Google Revises Return Policy Structured Data

Google has introduced a new requirement for ecommerce businesses, mandating that return policies in structured data must specify the applicable country or region. This change aims to provide customers with clearer information on returns based on their location.

Previously, merchants could list return policies without specifying the country, which sometimes led to confusion for international shoppers. By making country-specific details a requirement, Google seeks to improve transparency and accuracy in ecommerce listings.

Online retailers are now advised to review their product structured data and ensure compliance with this update. Failing to include country information could affect how return policies appear in search results, potentially impacting customer trust and conversions.

To stay compliant, merchants should update their structured data as soon as possible. This simple adjustment can enhance the shopping experience for customers while ensuring visibility in Google’s search ecosystem.

Google has introduced an update to its guidelines for merchant listings, requiring businesses to provide more detailed return policy information. This change aims to enhance clarity for online shoppers by specifying which country a return policy applies to.

As part of the update, merchants must now include the returnPolicyCountry field when using structured data. This field is now mandatory in the MerchantReturnPolicy schema, ensuring that return policies are accurately displayed based on location.

Ecommerce businesses should review their structured data implementation to ensure compliance with these new requirements. Failure to include the required country information could impact search visibility and the effectiveness of return policies in Google’s search results.

To maintain compliance and improve the shopping experience, merchants should update their return policy markup as soon as possible. Keeping structured data accurate and up to date can help build customer trust and improve overall ecommerce performance.

What Has Changed

Previously, the MerchantReturnPolicy type included several key properties, such as returnPolicyCategory, merchantReturnDays, and returnFees. However, Google has now explicitly emphasised that returnPolicyCountry is a required field, ensuring that return policies are clearly defined for specific locations.

The latest documentation update provides a structured example to guide merchants in properly formatting their return policy information. This change helps ecommerce businesses align with Google’s requirements and maintain accurate return policy details in search results.

In the updated example, the returnPolicyCountry field is clearly included alongside other return policy attributes. The structured data specifies the applicable country, return timeframe, method of return, and whether returns are free or incur fees.

Merchants should review their structured data and update their MerchantReturnPolicy markup accordingly. Ensuring compliance with Google’s updated guidelines can help maintain visibility in search results and improve the overall shopping experience for customers.

Implementation Recommendations

Merchants using structured data for their product pages should review and update their markup to ensure compliance with Google’s latest guidelines. Specifically, the returnPolicyCountry field must be included in any MerchantReturnPolicy implementation to indicate where the return policy applies.

This field should follow the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 format, which uses a two-letter country code to specify the applicable region. Including this information helps ensure that return policies are accurately represented in search results, improving transparency for customers.

In addition to returnPolicyCountry, Google recommends including other key properties for a comprehensive return policy. These include merchantReturnDays (the number of days a product can be returned), returnFees (whether returns are free or paid), returnMethod (how returns are processed, such as by mail or in-store), and returnShippingFeesAmount (the cost of return shipping, if applicable).

To verify their structured data implementation, merchants can use Google’s Rich Results Test tool and track their performance through Search Console reporting. For full details and best practices, refer to the updated Google Search Central documentation.