E-Commerce Settings #
Configure product identity, merchant return policy, and shipping details for rich Google Shopping schema markup — compatible with WooCommerce, EDD, and Classified Listing.
Navigation Path
| WordPress Admin → SchemaEngine AI → Settings → E-Commerce |
🛒 Why E-Commerce Settings Matter #
This is the most important settings page in SchemaEngine AI for online stores. The data configured here is used to generate Google’s Product schema — the structured data that enables rich shopping results in Google Search and Google Shopping, including price, availability, ratings, return policy, and shipping information directly in search results.
Note: This information is required for WooCommerce, EDD, and Classified Listing products to appear in Google schema (Structured Data). Incomplete data here directly reduces your product’s eligibility for rich results.
Sections on This Page #
1. Brand, Identifier & Identifier Value
Brand, Identifier & Identifier Value
Product identity fields used in Google Product schema markup
1. Brand, Identifier & Identifier Value #
This section establishes the core product identity information that Google requires for product schema markup. These three fields map directly to schema.org Product properties and feed into Google’s product knowledge graph.
Brand Name #
The brand or manufacturer name for your products. This is used as the brand property in schema.org Product markup. It helps Google associate your products with a known brand entity and is a key signal for Google Shopping eligibility.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Brand name | Text field — enter your brand, store, or manufacturer name. Example: Acme Store, TechBrand Ltd. Applied globally to all products unless overridden at the individual product level. |
Identifier Type #
Product identifiers are globally recognised codes that uniquely identify a product across retailers and marketplaces. Google requires at least one valid product identifier to qualify products for rich results in Google Shopping. Select the identifier type that matches the codes used by your products.
| Identifier | Full Name & Details |
|---|---|
| MPN | Manufacturer Part Number — used globally. Alphanumeric, variable length. Assigned by the manufacturer to uniquely identify a specific product model. Example: ABC-1234-XL |
| UPC | Universal Product Code — used primarily in North America. Exactly 12 numeric digits. Example: 892685001003 |
| EAN | European Article Number — used primarily outside North America. Typically 13 numeric digits, occasionally 8 or 14. Example: 4011200296908 |
| ISBN | International Standard Book Number — used globally for books and publications. ISBN-13 (recommended): 13 digits starting with 978 or 979. Example: 978-0747595823 |
| JAN | Japanese Article Number — used only in Japan. 8 or 13 numeric digits. Subset of the EAN standard. |
💡 Which identifier should you use?
Use whichever identifier your products already have assigned. For physical retail products manufactured by a third party, use UPC (North America) or EAN (everywhere else). For your own manufactured products, use MPN. For digital products or downloads, MPN or a custom identifier is appropriate. For books, always use ISBN-13.
Identifier Value #
The actual code that corresponds to the selected Identifier Type. This is the numeric or alphanumeric value that uniquely identifies your product in the global product database.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Identifier value | Text field — enter the product identifier code that matches the selected Identifier Type. Must follow the format rules for the selected type (e.g. 12 digits for UPC). Example: 892685001003 |
| Field | Validation | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Brand name | ⚠ Warning (recommended) | Recommended. Missing brand reduces product schema completeness and may affect Google Shopping eligibility. |
| Identifier Type | ⚠ Warning (recommended) | Selecting an identifier type is strongly recommended. Products without a valid identifier are less likely to qualify for Google rich shopping results. |
| Identifier value | ⚠ Warning (recommended) | Must match the format of the selected Identifier Type. An invalid or mismatched value will fail Google’s structured data validation. |
Merchant Return Policy
hasMerchantReturnPolicy — required for Google Shopping rich results eligibility
2. Merchant Return Policy #
🛍️ Why Merchant Return Policy Is Critical for E-Commerce Schema #
Google’s product rich results — the listings that show price, availability, ratings, and shipping in search results — now require Merchant Return Policy data to qualify. Without it, your products may be demoted or excluded from Google Shopping rich results entirely, regardless of how complete your other product data is.
Here is why return policy schema matters specifically:
- 🏆 Rich result eligibility — Google’s structured data guidelines for Product schema list hasMerchantReturnPolicy as a recommended property. Providing it increases the chance your products appear as rich results with a “Free returns” or “30-day returns” badge directly in search.🛒 Google Shopping feed alignment — When your schema return policy matches your Google Merchant Center policy, Google gains higher confidence in your product data quality, which can improve your Shopping ad performance and organic product listing rankings.
- 🤝 Customer trust signals — Shoppers are more likely to click on search results that display clear return information. Schema-driven return policy data surfaces this trust signal without requiring users to visit your site first.⚖️ Compliance with Google’s evolving requirements — Google has progressively made return policy data more important in product schema validation. Providing it now future-proofs your structured data against stricter requirements.
- 🔍 Reduced manual review — Products with complete schema including return policies are less likely to be flagged for manual review in Google Search Console’s Shopping report.
This section configures the schema.org MerchantReturnPolicy type, which maps to the hasMerchantReturnPolicy property on the Product schema. Fill in all applicable fields to maximise your product’s structured data completeness.
Return Policy Fields #
| Field | Description & Example |
|---|---|
| Applicable Country | The country or countries where this return policy applies. Use ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country codes. Examples: US (United States), GB (United Kingdom), BD (Bangladesh), DE (Germany). For multiple countries, add entries for each. |
| Return Policy Type | Dropdown — Select the type of return window. Options include: MerchantReturnFiniteReturnWindow (returns accepted for a fixed number of days), MerchantReturnUnlimitedWindow (returns accepted at any time), MerchantReturnNotPermitted (no returns accepted). |
| Return Days | Number of days within which a return must be initiated. Only visible and required when Return Policy Type is set to MerchantReturnFiniteReturnWindow. Example: 30, 60, 90. |
| Return Method | Dropdown — How items are returned. Options include: ReturnByMail (customer ships back), ReturnInStore (customer returns in person), ReturnAtKiosk (drop-off at a kiosk location). |
| Return Fees | Dropdown — Who pays for return shipping. Options include: FreeReturn (seller pays return shipping), ReturnFeesCustomerResponsibility (buyer pays), OriginalShippingFees (original shipping cost retained). |
| Return Shipping Fees Amount | The monetary amount charged for return shipping. Only required when Return Fees is not set to FreeReturn. Example: 4.99, 9.95. |
| Return Shipping Fees Currency | ISO 4217 three-letter currency code for the return shipping fee. Auto-detected from WooCommerce settings if left empty. Examples: USD, EUR, GBP, BDT. |
| Return Policy URL | The full URL of your store’s return policy page. Example: https://acme.example.com/returns. This gives Google and shoppers a direct link to your complete policy. |
| Field | Validation | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Applicable Country | ⚠ Warning (recommended) | Strongly recommended. ISO alpha-2 code required. Missing country reduces policy schema completeness. |
| Return Policy Type | ⚠ Warning (recommended) | Dropdown selection. Required to generate a valid MerchantReturnPolicy block. Select the type that matches your actual store policy. |
| Return Days | ◈ Conditional (see note) | Required only when Return Policy Type = MerchantReturnFiniteReturnWindow. Leave blank for unlimited or no-return policies. |
| Return Method | ○ Optional | Recommended. Omitted from schema if not selected. |
| Return Fees | ⚠ Warning (recommended) | Recommended. Helps Google display accurate return cost information in shopping results. |
| Return Shipping Fees Amount | ◈ Conditional (see note) | Required when Return Fees is not FreeReturn. Must be a numeric value matching the currency setting. |
| Return Shipping Fees Currency | ○ Optional | Auto-detected from WooCommerce. Only fill manually if WooCommerce is not installed or currency differs. |
| Return Policy URL | ⚠ Warning (recommended) | Strongly recommended. Provides a verifiable link to your return policy, improving trust signals and schema validation scores. |
Conditional fields explained
Return Days is only required when Return Policy Type is set to MerchantReturnFiniteReturnWindow (a fixed-day return window). Return Shipping Fees Amount is only required when Return Fees is not set to FreeReturn. In all other cases, these fields are optional and can be left blank.
Shipping Details
Handling and transit time for product delivery schema markup
3. Shipping Details #
Shipping Details configures the delivery time schema for your products. Shipping rate and destination data is pulled automatically from your WooCommerce shipping zones — you only need to configure the time ranges below.
🚚 Shipping rates are pulled from WooCommerce automatically You do not need to re-enter your shipping costs or delivery zones here. SchemaEngine AI reads your WooCommerce shipping zone configuration and uses it directly in the schema output. Only the handling and transit time ranges need to be configured manually on this page.
Time Fields
Handling time is the time from order placement to dispatch. Transit time is the time from dispatch to delivery. Together they define the total estimated delivery window shown to shoppers in Google rich results.
| Field | Description & Example |
|---|---|
| Handling Time Min (days) | Minimum number of business days from order placement to shipment dispatch. Example: 1 (same-day or next-day dispatch). Maps to schema.org minValue within handlingTime. |
| Handling Time Max (days) | Maximum number of business days from order to dispatch. Example: 3 (up to 3 business days to process and ship). Maps to schema.org maxValue within handlingTime. |
| Transit Time Min (days) | Minimum number of business days from dispatch to delivery. Example: 2 (fastest delivery after shipping). Maps to schema.org minValue within transitTime. |
| Transit Time Max (days) | Maximum number of business days from dispatch to delivery. Example: 7 (slowest expected delivery). Maps to schema.org maxValue within transitTime. |
| 📦 Example — How Time Fields Combine into a Delivery Estimate Configuration: Handling Time Min: 1 day · Handling Time Max: 2 days Transit Time Min: 3 days · Transit Time Max: 5 days Result in Google rich results: “Delivery: 4–7 business days” (1+3 minimum, 2+5 maximum) |
| Field | Validation | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Handling Time Min | ⚠ Warning (recommended) | Recommended. Enter 0 for same-day dispatch. Omitted from schema if blank — reduces delivery estimate completeness. |
| Handling Time Max | ⚠ Warning (recommended) | Recommended. Must be equal to or greater than Handling Time Min. |
| Transit Time Min | ⚠ Warning (recommended) | Recommended. Represents your fastest delivery scenario. |
| Transit Time Max | ⚠ Warning (recommended) | Recommended. Must be equal to or greater than Transit Time Min. Represents your slowest expected delivery. |
💡 Use realistic delivery estimates Google cross-references your schema delivery estimates against actual shipping performance data. If your schema claims 1–2 day delivery but customers consistently experience 5–7 day delivery, Google may downgrade or remove your product rich results. Always enter the realistic range your customers actually experience.
| 💾 Save Changes After updating any field on this page, click the Save Change button in the bottom-right corner of the screen. All three sections — E-Commerce, Merchant Return Policy, and Shipping Details — are saved together in a single save action. |
