Set up Google Shopping exports

You can set up exports in various formats via the product comparison. In this article, we explain how you can create a new feed for Google Shopping.

Add sales channel for product comparison

If you click on the + sign next to sales channels, you will get this overview:

Click on the button Add sales channel right of product comparison.

General settings

Template: First you decide whichtemplate you want to use as the basis for your feed. There are several templates to choose from:
Please select Google Shopping (XML) here. You will then see a warning to remind you that changing a template in existing product comparisons will overwrite individual adjustments. As we have created a new sales channel, you can safely click on Apply template. The template used can be changed or modified by you at a later date.
Name: You can freely choose the name. This will help you to find your new product comparison later in the list of sales channels.
Tax Calculation: In the tax calculation section below, you decide how the tax calculation for products is to be carried out. Shopware offers the option to choose between row-by-row and column-by-column calculation. How this affects the shopping cart is explained in more detail here: Tax calculation in the cart - examples.

Storefront Sales Channels

In a newly created product comparison, only three input fields are initially displayed.

storefront sales channel: First, you enter the storefront sales channel from which the products you want to use for Google Shopping originated.
storefront domain: You also have to enter the storefront domain. Now you will see all five fields as shown in the picture above.
currency: The currency available for your previous settings will be offered or displayed for selection.
language: The language available for your previous settings will be offered or displayed for selection.
customer group: The customer group is also automatically selected based on the storefront sales channel.

Product export

In this section, the properties of the file, the automatic generation and the contained products are configured.

Filename: The feed is created as a file with the entered file name. A change would only be necessary if you use several feeds with this template and thus different files have to be created.
Encoding: The character encoding can be changed in the next field. In addition to the default "UTF-8", "ISO-8859-1" is available for selection.
File format: "XML" and "CSV" are available as file formats. For Google Shopping, "XML" is the right choice.
Export variants as discrete products: If the slider Export variants as discrete products is active, each variant in the file is stored individually. If this option is deactivated, the file will only contain the main products.
Interval and Generate via scheduler: The settings for Interval and Generate via scheduler belong together. If Generate via scheduler is activated, the file is regenerated according to the generation interval. In the screenshot above, this would happen once a day. "Live" is particularly suitable for testing a new feed, as the file is generated as soon as the link is called up. Under Generate via scheduler, the time of the last generation is displayed.
Dynamic product group: The Dynamic product group entered determines which products are to be included in the feed. The dynamic product groups are created or edited under Catalogues > Dynamic Product Groups.

API access and Status

In this area, the sales channel is activated and you will find the link with which the file can be retrieved.

Access key: A key to access this feed via the API.
Export URL: This URL can be used to access the file with the exported product data.
Active: Used to activate / deactivate the feed. If no file is generated or an error occurs when calling up the download URL, check that the feed is active.
Maintenance: Use this switch to activate / deactivate the maintenance mode.
IP addresses whitelist: If the maintenance mode has been activated, the call is only possible via the IP addresses entered in this list.

Template

You use the template to specify which content is written to your file. Shopware provides a basic template in which generally required product data is stored. Since you can edit and add to the template, it is not a problem if you receive information when reading in the file that further fields are required.
The header row is needed to prepare the general information about the sales channel. It provides information like the domain URL or the language. The footer row contains the entries to formally close the feed correctly. Therefore, changes in these fields are usually not necessary.

The product row contains the schema through which the data for your products are generated, which the recipient then processes further.

Send data to Google Shopping

With the interface Shopping Ads with Google, which is no longer supported, Shopware has been able to transfer product data to Google via API. This is no longer possible from the end of October 2022.
The difference between Shopping Ads and Google Shopping via product comparison is that the files generated by the product comparison are not automatically transferred. It is therefore necessary that you log into the Merchant Center and set up the retrieval of the file there. In the Google Merchant Center Help, you can find help on what steps are necessary for this. This external link explains how to upload a feed: Upload feed to Google (external link).

Replace Shopping Ads with Google

To replace and remove the Shopping Ads sales channel then, follow these steps:

Create a feed file with the desired data
Process the file via the Google Merchand Center
Check there that Google can process the file without errors
Check that the product data is complete from your point of view.
Set up a scheduled fetch in the Merchant Center if you are satisfied with the result.

Please note: Once you have set up the replacement, the Shopping Ads with Google sales channel must be completely deleted. Deactivating is not enough!

Another way to create an export file with products for exchange with Google is the Google Shopping Feed that is implemented after installing the Extension Social Shopping. Choose this sales channel to create a feed via Social Shopping:

The set-up and operation is described in detail in the sectionGoogle Shopping.

Helpful code snippets

The Shopware templates for the product comparisons and Social Shopping sales channels are delivered in a standard configuration. For some products or providers, additions are necessary. For frequently requested elements, we have collected the corresponding code snippets here.

Set up Google Shopping exports