New EU Product Identifier Requirements: A Guide for StoreFeeder Users

Important changes to EU shipping from 1 November 2026

From 1 November 2026, new European Union customs requirements will affect businesses shipping goods to consumers in the EU.

Under these changes, businesses must provide additional Product Identifier (PID) information for products included in applicable business-to-consumer (B2C) shipments, regardless of the shipment value.

These identifiers allow EU customs authorities to identify products more accurately, improve traceability and carry out the necessary customs checks.

For StoreFeeder users shipping to customers within the EU, it’s important to make sure your product information is accurate and up to date ahead of the November deadline.

How StoreFeeder handles product identifiers

This guide explains what the new requirements mean, which information you’ll need and how to prepare your product records.

The good news is that you may not need to do anything!

If you already have the following information recorded against your products in StoreFeeder, you shouldn't need to add any additional information to meet the new Product Identifier requirements.

StoreFeeder will automatically retrieve the information from the relevant product fields and pass it to your shipping carrier.

What if I want to use different information?

If you need to provide a different identifier from the one already stored against your product, you can override the automatically populated information.

To do this, open the relevant product in StoreFeeder, navigate to the Shipping & Handling tab and enter your preferred identifiers in the corresponding Product Identifier fields.

If these override fields are left blank, StoreFeeder will automatically use the information from the existing product fields listed above.

For most customers who already maintain accurate product information in StoreFeeder, no additional action should be required. However, we recommend checking your product records ahead of the 1 November 2026 deadline to ensure the necessary identifiers are present and correct.

General Information

1. Who do the new requirements apply to?

The new Product Identifier requirements apply to applicable B2C shipments entering the EU from outside the EU, including orders dispatched from the United Kingdom.

This includes businesses shipping directly to individual consumers through their own websites or online marketplaces.

Business-to-business (B2B) shipments to VAT-registered business recipients are generally outside the scope of these particular B2C Product Identifier requirements.

If you’re shipping products to consumers in EU countries, you should review your product information before 1 November 2026.

2. What are Product Identifiers (PIDs)?

Product Identifiers are codes used to identify individual products, models or articles. Under the new requirements, three types of identifiers are used.

Let’s look at each in more detail.

M-PID – Merchant Product Identifier

The M-PID is the identifier your business uses to identify a product. For most StoreFeeder users, this will be the product’s SKU (Stock Keeping Unit).

For example, if you sell a product with the SKU TSHIRT-BLK-M, this can be used as its Merchant Product Identifier.

This information will already be familiar to most StoreFeeder customers, as SKUs are used throughout the system for managing products, inventory and orders.

The M-PID is mandatory for applicable shipments.

NS-PID – Non-Standardised Manufacturer Product Identifier

The NS-PID is the product reference assigned by its manufacturer, producer or supplier. This might be referred to as a:

• Manufacturer part number (MPN)
• Manufacturer model number
• Supplier product identification code

Unlike a barcode or GTIN, this identifier doesn’t need to follow an internationally recognised numbering standard.

For example, a manufacturer might identify a particular product as ABC-2500-BLK.

If you don’t currently hold this information, you may need to contact your manufacturer or supplier to obtain the correct reference.

**However, if you do not have this information recorded in StoreFeeder, we will attempt to put the S-PID (EAN, UTC, GTIN, ISBN etc.) in this field automatically.

The NS-PID is mandatory for applicable customs declarations.

S-PID – Standardised Product Identifier

The S-PID is an internationally recognised product identification code. Common examples include:

• EAN – European Article Number
• UPC – Universal Product Code
• GTIN – Global Trade Item Number
• ISBN – International Standard Book Number

These identifiers are often already associated with products in your inventory.

The S-PID must be provided where one exists.

If a product doesn’t have a standardised identifier, customs declarations must use exception code Y081 to indicate that no S-PID exists.

You shouldn’t invent a barcode or use an unrelated identifier simply to populate this field.

3. Preparing your product information in StoreFeeder

StoreFeeder helps businesses bring their product, inventory and order information together in one system.

With these new customs requirements approaching, it’s a good opportunity to review the information held against your products.

The most important thing is to make sure you have the correct identifiers available for the products you ship to EU consumers.

Step 1 – Review your product records

Start by reviewing the products you regularly ship to EU destinations. Check that each product has a valid SKU and that the appropriate manufacturer and barcode information is available.

Pay particular attention to products imported from suppliers, products with incomplete information and products that don’t have standard barcodes.

Step 2 – Check your manufacturer product identifiers

The NS-PID is likely to be an area that requires particular attention. While most businesses already use SKUs, manufacturer part numbers may not be held consistently across their product catalogue.

Where manufacturer product identifiers are missing, contact your suppliers to obtain the correct information. Ensure that these references are recorded consistently and accurately.

Step 3 – Check your barcodes

Next, review the standardised product identifiers recorded against your products. Where a product has an EAN, UPC, GTIN or ISBN, make sure the correct code is recorded.

Remember, an S-PID is only required where one exists, but the absence of a standardised identifier must be correctly declared to customs.

Step 4 – Review your EU shipping process

Having the correct product information is only part of the process. The appropriate Product Identifiers must also be supplied to the carrier or customs declaration provider so they can be included in the relevant customs documentation.

Review your current EU shipping arrangements and confirm with your carrier that the necessary information can be received and processed.

Where required, check the configuration of your shipping integrations and any additional customs information requested by your delivery provider.

4. What happens if the information is missing?

From 1 November 2026, missing or incorrect Product Identifier information could result in problems when shipping goods into the EU. Depending on the carrier, customs process and individual shipment, this could include:

• Delays to customs clearance
• Additional information requests
• Shipments being held for inspection
• Rejected customs declarations
• Parcels potentially being returned to the sender

For eCommerce businesses, these delays can create additional customer service enquiries, increased administration and dissatisfied customers.

Making sure your product information is correct before the deadline can help reduce the risk of disruption.

5. What should StoreFeeder users do now?

With the deadline approaching, we recommend reviewing your product information as soon as possible.

Your EU shipping preparation checklist:

☐  Identify the products you regularly ship to EU consumers.

☐  Check that your products have valid SKUs (M-PIDs).

☐  Obtain and record manufacturer product identifiers (NS-PIDs).

☐  Verify EAN, UPC, GTIN or ISBN information where available.

☐  Identify products that don’t have standardised identifiers.

☐  Confirm your carrier’s requirements for transmitting Product Identifiers.

☐  Review your EU shipping processes ahead of 1 November 2026.

6. Keeping your warehouse operations running smoothly

At StoreFeeder, we understand that additional shipping regulations can create extra work for busy eCommerce operations.

Whether you’re processing a handful of international orders or shipping hundreds of parcels each day, accurate product information is an important part of keeping your warehouse running efficiently.

By reviewing your product records, working with your suppliers and confirming your carrier’s requirements now, you can help avoid unnecessary disruption when the new rules take effect.

The deadline is 1 November 2026, so now is the time to make sure your EU shipping data is ready.

For further information about the new requirements, visit the official EU customs guidance or contact your shipping carrier to confirm its specific requirements.

Disclaimer

The information in this guide is provided for general guidance purposes only and is based on the requirements understood at the time of publication. While StoreFeeder makes every effort to ensure the information is accurate and up to date, customs regulations and carrier requirements may change. Customers are responsible for ensuring their shipments comply with all applicable customs regulations and should consult their shipping providers or relevant customs authorities for specific guidance.