You can sync your product data from the Merchant Center account to the Retail API, using "Cloud Retail" as the feed destination. This synchronization allows Google Cloud Retail to use the items within your data feed, enhancing the overall product discovery experience.
Learn more about Retail API.
In this article, you will explore the benefits of using Google Cloud Retail, along with step-by-step instructions on setting up Cloud Retail as your feed destination.
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Benefits
- Capture digital and omnichannel revenue growth: Syncing your product data with the Google Cloud Retail allows your products to be available across various online stores built on Cloud platforms and physical stores, expanding your market reach.
- Become a customer-centric and data-driven retailer: Syncing data with the Google Cloud Retail enables you to gather valuable insights into customer behavior and preferences. Access to detailed analytics and customer data helps you tailor your offerings to meet specific customer needs, fostering a customer-centric approach. Utilizing data-driven strategies allows for more informed decision-making, personalized marketing campaigns.
- Drive operational improvement: The integration facilitates smoother and more efficient operations by centralizing product data through the Retail API.
Instructions
There are 2 ways to sync your Merchant Center account to Google Cloud Retail:
- From "Manage programs"
- From "Linked accounts"
1. Set up Cloud Retail destination from “Manage Programs” tab
- In the left navigation menu of your Merchant Center account, click Manage Programs within the “Growth” tab.
- In the programs listed, select Google Cloud Retail.
- Click Get started. It will take you to the “Link to Cloud Retail” page.
- Select the Google Cloud Project from the drop down.
Note:
- You can create a Google Cloud project to set up Retail API or use an existing one.
- If the linking between Cloud and Merchant Center has been already established through the Cloud Console, this field will be auto-populated.
- If you have a Google Cloud project that doesn’t have the Cloud Retail API enabled, then you’ll receive a notification to “enable” Cloud Retail API.
- Click Continue.
- Select the “Cloud Retail Branch” from the drop down.
- Select the Merchant Center feeds and feed labels to be synced to Cloud Retail.
- Select the language of the feeds to be synced.
- Click Link and continue.
2. Set up Cloud Retail destination “Linked accounts” tab
- In your Merchant Center account, select the Tools and Settings icon
.
- Select Link to Cloud Retail.
- Click Get started.
- Select the Google Cloud Project from the drop down.
Note:
- You can create a Google Cloud project to set up Retail API or use an existing one.
- If the linking between Cloud and Merchant Center has been already established through the Cloud Console, this field will be auto-populated.
- If you have a Google Cloud project that doesn’t have the Cloud Retail API enabled, then you’ll receive a notification to “enable” Cloud Retail API.
- Click Continue.
- Select the “Cloud Retail Branch” from the drop down.
- Select the Merchant Center feeds and feed labels to be synced to Cloud Retail.
- Select the language of the feeds to be synced.
- Click Link and continue.
After linking a Google cloud project, you can add more projects to the Cloud Retail by simply navigating to the “Linked accounts” section under Tools and Settings and clicking on “Link Project” under the Cloud Retail tab.
Unlink Google Cloud projects from your Merchant center account
- In your Merchant Center account, select the Tools and Settings icon
- Select Link accounts.
- Go to the Cloud Retail tab.
- Under the “Actions” column, Click Unlink.
You can also Sync your Merchant Center account to Google cloud Retail using the Cloud console. Learn how to sync Merchant Center to the Retail API.
If you need any technical support, refer to this article.
Frequently asked questions
Is this feature available to all merchants?
Although the Cloud Retail Program is visible for every merchant, only cloud customers are qualified to use this feature within the Merchant Center.
Is this feature available in Merchant Center Next?
Yes, it's available in Merchant Center Next but can be enabled only in Google Cloud.
What is a Cloud Retail project?
A Google Cloud Project is the account equivalent on Google Cloud Platform. To use the Retail API you need to enable the Retail API.
What is a “Cloud Retail branch”?
Within the Retail API, each project has a catalog with 3 branches. Typically, a branch serves as a platform to stage catalog modifications. The "default" branch, which is utilized to present live data, can be alternated as needed.
Can multiple feeds be linked to the same Cloud Retail project? and how does this differ from having only one feed?
Yes, if multiple feeds are linked, all products from both feeds will be exported to the Cloud Retail project.
Who is responsible for approving linking requests, and how are the approver and requester informed, respectively?
Linking is only possible when the logged-in user possesses both Admin access on the Merchant Center side and Retail Admin access on the Google Cloud Project.
Does the linking request have an expiration, and how can a merchant resend or follow up with the approver?
Links remain indefinitely until unlinked. If you no longer want your products to be synced, you can unlink accordingly.
After the linking & the feed is implemented how does it translate in the merchants online store?
After the linking and feed setup is complete, the Merchant needs to integrate with the Retail API to share user events and then they can use the serving endpoint to power their online store search and recommendations. Refer to this article for more information.
What permission do I need to link my accounts?
To link your account, you need to be an admin in your Merchant Center account and have Retail Editor identity and access management ( IAM ) permissions in Google Cloud. Refer to this article for more information.