**TL;DR.** Google's 2026 Product rich result requirements added `hasMerchantReturnPolicy` and `shippingDetails` as fields needed for rich snippet eligibility. Products without them lose price, availability, and review stars in search results. Ordiko emits both by default once you configure store-level policies; competitors require theme/plugin work. ## What changed in 2026 Through 2024 and 2025, Google rolled out new requirements for Product structured data. The 2026 baseline: | Field | Required for rich result? | Effect if missing | | ------------------------------- | ------------------------- | ------------------------------------- | | `name`, `image`, `description` | Yes (long-standing) | Result not eligible | | `offers.price`, `priceCurrency` | Yes (long-standing) | Price snippet hidden | | `offers.availability` | Yes (long-standing) | Availability not shown | | `aggregateRating` or `review` | Recommended | Star rating not shown | | **`hasMerchantReturnPolicy`** | **Yes (2026)** | **Rich result not eligible** | | **`offers.shippingDetails`** | **Yes (2026)** | **Rich result not eligible** | | `brand`, `sku`, `gtin` | Recommended | Reduces credibility / matching | | `material`, `color`, `size` | Recommended | Reduces filterability | Source: [Google Search Central — Product structured data](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/structured-data/product). ## hasMerchantReturnPolicy The complete field structure: ```json { "@type": "MerchantReturnPolicy", "@id": "https://example.com/#return-policy", "applicableCountry": ["US", "CA"], "returnPolicyCountry": "US", "returnPolicyCategory": "https://schema.org/MerchantReturnFiniteReturnWindow", "merchantReturnDays": 30, "returnMethod": "https://schema.org/ReturnByMail", "returnFees": "https://schema.org/FreeReturn" } ``` Valid values: - `returnPolicyCategory`: `MerchantReturnFiniteReturnWindow`, `MerchantReturnUnlimitedWindow`, `MerchantReturnNotPermitted`, `MerchantReturnUnspecified`. - `returnMethod`: `ReturnByMail`, `ReturnInStore`, `ReturnAtKiosk`. - `returnFees`: `FreeReturn`, `OriginalShippingFees`, `ReturnFeesCustomerResponsibility`, `RestockingFees`, `ReturnShippingFees`. If you have a 30-day free return policy by mail (the common consumer-friendly default): ```json { "@type": "MerchantReturnPolicy", "applicableCountry": ["US", "CA"], "returnPolicyCountry": "US", "returnPolicyCategory": "https://schema.org/MerchantReturnFiniteReturnWindow", "merchantReturnDays": 30, "returnMethod": "https://schema.org/ReturnByMail", "returnFees": "https://schema.org/FreeReturn" } ``` ## shippingDetails The complete field structure: ```json { "@type": "OfferShippingDetails", "shippingRate": { "@type": "MonetaryAmount", "value": "4.99", "currency": "USD" }, "shippingDestination": { "@type": "DefinedRegion", "addressCountry": "US" }, "deliveryTime": { "@type": "ShippingDeliveryTime", "handlingTime": { "@type": "QuantitativeValue", "minValue": 0, "maxValue": 1, "unitCode": "DAY" }, "transitTime": { "@type": "QuantitativeValue", "minValue": 2, "maxValue": 5, "unitCode": "DAY" } } } ``` Emit one `shippingDetails` per destination region you serve. A US-Canada store ships to two destinations, so two entries. ## Reference pattern (recommended) Defining return policy and shipping per product produces verbose HTML. The cleaner pattern is to define them once on `Organization` schema with stable `@id`s and reference them from each Product: ```json // Once on every page (or just home): { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://example.com/#organization", "name": "Example Store", "hasMerchantReturnPolicy": { "@type": "MerchantReturnPolicy", "@id": "https://example.com/#return-policy", "applicableCountry": ["US", "CA"], "returnPolicyCountry": "US", "returnPolicyCategory": "https://schema.org/MerchantReturnFiniteReturnWindow", "merchantReturnDays": 30, "returnMethod": "https://schema.org/ReturnByMail", "returnFees": "https://schema.org/FreeReturn" } } // Per Product page: { "@type": "Product", "name": "Leather Bag", "offers": { "@type": "Offer", "price": "149.00", "priceCurrency": "USD", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "hasMerchantReturnPolicy": { "@id": "https://example.com/#return-policy" }, "shippingDetails": { "@id": "https://example.com/#shipping-us" } } } ``` This validates exactly the same as inline policies but keeps each PDP smaller and easier to cache. ## Per-product overrides Some products need exceptions: - **Oversized items** (furniture, mattresses): different return policy (often `OriginalShippingFees`). - **Hazmat** (batteries, aerosols): `MerchantReturnNotPermitted` or in-store-only. - **Custom-made** (engraving, monograms): `MerchantReturnNotPermitted`. - **Digital products**: `MerchantReturnNotPermitted`. Override at the product level: ```ts // Pseudocode for an Ordiko product { id: "prod_xyz", slug: "custom-engraved-watch", returnPolicy: { category: "MerchantReturnNotPermitted", applicableCountry: ["US"], }, } ``` The resolver order: product override → store policy → none. ## Validating 1. **Per-page**: [Google Rich Results Test](https://search.google.com/test/rich-results) on representative PDPs. Confirm "eligible" with no warnings about return/shipping. 2. **At scale**: [Schema Markup Validator](https://validator.schema.org) for syntax. 3. **In production**: Google Search Console → Enhancements → Products → coverage report. ## How Ordiko implements this Ordiko emits `hasMerchantReturnPolicy` and `shippingDetails` on every PDP automatically once you configure: - **Settings → SEO → Return Policy** (one form, ~5 fields). - **Settings → SEO → Shipping Policies** (one row per destination). The resolver in `src/lib/seo/return-policy.ts` cascades: product override → store policy → none. The renderer emits the reference pattern with stable `@id`s on Organization. No theme work. No plugins. No JSON-LD writing. ## Common mistakes 1. **Inline duplication of return policy on every product.** Validates but produces 10–50KB of redundant JSON per PDP. Use the reference pattern. 2. **Missing `applicableCountry`.** This is required. Specify the countries the policy applies to. 3. **Wrong category enum.** Use the full URL (`https://schema.org/MerchantReturnFiniteReturnWindow`), not the short name. 4. **Shipping policies that don't match visible shipping rates.** Schema and page content must agree or Google suppresses the rich result. 5. **No shipping policy at all.** Even free-shipping stores must emit `shippingDetails` with a `shippingRate.value` of `0`. ## FAQ **When did hasMerchantReturnPolicy become required?** Google announced the requirement in 2024 with enforcement rolling out through 2025 and early 2026. As of 2026, missing hasMerchantReturnPolicy on Product schema results in lost rich-result eligibility — your product no longer shows price, availability, or review stars in SERPs. **Can I emit a single policy for the whole store?** Yes. Define hasMerchantReturnPolicy once on the Organization schema with a stable @id, then reference it from each Product offer's hasMerchantReturnPolicy via @id. This is the cleanest pattern and what Ordiko emits by default. **What if my products have different shipping rules?** Override per product. Most stores have 90%+ of products on the same policy and 5–10% needing overrides (oversized, hazmat, custom-made). Ordiko supports nullable per-product policy that falls back to store policy. **Does this affect AI search citations?** Yes, indirectly. AI engines (Perplexity, ChatGPT, Claude) parse the same JSON-LD Google does. Complete return and shipping policies improve citability — AI engines prefer pages with comprehensive structured data because they can answer user questions directly.