Be careful, Google is changing the rules for companies selling age-regulated products

Google has updated its rules regarding businesses that sell age-restricted products, such as alcohol, cannabis or weapons. These businesses must have a physical store to be listed on Google Business Profile. Currently, it is unclear whether this rule only concerns the United States or whether it also applies to the rest of the world.

A new requirement from Google for age-regulated products

Google has implemented a new rule for companies that sell age-restricted products, like alcohol, cannabis or weapons. From now on, these businesses must have a physical store to be listed on Google Business Profile. This particularly concerns delivery services for these products, which are often operated online or via mobile applications.

The update of Google’s rules attracted the attention of professionals in the sector, especially after Stefan Somborac’s comment on Twitter. According to him, this new rule is significant because it is not limited to companies that “sell” these products, but to those “associated” with these products requiring age verification. This significantly expands the scope of this rule and could affect several types of businesses, even those that do not directly sell these products but are related to them.

Which companies are affected by this rule?

Businesses that sell alcohol, cannabis, weapons or other products requiring age verification of customers are directly affected. This includes not only physical stores, but also services that sell or deliver these products only online. For example, an alcohol or cannabis delivery service that does not have a point of sale will no longer be able to maintain its Google Business profile.

This rule is especially important for companies whose activity relies exclusively on online deliveries. For example, cannabis delivery services in Ontario have experienced strong growth in recent years, and this new requirement could challenge their business model, if these companies do not have a physical store.

Does the rule only apply to the United States?

It is still unclear whether this rule only applies to the United States or if it also concerns other countries, such as France. However, since Google Business Profile is a global service, it is possible that this new rule will be extended to all countries where Google operates. If this rule were indeed to be applied to France, it could affect alcohol delivery companies that operate only online.

There is no official confirmation yet on the geographic scope of this rule, but businesses in France should keep an eye on this development.

Why was this rule put in place?

The main objective of this update is to better regulate the sale of sensitive products and ensuring that businesses comply with laws relating to consumer age verification. Delivery services that don’t have physical stores escape rigorous customer age screening, which could lead to substandard sales.

Google, as a platform that manages millions of business profiles around the world, wants to ensure that companies selling these products comply with local regulations.

What should affected companies do?

Companies that do not have a physical store, but are affected by this new rule, will likely have to adjust their business model. They will have two choices: either open a physical point of sale to be able to appear on Google Business Profile, or give up the visibility offered by this platform. This could be complicated for small businesses that don’t have the resources to open a physical store.

Other restrictions related to service areas

Besides the need to have a physical store, Google also maintains restrictions on service areas. For example, a company cannot serve more than 20 geographic areas and must define them precisely. This includes cities, zip codes, or other well-defined geographic areas. These restrictions aim to regulate the scope of services offered by companies, in order to better control their activity and avoid abuse.