There are multiple ways to add your local inventory data to Merchant Center. You can choose to use a combination of methods to fit your needs as a retailer to help keep your local inventory data up to date.
This guide can help you to decide which upload methods will work best for you.
Your local inventory data sources are managed in the 'Supplemental sources' tab under 'Data sources', which is found in the top right of Merchant Centre, under Settings in the left navigation menu.
On this page
- Deliver products to your shop
- Add inventory automatically from your online shop (product subset level only)
- Add inventory automatically from your online shop (complete product and shop coverage)
- Add inventory from a file
- Use the Content API
- Link your Merchant Center to your local data provider
- Website-reported auto-feeds
Deliver products to your shop
How it works
If you don't have in-store availability promptly and are able to deliver your products to your shops for collection, you can let Google know which products you're able to deliver to shops via the collection SLA [pickup_SLA] and collection method [pickup_method] attributes. We'll create your in-store inventory for you.
In order for your Merchant Center to be eligible for this method of adding inventory, you must be eligible for a product page with in-store availability or store-specific product page with in-store availability and price. The product page or the checkout flow must also display the option to collect the product at a later date and provide the collection timeline.
What makes this method great
- The method doesn't require a full inventory file to get started with local inventory ads.
Things to note
- Delivering products to your online shop is only available for local inventory ads.
- You can use attribute rules to submit the required attributes.
Add inventory automatically from your online shop (product subset level only)
How it works
You can let Google automatically add local inventory from your online shop to Merchant Center. Add the in-store inventory information to your online shop and enable Google to collect the information.
Google automatically finds your products' in-store availability provided in your online shop and adds the information to Merchant Center.
In order for your Merchant Center to be eligible for this method of adding inventory, you must be eligible for a product page with in-store availability or store-specific product page with in-store availability and price. You must not block Google crawlers such as Google StoreBot and Googlebot from crawling your website.
What makes this method great
- It's very simple to set up, all that's needed is the URL for your online shop that you've provided in Merchant Center.
- Your in-store inventory information in Merchant Center will be updated automatically. Google looks at your online shop for any changes (such as price changes or product removals) and then updates the information in Merchant Center.
Things to note
- Google will crawl the top product or shop pairs per day. You can also choose specific products and specific shops based on the crawl limits of your website.
- If you wish to cover more inventory, you'll have to provide the local inventory data via a file or the Content API.
Add inventory automatically from your online shop (complete product and shop coverage)
How it works
Using website-reported autofeeds provides your online shop's inventory data to Google when customers check product availability in your shops, using a Google Tag Manager tag implemented in your site. With this, local inventory data is no longer required when adding your online shop's in-store inventory to Merchant Center.
- Customer action: A customer on your website shows interest in a product and wants to check its availability in nearby shops. The customer might click the 'Check in-store availability' button or select the 'Find nearby' option.
- Tag trigger: The customer action prompts a Google Tag Manager JavaScript tag embedded in your website's code.
- Data collection and transmission: The tag collects relevant inventory data for the product, such as Merchant Center ID, product ID, current availability and others. Learn more about how to automatically add in-store inventory from your online shop to Merchant Center with website-reported auto-feeds.
- Data transfer to Google: The tag sends the compiled inventory data to Google.
- Merchant Center update: Google automatically matches the received data with your existing product listings in Google Merchant Center.
- Local inventory display: Your in-stock listings are now enriched with real-time local availability information and are displayed to nearby customers searching on Google, which would help to drive those customers to your shops.
In essence, website-reported autofeeds automate the updating of your local product availability in Google Merchant Center.
What makes this method great
- Simplified local inventory management: Eliminates the need for a separate local inventory data, streamlining your local inventory management process.
- Real-time updates: Provides accurate and up-to-the-minute in-store availability information to shoppers.
- Increased shop traffic: Promotes in-store visits by displaying real-time inventory data to potential customers searching on Google.
Things to note
Requirements for website capabilities:
At a minimum, product pages with in-store availability allow you to send your customers to your product landing pages where a customer can browse the availability and price of products in different shops. Learn more about product pages with in-store availability.
Requirements for technical implementation:
- Google Tag Manager integration: You need to have Google Tag Manager implemented on your website. The implementation allows for easy deployment and management of the necessary JavaScript tag.
- Dedicated IT resources: The Google Tag Manager implementation requires technical expertise. You must commit your IT resources to:
- Install the required JavaScript tag on your product pages.
- Configure the tag to capture and transmit the necessary product and inventory attributes (such as Merchant Center ID, product ID, availability, shop codes, price and others) to Google.
Add inventory from a file
How it works
In Merchant Center, you can add a file that contains all your in-store inventory details, such as the availability of products in each of your shops, prices, collection SLA and more. Each product detail in your file should map to our list of attributes.
What makes this method great
- The method allows you to use a file that you already have and offers the same convenience of automatic update methods, but with more versatility.
- Provides inventory information for every one of your shops.
Things to note
- The formatting of your file is very important. Incorrectly formatted or missing data can cause errors in your account. Learn more about creating a product file for Merchant Center.
- You can choose to do a one-time upload of a file from your computer or host your file from a URL that is synced with Merchant Center every 24 hours. Any updates that you make to the file will be reflected in Merchant Center.
- Local inventory data should be refreshed on a daily basis.
Use the Content API
How it works
The Content API for Shopping allows apps to interact directly with the Merchant Center platform and increase the efficiency to manage large or complex local inventory information.
What makes this method great
- The method offers more flexibility to make frequent changes to your inventory data.
Things to note
- The Content API requires technical integration with your inventory management.
Link your Merchant Center to your local data provider
How it works
If you work with a local data provider that manages your local inventory, you can link your Merchant Center account to the data provider.
What makes this method great
- You don't have to worry about providing your local inventory data to Merchant Center. Your data partner will manage the inventory on your behalf.
Things to note
- You must be working with an approved third-party data provider.
Website-reported auto-feeds
How it works
- Website-reported auto-feeds automate the process of showcasing your local inventory on Google. When a customer on your website checks for a product's in-store availability, for example, selects the 'Check in-store availability' button, a Google Tag Manager JavaScript tag embedded in your site is triggered. The tag collects crucial inventory data, including your Merchant Center ID, product ID, current availability, shop codes, price, country and language.
- The data is then sent directly to Google, where it is automatically matched with your existing product listings in Google Merchant Center. The process enriches your in-stock products with real-time local availability, which is then displayed to nearby customers searching on Google, and helps drive more foot traffic to your physical shops.
- Essentially, website-reported auto-feeds automate the updating of your local product availability in Google Merchant Center, ensuring that customers have the most accurate information and encouraging shop visits.
What makes this method great
- Simplifies showing your local inventory information on Google. With website-reported auto-feeds, local inventory data is no longer required to be manually uploaded when adding your online shop's in-store inventory to Merchant Center.
- Automates the updating of your local product availability and ensures that customers have the most accurate information.
Things to note
To implement website-reported auto-feeds, you'll need to meet specific requirements:
- Website capabilities: Your product pages must offer in-store availability, which will allow customers to browse product availability and prices in different shops.
- Google Tag Manager integration: Google Tag Manager is a mandatory requirement for the implementation, for easy enablement and secure deployment on your website.
- Dedicated IT resources: Your site must be capable of providing product and inventory data to the Google Tag Manager tag. Expertise in your site's architecture and JavaScript will be critical for a successful implementation.
Once these requirements are met, you'll need to complete a few implementation steps.