Feed error
Item disapprovedMissing value: size
The "Missing value [size]" issue means a clothing or shoe item was submitted without a size. On Shopify the size is normally a variant option, so the error points at a feed that does not map that option per variant, or at one-size products that have no size option at all.
How this appears in your account
The exact wording the channel shows, so you can match what you are looking at.
- Missing value [size]
- Missing value: size [size], color [color], gender [gender], age group [age_group]
- Missing value: Size
What it affects
- Channels
- Google Shopping Microsoft Advertising
- Attributes
- google_product_category item_group_id
- Scope
- A subset of items
Why it happens on Shopify
The size option is not mapped per variant
Shopify keeps size in one of the variant options, Option1 to Option3, under whatever name the merchant chose: "Size", "Größe", "EU size" or "Waist". A feed that does not resolve that option for every variant leaves size empty.
The feed is built at product level
A product-level feed sends one row per product, so there is no single size to report for a shirt sold in five sizes. Size only makes sense when each variant is its own row.
One-size products have no size option
Scarves, hats and socks sold in a single size usually have no options in Shopify, so their only variant is the "Default Title" variant. They still need a size value if they fall into a category that requires one.
The product was placed in a size-requiring category
Size is required for Clothing and Shoes. If google_product_category is missing and Google assigns one automatically, products can end up in those categories and be asked for a size they were never meant to have.
How to fix it
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Find the size option in each product
List the option names used across the catalogue. Most stores have several spellings and languages for the same idea, and the mapping has to cover all of them rather than the one you expect.
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Send size from the variant, one row per variant
Make sure the feed emits each variant as a separate row with its own id, a shared item_group_id and its own size value. This is what lets the channel show the correct size and price for each variant.
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Label one-size products explicitly
Send a value such as "one size", "OS" or "OSFA" for products sold in a single size. Google asks merchants not to use placeholders such as "n/a", "none" or "multisize".
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Add size_system and size_type where they help
Size values like "38" mean different things in EU and US sizing. The size_system and size_type attributes are optional, but supplying them removes the ambiguity for shoes and international catalogues.
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Correct the category where it is wrong
If accessories that do not come in sizes are being asked for one, set google_product_category so they leave the Clothing and Shoes categories that require it.
How feedlab handles this
feedlab syncs each Shopify variant with its options, so a rule can take size from any option whose name means size and set a "one size" value for products that only have the Default Title variant. The preview shows every variant that would still be missing a size against your real catalogue before the feed is published.
Frequently asked questions
Which products have to include a size?
Google requires size for products in the Clothing and Shoes categories, for free listings and for Shopping ads targeting Brazil, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. It also recommends sending size for any product that varies by size.
What should I send for products that only come in one size?
A one-size value such as "one size", "OS" or "OSFA". Do not send "n/a" or "none", which Google treats as invalid placeholders rather than sizes.
Can I send all sizes in one row?
Not for a product sold in several sizes. Each size should be its own variant row with its own id and size, grouped under a shared item_group_id. Listing every size in one row hides which size a shopper is actually buying.
Related errors
- Missing value: color The "Missing value [color]" issue means an apparel item reached Merchant Center without the colour attribute it requires. On Shopify the colour usually exists, but as a variant option or in the product title rather than a dedicated field, so a feed that does not map the option explicitly leaves color empty.
- Missing value: item group ID The "Missing value [item_group_id]" issue means variants of one product reached the channel without the shared group ID that ties them together. On Shopify it usually means the feed emits a row per variant but never sends the parent product ID, or builds ids in a way that loses the link between variants.
- Missing value: gender The "Missing value [gender]" issue means an apparel item was submitted without saying who it is for. Shopify has no gender field on products, so the information usually lives only in a collection, a tag or the title, and the feed sends nothing unless gender is mapped from one of those deliberately.
- Missing value: age group The "Missing value [age_group]" issue means an apparel item was submitted without saying whether it is for adults, kids or babies. Shopify has no age group field, so stores that sell mainly adult clothing rarely record it anywhere and the feed sends nothing unless a rule supplies it.
Primary sources
Channel specifications change. These are the official documents this page is based on.