sku

sku · Recommended by Google

Appears in

Product

What is it?

The Stock Keeping Unit for a product. An SKU is a merchant-specific identifier that retailers assign to track inventory. Unlike GTINs or MPNs, SKUs are unique to each seller, so two stores selling the same Nike shoe will have different SKUs for it.

Why this matters for AEO

When a shopper asks an AI assistant "Is SKU 0446310786 in stock?", the engine can match structured sku data to the query and return availability directly. SKU data also helps AI engines disambiguate product variants. If someone asks "Which size of the Allbirds Tree Runner is available?", having distinct SKUs per variant lets the engine map each size to its own offer with price and stock status.

What the specs say

Schema.org: Text. The Stock Keeping Unit (SKU), i.e. a merchant-specific identifier for a product or service, or the product to which the offer refers. View on schema.org

Google: Recommended. "The merchant-specific identifier for the product. Specify at most one value." View Google docs

How to find your value

• Ecommerce platform — Product admin > SKU field (Shopify, WooCommerce, Webflow)
• Inventory system — Item master, stock management database
• Product data feed — SKU column in CSV/XML feed
• Google Merchant Center — Item ID or SKU field

Each product variant (size, color combination) should have its own unique SKU.

Format and code

Expected type: Text

SKU is a plain text string. It can contain letters, numbers, and dashes. Google allows at most one sku value per Product.

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org/",
  "@type": "Product",
  "name": "Men's Leather Oxford Shoes",
  "sku": "0446310786",
  "offers": {
    "@type": "Offer",
    "price": "119.99",
    "priceCurrency": "USD"
  }
}

For product variants, each variant gets its own SKU:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org/",
  "@type": "ProductGroup",
  "name": "Wool Winter Coat",
  "hasVariant": [
    {
      "@type": "Product",
      "name": "Small Green Coat",
      "sku": "44E01-M11000",
      "color": "Green",
      "size": "small"
    },
    {
      "@type": "Product",
      "name": "Large Blue Coat",
      "sku": "44E01-M21200",
      "color": "Blue",
      "size": "large"
    }
  ]
}

Common invalid patterns:

• Multiple SKUs on one Product: "sku": ["SKU-1", "SKU-2"] (use one SKU per variant)
• Using GTIN as SKU: SKUs are merchant-specific; GTINs are global identifiers

Webflow implementation

Static pages

Add sku in the JSON-LD block in Page Settings > Custom Code (Head):

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org/",
  "@type": "Product",
  "name": "Classic Canvas Sneakers",
  "sku": "CNV-WHT-42"
}
</script>

CMS template pages

Map the Webflow CMS SKU field to the sku property:

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org/",
  "@type": "Product",
  "name": "{{wf {"path":"name","type":"PlainText"} }}",
  "sku": "{{wf {"path":"sku","type":"PlainText"} }}"
}
</script>

Webflow Commerce products have a built-in SKU field. For standard CMS collections, create a plain text field named "SKU."

In Schema HQ

The sku field detects your Webflow CMS SKU field and maps it to the Product schema automatically. For static product pages, enter the SKU in the Schema HQ editor.

Real examples

From Google's product variant documentation:

{
  "@type": "Product",
  "sku": "44E01-M11000",
  "gtin14": "98766051104214",
  "image": "https://www.example.com/coat_small_green.jpg",
  "name": "Small green coat",
  "color": "Green",
  "size": "small",
  "offers": {
    "@type": "Offer",
    "url": "https://www.example.com/coat?size=small&color=green",
    "priceCurrency": "USD",
    "price": 39.99,
    "itemCondition": "https://schema.org/NewCondition",
    "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock"
  }
}

Source: Google Product Variants documentation

Related fields

• gtin · global trade item number (universal identifier)
• mpn · manufacturer part number
• brand · the brand behind the product
• offers · pricing and availability per variant
• name · the product title

FAQ

What is the difference between SKU and GTIN?

An SKU is assigned by the retailer and is unique to that store. A GTIN (like UPC or EAN) is assigned by the manufacturer and is the same everywhere. Two stores selling identical Nike shoes share the same GTIN but have different SKUs. Google recommends providing both when available.

Can I use the same SKU across product variants?

No. Each variant (size, color combination) should have its own unique SKU. This is how inventory systems track stock per variant, and Google expects one SKU per Product entity.

Is SKU required for Google Product rich results?

SKU is Recommended, not Required. Google can still display Product rich results without it. But providing an SKU improves product identification and helps Google match your structured data with your Google Merchant Center feed.