Feed attribute
identifier_exists
Identifier exists declaration
The identifier_exists attribute is an explicit declaration that a product has no manufacturer-assigned identifiers, set to no when a GTIN, MPN and brand genuinely do not exist for the item. It is a statement about the product, not a way to silence identifier warnings, and channels treat misuse as a data quality problem rather than a resolution.
Specification
- Attribute
- identifier_exists
- Data type
- Boolean
- Format
- Accepts yes or no, with yes being the default when the attribute is omitted. Set it to no only for custom, handmade, vintage or one-off goods where no manufacturer has assigned an identifier. When set to no, the channel stops expecting gtin and mpn for that item.
- Examples
-
noyes
Support by channel
How each channel treats identifier_exists.
| Channel | Requirement | Field name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Shopping | Optional | identifier_exists | Defaults to yes. Set to no only for genuinely unidentified products. |
| Microsoft Advertising | Optional | identifier_exists | |
| OpenAI | Not supported | identifier_exists | No equivalent. OpenAI treats gtin and mpn as optional attributes rather than asking you to declare their absence. |
Frequently asked questions
Can I set identifier_exists to no to stop GTIN warnings?
You can, but it is the wrong fix when the products do have barcodes you simply have not entered. The declaration tells the channel not to expect identifiers, which removes the item from identifier-based matching and generally reduces how well it competes. Use it only when the product genuinely has no manufacturer identifier.
When is identifier_exists set to no legitimate?
For custom, handmade, made-to-order, vintage and one-off products, and for own-brand goods where no GTIN has ever been assigned. These are exactly the cases the attribute exists for.
What happens if I omit identifier_exists?
It defaults to yes, meaning the channel expects the item to have identifiers and will warn or disapprove when gtin and mpn are missing for products it believes should have them.
Errors involving this attribute
Related attributes
- gtin The gtin attribute is the globally unique barcode number a manufacturer assigns to a product, covering UPC, EAN, JAN and ISBN formats. Channels use it to match an item against the same product sold elsewhere, and on Shopify it comes from the variant's barcode field, which is optional in the admin and therefore frequently empty.
- mpn The mpn attribute is the part number a manufacturer uses to identify a product in its own catalogue, and it serves as the fallback identifier when an item has no GTIN. Unlike a GTIN it is only unique within one manufacturer, so it is meaningless to a channel unless the brand attribute is supplied alongside it.
- brand The brand attribute is the name of the brand a product belongs to, and it is what makes a manufacturer part number meaningful and a listing eligible for brand-based matching. On Shopify it maps most often from the vendor field, which is unreliable because merchants commonly use vendor to record a supplier or distributor rather than the consumer-facing brand.
Related concepts
Primary sources
Channel specifications change. These are the official documents this page is based on.