How To: Export Product Data to Google Merchant Center

CS-Cart and Multi-Vendor allow you to upload your product data to Google Merchant Center. This is done by exporting product data from your store to a file and submitting that file to Google.

Step 1. Install the Add-ons

1.1. In the Administration panel, go to Add-ons → Manage add-ons.

1.2. Switch to the Browse all available add-ons tab.

1.3. Make sure that the Data feeds and Google export add-ons are installed. If they aren’t, install them.

  • The Data feeds add-on allows you export data in CSV files formatted according to the requirements of third-party services.
  • The Google export add-on allows you to use the field types required by Google in your data feeds.
The Data Feeds and Google Export add-ons must be installed for you to export products to Google Merchant Center.

Step 2. Edit Your Products

Important

When going through this step, please make sure that your product data complies with Google specification. Google updated the requirements in 2016. To meet those requirements, you may need to upgrade to CS-Cart/Multi-Vendor 4.4.1 or 4.5.1.

2.1. Specify Google-related product features for your products, where applicable. To do it, go to Products → Products, open any of the products, and switch to the Features tab. You’ll see Google export features.

Some of the Google export fearures are available only starting with CS-Cart/Multi-Vendor 4.4.1:

  • Age group
  • Gender
  • Size type
  • Size system

Note

Google export features can be exported to a CSV file along with other features when you export products. After editing the CSV file, you can import it back and update the values of your product features en masse that way.

Google export features

2.2. Starting with CS-Cart/Multi-Vendor 4.4.1, you can export your existing product options to Google as color, size, pattern, and material. When you edit an option (either under Products → Options, or on the Options tab of a product), you can choose an Equivalent in Google for that option.

For example, if your store has an option called Color and you select Google color as its Equivalent in Google, then the Color option will be the source of information for the Google color field type when you create a data feed.

You can select equivalents in Google for your product options.

2.3. Google’s GTIN requirements are expanding. If you don’t enter the value for the GTIN feature in step 2.1, CS-Cart/Multi-Vendor 4.5.1 and newer versions will try to use the CODE field of the product as GTIN.

Option combinations can be exported as separate entries in the feed file, starting with CS-Cart/Multi-Vendor 4.5.1. The ability to export product variations the same way was added in version 4.7.2.

Important

For option combinations and product variations to be exported properly, each option that comprises the combination/variation must have an Equivalent in Google (see step 2.2), and those equivalents must be included in the data feed file that you create during step 3.

When an option combination is exported as a separate entry:

  • The CODE field of an option combination is exported as GTIN.
  • The image of the combination is exported for that combination instead of the main product image.
Enter GTIN in the combination's CODE field before exporting that combination to Google.

Step 3. Create a Data Feed

3.1. Go to Add-ons → Data feeds.

3.2. Create a new data feed or edit the existing Google base feed according to your needs and Google specifications. Please pay attention to the notice on the right—it explains some of the requirements. Here are a couple of other things you should consider:

  • When you create a data feed for Google, make sure to choose google_export as a Layout. This will allow you to export product options to Google Merchant Center as described in step 2.2, but only if you add those Google options on the Fields mapping tab.
  • Select both product types (Simple products and Variations) on the data feed editing page. To select multiple types, hold Сtrl.

3.3. To generate a feed file, click the gear button and choose Download.

Click the gear button next to the feed and choose Download to get the feed file.

Step 4. Submit the Feed to Google

Google provides the instructions on how to register and submit a product feed. We recommend you submit a test feed first, to make sure that there are no errors.