# Consumer electronics Electronics is the vertical where identifiers are least negotiable, because every unit has a manufacturer barcode and channels use it to compare your price against everyone else selling the same model. In the EU, energy-labelled goods additionally need a certification declaration. - **Canonical URL:** https://www.feedlab.io/knowledge/verticals/consumer-electronics - **Last reviewed:** 18 September 2026 - **Source:** feedlab knowledge base - **Licence:** free to quote and cite with attribution to feedlab ## Categories this covers - `Electronics` - `Electronics > Audio` - `Electronics > Computers` - `Electronics > Video` - `Home & Garden > Kitchen & Dining > Kitchen Appliances` ## Attributes this vertical changes | Attribute | Requirement here | Why | | --- | --- | --- | | `gtin` | Required | Every unit has a manufacturer barcode, and matching on it is how the channel builds the comparison a shopper sees. An empty gtin here is a data gap, never a product without an identifier. | | `mpn` | Required | Model numbers are how electronics are actually identified, and they distinguish regional variants of the same product that share little else. | | `brand` | Required | Manufacturer brands are the primary way shoppers navigate this vertical, and brand with mpn is the fallback identifier pair when a barcode is missing. | | `condition` | Required | Refurbished and open-box stock is normal here and sells alongside new. Declaring condition is what stops a refurbished unit competing as new and being reported for it. | | `certification` | Required in some cases | Carries EU energy label data for product groups covered by the labelling rules, such as large appliances, displays and light sources. Older feeds used energy_efficiency_class for the same purpose. | | `multipack` | Required in some cases | Required where you have bundled identical units yourself, such as a two-pack of smart plugs, so the pack is not matched against a single unit. | | `is_bundle` | Required in some cases | Required for a main product sold with accessories, such as a camera with a lens kit, which is otherwise matched against the bare body and looks overpriced. | ## What catches these stores out ### Price comparison is unforgiving when matching works A correct gtin puts your listing directly against every other seller of the same unit. That is the point of the identifier, and it means a mapping fix can move an item from invisible to visibly expensive. The answer is still to get the identifier right, but it is worth knowing which problem you have just revealed. ### Regional variants share a model name and nothing else The same device sold in the UK and the EU can differ in plug, frequency band and included accessories while carrying almost the same name. The mpn and the gtin are what separate them. Mapping a generic model number across regions creates matches that are wrong in ways a shopper discovers after delivery. ### Bundles are matched against their cheapest component A console sold with two games and no is_bundle declaration is matched against the bare console. Your listing then looks expensive against sellers of the component rather than competitive against sellers of the bundle. ### Refurbished stock imported as new Refurbished units are commonly loaded into Shopify as ordinary products with nothing but a word in the title to distinguish them. Condition has to come from a tag, a metafield or a collection, and getting it wrong is the kind of error that affects account standing rather than a single item. ### Energy labelling is not derivable from the catalogue The certification data for a labelled appliance comes from the manufacturer and the EU product registry, not from anything in your store. It has to be stored per product as data you have obtained, which means a metafield and a process for filling it rather than a mapping rule. ## Where these values come from in Shopify - **`gtin`** — From the variant barcode. In this vertical suppliers can nearly always provide the full list, so bulk-filling it is a practical task rather than an aspiration. - **`mpn`** — From a metafield holding the manufacturer model number. The SKU is usually your own reference and is the wrong value, even though it is the tempting one. - **`brand`** — From the Shopify vendor field where it has been maintained as the manufacturer rather than the supplier, which is worth verifying across the catalogue before trusting it. - **`condition`** — From a tag or collection identifying refurbished and open-box stock, defaulting to new for everything else. - **`certification`** — A metafield populated from manufacturer documentation. There is no Shopify field for it and no way to infer it from the catalogue. ## Frequently asked questions ### Why do electronics feeds fail on identifiers so often? Because every unit has a barcode, so an empty gtin is read as missing data rather than as a product without an identifier. Shopify makes the barcode field optional, which means large imported catalogues arrive with it empty. ### Should I use my SKU as the MPN for electronics? No. The mpn is the manufacturer's model number, which is how the channel matches your listing to the same device elsewhere. Your SKU is an internal reference and gives the channel nothing to match against. ### How do I feed a bundle, such as a camera with a lens? Set is_bundle so the channel knows the item is a main product sold with accessories. Without it, the listing is matched against the bare body and looks overpriced next to it. ### What is the certification attribute for? It carries EU energy label information for product groups covered by the labelling rules, such as large appliances, displays and light sources. The data comes from the manufacturer rather than from anything in your Shopify catalogue. ## Primary sources - [Google: certification attribute](https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/13528403) - [Google: Product data specification](https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/7052112)