Set up a Google Shopping API

Learn how to set up a Google Shopping API in Channable, map required attributes, connect Merchant Center, activate the API, and fix listing errors.

There are two ways with which you can create Google Shopping Ads in Google Merchant Center: you can either export a feed or send your products via an API. This article covers the Google Shopping API.

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Before you start

You'll need

• A Google Merchant Center account

Good to know

• EAN codes aren’t mandatory for Google Shopping. If you’re sending EANs to Google, you can create a rule to exclude products with invalid EANs to avoid errors.
• Product data that uses decimal values using commas (,) aren't accepted. If your data uses commas, you'll need to change them to decimal points (.).

1

Create your Google Shopping API

1. In Channable, go to Projects > [Your project] > Channels.
2. Click + Create Channel > Google Shopping > API.
3. Click Next to confirm your selection.
4. Fill in your channel settings:

   1. For Name, give your channel a descriptive name (like Google Shopping API - UK).
   2. For Unique ID per item, select the field containing your product ids.
   3. For Google Merchant Center ID, enter your Google Merchant Center ID.
   4. For Country, select the country you want to list in.
   5. For Language, select the language your product data is in.
   6. For Feed label (optional), create a label to add to all your products. If left empty, the country code will be used as the feed label.

Your feed label must be less than or equal to 20 uppercase letters (A-Z), numbers (0-9), and dashes (-).

1. For Master rules (optional), select a master rule group to apply the same rules to this channel.
2. Click Save.

2

Categorize your products

1. In [your Google Shopping channel], go to the Categories step.
2. Map (assign) categories for all items.

3

Create rules

When your product data is incomplete or doesn’t match the format that Google requires, you can use rules to make improvements.

1. Create rules to optimize your products and meet Google Shopping's listing requirements.

Use rule templates to quickly set up rules.

Don't create any rules to exclude out of stock products. Google uses availability status to indicate whether a product is out of stock.

4

Map shared attributes

The Build step is where you configure your product listings to match marketplace requirements. It’s an essential step for getting your products live and avoiding errors.

Hover over for more information about the attribute, accepted values, and an example.

1. Go to the Build step.
2. Map attributes marked as Required by marketplace.
3. Map any remaining attributes that are relevant for your business.
4. Click Save.

Detailed information about required attributes

For Google’s formatting requirements, see their Product data specification guide.

Attributes in Items section

• Availability: Select the field that indicates your product's stock status
• Title: Select the field that contains product titles
• Description: Select the field that contains your product descriptions
• Link:
• Brand: Select the field that contains the product's brand
• Condition: Select the field that indicates your product's condition

  • If the same condition applies to all your products, click the dropdown > Static values and select the condition type.
• Channel: Select the field containing information on where you house your product's inventory data.

  • If your inventory is all housed locally/online, click the dropdown > Static values and select the location type.
• Currency: Select the field containing information on the currency you're selling your products in.

  • If you're selling in the same currency for all products, click the dropdown > Static values and select the currency.
• Price: Select the field containing your product prices.

Decimal values using commas (,) aren't accepted. If your data uses commas, you'll need to change them to decimal points (.).

5

Connect to Google Merchant Center

Once you have finished setting up your product listings, you can send them to your Google Merchant Center:

1. In [your Google Shopping API], go to Settings.
2. At Linked seller account, click Select seller account.
3. Click + Connect a new account to add a new seller account.

   1. For Label: Name your connection
4. We'll redirect you to Google to log in with your credentials and accept permissions.

6

Activate your API

1. Activate your project if you haven't done so already (Settings > Activate Project > Save)
2. In the Settings step of [your Google Shopping API], click Activate API.
3. Click Save.
4. Click Run now to send your listings to Google Shopping.

7

Review and fix listing errors

Go to the Result step and click on the Feedback tab. This page displays all possible processing errors your product data has at a given moment.

Each error includes a translated Status, Description, and, when available, Solution. If action is required, you also receive an email notification.

Resolving errors

1. Review the Status, Description, and Solution for the specific error first.
2. Follow the solution shown for that error.
3. In Description, click on the error name. This takes you to an overview of the products with that error.
4. In ID, click the ID number and scroll. You should see a red highlighted callout in the section where the error occurred. Hover over the callout for more information.

   1. If the error is a mapping error, click View in build to be directed to the attribute you need to map/re-map, which is highlighted in blue.
   2. For more information about the attribute and its accepted values, hover over .
5. Resolve the error.
6. Repeat for remaining errors. When you're ready, run your channel again by clicking Run now.

Only renew your connection when the error status says Invalid connection and the solution says to renew it.

Examples of actionable errors

• Invalid connection: Renew the connection.
• Invalid Feed Label: Create a new Google Shopping API channel with a valid feed label.
• Invalid Target country: Create a new Google Shopping API channel with a valid target country.
• Invalid Content language: Create a new Google Shopping API channel with a valid content language.

You can check your successfully listed products in the Successful tab.