Missing Age Group (Apparel)
For any product in Google's Apparel & Accessories category, you must specify who the product is designed for: a newborn, an infant, a toddler, a child, or an adult. Google uses age_group to display the right sizing options, filter your product from children's clothing searches when it's adult apparel (and vice versa), and show products in age-appropriate Shopping surfaces. Without it, your apparel product can't compete in filtered searches — which are a majority of apparel purchase intent queries.
Missing value [age_group]Impact: Missing age_group is an Error specifically for products in Google's Apparel & Accessories category (taxonomy ID 166 and all subcategories). These products are disapproved until age_group is supplied. Without it, Google cannot correctly size-filter your products or show them in age-specific Shopping placements.
Root Causes
- 1Your feed template was built for non-apparel products and simply doesn't include an age_group column — it was never added because the merchant didn't know it was required for apparel.
- 2Shopify doesn't have a native age_group field — it must be added via metafield, and the feed app must be configured to map it. Many merchants skip this setup step.
- 3You're selling both apparel and non-apparel products in the same feed, and the age_group field is only populated for some products — the apparel products without it are flagged.
- 4Products were categorized as Apparel in your feed (via google_product_category) but the age_group was left blank because you assumed it was optional.
- 5A bulk product import from your supplier's catalog didn't include an age_group column, leaving hundreds of apparel products without it.
Fix by Platform
- 1Shopify has no native age_group field. You must add it as a product metafield.
- 2Go to Shopify Admin → Settings → Custom data → Products → Add definition. Namespace: 'google', Key: 'age_group', Type: Single line text. Save.
- 3Valid values are EXACTLY: 'newborn', 'infant', 'toddler', 'kids', 'adult' (lowercase). No other values are accepted by Google.
- 4Set the value on your products: Shopify Admin → Products → [Product] → scroll to the new metafield section → set the age group. For most adult clothing stores, the value will be 'adult' for every product.
- 5In your feed app (Simprosys, AdNabu, DataFeedWatch): go to field mappings → map the 'age_group' attribute to your 'google.age_group' metafield.
- 6For bulk update: if all your products are adult apparel, use your feed app's default value setting — set 'adult' as the default for all products in the Apparel category without per-product override.
{% comment %} Access age_group metafield in Liquid {% endcomment %}
{{ product.metafields.google.age_group }}
{% comment %} Valid values: newborn, infant, toddler, kids, adult {% endcomment %}When This Doesn't Apply
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are the exact valid values for age_group?+
Exactly five values are accepted, lowercase only: 'newborn' (up to 3 months), 'infant' (3–12 months), 'toddler' (1–5 years), 'kids' (5–13 years), 'adult' (13 years and up). No variations like 'children', 'adult/teen', 'men', or 'women' — these cause 'Invalid value [age_group]' errors. For standard adult clothing stores, every product should be 'adult'.
Do I need age_group for accessories like handbags and jewelry?+
Yes, if they're in the Apparel & Accessories category. This includes bags, jewelry, sunglasses, belts, watches, and scarves. The relevant age_group for adult accessories is 'adult'. Children's accessories (kids' backpacks, children's jewelry) should be 'kids'. The rule is: if your google_product_category is in the Apparel & Accessories branch of Google's taxonomy, age_group is required.
My store sells both adult and children's clothing. Can I set different age_groups per product?+
Yes — and you should. Adult products: 'adult'. Kids' products: 'kids'. Toddler products: 'toddler'. Baby products: 'newborn' or 'infant'. This is one case where per-product values are essential, not optional. Getting this right dramatically improves how Google surfaces your products — adult shoppers searching for themselves won't see kids' products, and parents searching for children's clothing will find your kids' range.
I set age_group to 'adult' for all products but some are still flagged. Why?+
Check the exact value in your feed file (download it from GMC → Feeds → your feed → Download latest file). Common problems: leading/trailing whitespace in the value ('adult ' instead of 'adult'), incorrect capitalization ('Adult' instead of 'adult'), or the field mapping is pulling from the wrong attribute and returning a blank. The value must be exactly 'adult' — no spaces, no capitals.
Does age_group affect which Shopping ads I'm eligible for?+
Significantly yes. Google's Shopping surfaces include children's clothing sections and age-filtered product browsing. Without age_group, your product is excluded from these placements. For children's apparel merchants especially, missing age_group means missing a large portion of available impressions for the parent-searching-for-kids'-clothing intent.