Google has updated its Buy on Google Retailer Standards policies. The changes include removing: order caps, automatic suspension via the Retailer Standards program and the “Defects” tab within the Merchant Center dashboard.

Tip of the hat to Lawrence Chasse for bringing this to our attention.

Why we care. Order caps were previously imposed on merchants that were performing poorly (according to Google’s Retailer Standards score); the same was true for automatic suspensions. Order capping could also slow down sales for new merchants until they complete onboarding by requesting a review of their store. 

Now that these two penalties are gone, merchants have fewer potential bottlenecks when it comes to selling via Buy on Google.

However, these policies were designed to protect customers (as well as Google’s reputation as a shopping platform) from disreputable merchants. Google has yet to reveal what new safeguards it’ll put in place (if any) to ensure a consistent, positive Buy on Google experience.

What’s changing. In the email notification sent to merchants, Google said it will:

• Stop order capping and automatic suspensions via the Retailer Standards program.
• Remove the ‘Defects’ tab from the Retailer Standards tab in your Merchant Center account.
• Stop sending Retailer Standards monthly emails.
• Roll out a new page to display order performance at some point in the future.

Why Google made these changes. “We’re making these changes to help you succeed on Google while ensuring our policies keep up with Buy on Google’s evolution,” Google said in the email.