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Unit pricing

Unit pricing is showing a product's price per standard quantity, such as per kilogram or per litre, so that buyers can compare packs of different sizes.

How it works

EU law requires traders to show the unit price along with the selling price, unless the two are the same. Any advertisement that mentions the price must show it too. EU countries may exempt products where a unit price would not be useful, so the exact list differs by country. A store in cross-border ecommerce checks the rules of each country it sells to.

In the feed, the unit price comes from two attributes: unit_pricing_measure, the quantity in the pack, and unit_pricing_base_measure, the quantity the unit price is given for. Google treats both as optional unless local law requires them. Google calculates the unit price from the pack’s price, or from the sale price while one is active. EU feed attributes for unit pricing covers how to fill both.

Formula

Unit price = price ÷ unit pricing measure × unit pricing base measure

Where you see it

Merchant Center reports problems with these attributes as product issues. Google’s issue list for the Content API calls them “Invalid measure” and “Missing measure”.

Example

Example store, not client data.

The tableware shop also sells dishwashing liquid. A 750 ml bottle costs 6.00, and the feed sends unit_pricing_measure: 750 ml and unit_pricing_base_measure: 100 ml. Unit price = 6.00 ÷ 750 × 100 = 0.80 per 100 ml. A 500 ml bottle at 4.50 comes to 4.50 ÷ 500 × 100 = 0.90 per 100 ml, so the larger bottle costs less per 100 ml.

Right and wrong readings

  • Wrong: “Put the price per 100 ml into price.” Right: price stays 6.00, the price of the bottle. The unit price follows from the two quantity attributes.
  • Wrong: “A base of 0.1 l is the same as 100 ml.” Right: the base takes a whole number from a short list (1, 2, 4, 8, 10, 100) with a unit. Send 100 ml.
  • Wrong: “The base alone is enough.” Right: Google flags a base without the quantity as a missing measure.

Sources