Google’s Local Product Inventory feed channel is part of local inventory ads and free local listings add-on that allows you to showcase your products and store information to nearby potential customers searching through Google.
Before adding or submitting a Local Product Inventory feed, ensure the following prerequisites are met:
- Set Up Local Shops: Add your local stores to your Google Business account and record their store codes for reference.
- Create a Google Shopping Feed: Generate a feed for the “Google Shopping” channel and submit it under the Data Sources section in your Google Merchant Center dashboard.
- Create a Local Product Inventory Feed: Set up a feed for the “Local Product Inventory” channel and submit it via the Supplemental Sources tab under Data Sources in your Merchant Center dashboard. If the Supplemental Sources tab is unavailable, enable the Local Inventory Ads feature from the Add-ons page.
Google requires that the entire inventory for all products and stores be consolidated into a single local product inventory feed. Creating supplemental feeds for individual stores is not allowed.
Steps to Create a Feed
Creating Google’s Local Product Inventory is a straightforward process with our plugin.
The first step in creating a feed involves providing the general information for your feed. After entering a project name, selecting the target country, choosing the appropriate channel (Google Local Product Inventory), and deciding whether to include product variations, select the desired feed format.
We recommend using the XML format, as it is less prone to errors. If you prefer the TXT format, make sure to select a tab as the delimiter to ensure proper formatting.
The next step, Field Mapping, includes five pre-added attributes, four of which are already predefined and pre-mapped: Item ID, Availability, Price, and Quantity. The fifth attribute, Store Code, requires manual mapping. You will need to map it to the Static Value attribute.
If you have multiple store IDs, you can enter them all in the field, separated by a pipe symbol (|). For example, if you have three store codes, they should be entered as follows: 3085|3086|3087. Also, this method is only applicate in the TXT format.
This setup instructs the plugin to include products in the local product inventory feed multiple times,
once for each store code, assuming that attributes like stock levels are identical across all stores.
If you’re adding only one store, simply enter its store code followed by a pipe symbol (|). For example: 3085|. (Note: This applies only to TXT files; the pipe symbol is not required for XML files.)
That’s all about creating Google’s Local Product Inventory Feed. While the required attributes are automatically included when creating a feed, ensure that any additional attributes you add comply with the Local Inventory Data Specification.
