Since Google regularly updates Merchant Center requirements, using automated monitoring ensures your product pages stay compliant without manual checking of every listing through Screpy.
