Shopify shipping and returns schema

Shipping and returns are part of product evidence

Product SEO is not limited to title, description and images. For ecommerce, shipping timelines, delivery costs and return policies are trust signals that directly affect whether a shopper completes a purchase — and whether a product is eligible for enhanced search listings.

Google’s merchant listing guidelines treat policy information as a component of the product evidence system. A product page that clearly communicates what to expect after purchase — when it arrives, what it costs to return, and what conditions apply — is more likely to earn rich product results and shopping eligibility than an equivalent page that leaves these questions unanswered.

The four sources that must agree

Shopify product policy information typically exists in four places. They should tell a consistent story:

Product page copy — The shipping promise (“usually dispatched in 2–3 business days”, “free UK delivery on orders over £50”), the return window (“30-day returns on most items”) and any exclusions (sale items, personalised products, international orders) visible to shoppers on the product page.

Policy pages — The full terms of the shipping and returns policies, typically at /policies/shipping-policy and /policies/refund-policy. These provide the detail that product page copy summarises. They should not contradict the product page summary.

Schema markup — The ShippingDetails and MerchantReturnPolicy properties within the Product schema. These provide machine-readable versions of the policies that Google uses for rich results and merchant assessments.

Google Merchant Center — If the store uses Shopping or free listings, the Merchant Center shipping and returns settings apply at the feed level. These settings determine how policy information appears in Google Shopping results. They should be consistent with the schema and the visible page copy.

The most common problem: these four sources disagree. A store advertises “free returns” in product copy, but the Merchant Center returns settings show a restocking fee for change-of-mind returns. Google flags the inconsistency. The store receives a Merchant Center policy warning and potentially loses eligibility for some listing formats.

ShippingDetails schema

The ShippingDetails type within Product schema allows stores to communicate delivery cost, timeframe and geographic coverage in machine-readable form. The key properties:

• shippingDestination — the country or region the policy applies to
• deliveryTime — handling time and transit time using ShippingDeliveryTime
• shippingRate — cost as a MonetaryAmount (or 0 for free shipping)

An example for a UK store with free delivery over £50:

"shippingDetails": {
  "@type": "OfferShippingDetails",
  "shippingDestination": {
    "@type": "DefinedRegion",
    "addressCountry": "GB"
  },
  "deliveryTime": {
    "@type": "ShippingDeliveryTime",
    "handlingTime": { "@type": "QuantitativeValue", "minValue": 1, "maxValue": 2, "unitCode": "DAY" },
    "transitTime": { "@type": "QuantitativeValue", "minValue": 2, "maxValue": 5, "unitCode": "DAY" }
  },
  "shippingRate": {
    "@type": "MonetaryAmount",
    "value": "0",
    "currency": "GBP"
  }
}

Not all Shopify themes output ShippingDetails automatically. Check using Google’s Rich Results Test whether the current theme outputs it and whether there are any errors or warnings.

MerchantReturnPolicy schema

The MerchantReturnPolicy type communicates return conditions in machine-readable form. Key properties:

• applicableCountry — which country the policy applies to
• returnPolicyCategory — use MerchantReturnFiniteReturnWindow for a fixed return period
• merchantReturnDays — the number of days the return window lasts
• returnFees — use FreeReturn for free returns, or specify a restocking fee
• returnMethod — ReturnByMail, ReturnInStore, or both

Accurate MerchantReturnPolicy markup is one of the signals Google uses to surface return policy information directly in Shopping results. A product with clear, machine-readable return terms is more likely to earn the “30-day returns” badge in Shopping than an equivalent product where the policy is only in page copy.

Prioritise by product risk

The value of shipping and returns schema is highest where policy uncertainty most affects purchase decisions:

• Expensive products where return risk is a barrier to purchase
• Fragile or heavy products where delivery method and damage policy matter
• Sale or clearance products that may have restricted return terms
• Personalised or custom products with no-return policies
• International shipping where additional costs or customs duties apply
• Products that frequently generate return queries or buyer uncertainty

For lower-risk products in a stable product line, the Merchant Center-level settings combined with the policy pages may be sufficient without product-level schema. Focus schema investment on the products where policy clarity most directly affects conversion.

Validate the current state

1. Open a priority product page and use Google’s Rich Results Test. Check whether ShippingDetails and MerchantReturnPolicy are present and whether there are errors or warnings.
2. Check the Merchant Center account (if used) for any active policy warnings or return-settings flags.
3. Compare what the product page copy says with what the policy pages say and what the schema outputs. Identify any contradiction.
4. Check the checkout — do the shipping costs and timeframes shown in the cart and checkout match what was promised on the product page?

The product schema guide covers the full Product schema audit in more detail. For the complete product evidence review — including specifications, images, reviews and variants — use the product evidence checklist.