Google Confidential and Proprietary Shopping Campaigns: A Guide to PLA Data Feeds.

Google Confidential and Proprietary Google Confidential and Proprietary

Shopping Campaigns:A Guide to PLA Data Feeds

Google Confidential and Proprietary Google Confidential and Proprietary Google Confidential and Proprietary

Product Listing Ad Data Feed Basics

Is a list of products you sell online that provides info to power your PLA

Uses attributes, categories of information about each product (title, price, description)

Has many possible attributes you can submit, some of which are required

Your Product Listing Ad (PLA) feed:

Your Product

Info

Merchant Center

AdWordsProduct Listing

Ads on Google and Google Shopping

Merchant Center

AdWordsYour Data Feed

https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/188494?hl=en

https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/1344057?hl=en&ref_topic=3404778


Gather Your Information


Identify the Information You’ll Need● Information in your feed must be structured using attributes defined by Google

● See all possible attributes in the feed specification

● Requirements vary by country, so choose the country you’ll target from the drop down and note the language and currency requirements for your feed




Start Gathering Attribute Values● Compile the attribute values you’ll submit for each product in your inventory

● Some databases allow you to export product info, so check with your provider

Tour De France 2014 T-Shirt (White)

Apparel > Non-Biking > Shirts > T-Shirts

Add to Cart

in stock!

$19.99

This official Tour De France t-shirt let’s you show your biking pride no matter where you go. Comfortable and stylish, it makes a great addition to any biking advocates wardrobe.

● Free shipping

● 100% cotton

● Machine washable

● Unisex

● Adult sizes only

● Available in S, M, L, XL

Test your knowledge: identify potential attributes on this webpage (see appendix for answers).


Create Your Feed


You Have 3 Options for Creating Your Feed

Text File XML File API

WhoAnyone, specifically those who can’t auto-generate XML files

Partners using databases that generate exportable XML files

Savvy partners with technical resources to custom code API

Requires

Basic knowledge of creating and editing spreadsheets - can use any spreadsheet editor (e.g. Google Sheets, Excel)

XML coding knowledge - can use any text editing program(e.g. Notepage, SimpleText)

Technical resources to set up and maintain API code

FormattingLike a spreadsheet - attribute names in column headings, values in rows

<attribute name> attribute value </attribute name>

According to API specifications

Submission

.txt file .xml file via API

Help Merchant Center Help Center Google Developers


https://developers.google.com/shopping-content/


Option #1: Text File● Use a spreadsheet editing program - e.g. Google Spreadsheets, Microsoft Excel,

● Type attribute names in the first rowo Think of theses as your column headerso Each should be in its own column and/or separated by a tab

● Enter attribute values for each product in its own row o All products should be entered after the first row with attribute nameso Attribute values o Ensure column values correspond to the attribute header

● When complete, save your file as .txt

id title description price condition

link

1 Schwinn 26" Ladies' Delmar Cruiser Bike

Classic styling meets modern innovation in the Schwinn Delmar 26" Ladies' Cruiser Bike. The steel cruiser frame features a comfortable, upright riding position. Rear coaster brakes make it easy to stop. You'll enjoy a smooth ride as you hit the beach or any paved path on this awesome bike.

220.99 USD

new http://www.example.com/SchwinnCruiser

2 Tour De France Legacy Bike (Yellow, Black)

The Tour De France Legacy Bike matches innovation and performance with classic style and sleek lines. The Legacy comes fully stocked. All complete bikes are sold and delivered partially assembled.

1,999.99 USD

new http://www.example.com/TDFLegacyBike

attribute names

attribute values


Option #2: XML File

Simple RSS 2.0 Data Feed Example<?xml version="1.0"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:g="http://base.google.com/ns/1.0"> <channel> <title>Google_Shopping_Feed</title> <link>http://www.example.com</link> <description>Description of your content</description> <item> <g:id>1</g:id> <title>Schwinn 26" Ladies' Delmar Cruiser Bike</title> <description>Classic styling meets modern innovation...</description> <g:price>220.99</g:price> <g:condition>new</g:condition> <link>http://www.example.com/SchwinnCruiser</link> </item></channel></rss>

Simple Atom 1.0 Data Feed Example<?xml version="1.0"?><feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:g="http://base.google.com/ns/1.0"> <title>Google_Shopping_feed</title> <link href="http://www.example.com" rel="alternate" type="text/html" /> <updated>2006-06-11T18:30:02Z</updated> <author><name>Google</name></author> <id>tag:example.com,2006-06-11:/support/products</id> <entry> <id>1/id> <title>Schwinn 26" Ladies' Delmar Cruiser Bike</title> <summary>Classic styling meets modern innovation..</summary> <g:price>220.99</g:price> <g:condition>new</g:condition> <link href="http://www.example.com/SchwinnCruiser" /> <updated>2005-10-13T18:30:02Z</updated> </entry></feed>

● Use any text editing program to create and edit files - e.g. Notepage, SimpleText, etc.

● Google supports extended versions of RSS 2.0 and Atom 1.0

● XML uses tags to define blocks of content○ Attributes names surround product information, in <angle brackets> ○ Product information values are contained within these tags


Option #3: API● The Google Content API for Shopping provides Atom feeds that enable you to

manage product items, users, and subaccounts

● Using API requires technical expertise

● See Google Developers documentation for details

https://developers.google.com/shopping-content/


Test Your Knowledge - Build a Text Feed1. Go to https://drive.google.com

2. Create a new spreadsheet (Create > Spreadsheet in upper left corner)

3. Enter the names of the attributes you identified in the first row

4. Enter the values of the attributes you identified in the second row

https://drive.google.com/


Test Your Knowledge - Build a Text Feed Answer

title description price availability

product type gender

age group

color

Tour De France 2013 T-Shirt


19.99 USD

in stock Apparel > Non-Biking > Shirts > T-Shirts

unisex adult white

● As you were doing this exercise, several questions probably came up:o What are all the possible attributes I can use?o Can I use any values or are the specific ones I need to choose from?o How do I submit currency information?

● This guide covers major data feed information, but check the feed specifications for comprehensive information

See possible answer below.

https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/188494?hl=en#US


Provide the Right Data


Understand What’s Required in Your Feed

required for 100% of submitted products

e.g. ID, title, description, price, link, image link

required for certain categories

e.g. google product category, gender, age group

required for specific countries

e.g. shipping in US, UK, DE, FR

recommended

e.g. product type

Not providing the attributes required for your products,

categories, or location can prevent items from showing in Google

Shopping results

See attribute requirements

Maximize performance by including

all relevant recommended attributes

● Attribute requirements can vary according to product category and target country

● See a complete list of all possible attributes you can submit about your products





Pay Attention to Attributes with Standard Values

condition availability

newusedrefurbished

in stockavailable for orderout of stockpreorder

Required for all products

identifier exists

truefalse

“False” required for products with no unique product identifier*

● Certain attributes have standardized values that must be used

● Think of these as predefined, “acceptable answers” for your product info

adult

truefalse

Recommended for items considered “non-family safe”

age group gender

adultkids

malefemaleunisex

Required for apparel products in US, UK, DE, FR, JP

Anne Rutherford

[email protected] Same as other deck - "available for order" has been deprecated.


Important Attribute: Unique Product Identifiers

Attribute Values

gtin

Global Trade Item Numbers (GTINs) include:

● UPC, EAN (in Europe)● JAN (in Japan)● ISBN

mpn Manufacturer Part Number (MPN)

brand The manufacturer's brand name

Product Category UPI Requirements

Media & software

gtin - UPC, EAN, or JAN

Books gtin - ISBN (either ISBN-10 or ISBN-13)

Apparel E.g. shoes, sunglasses, handbags, and watches

brand + [gtin or mpn]

Apparel Others

brand

All others At least 2 of gtin, mpn and brand

ExceptionsFor products where no UPI exists (e.g. custom goods), submit identifier exists attribute with a value of “false”

● Unique Product Identifiers (UPIs) are codes associated with an individual product

● Required attribute for all items and critical to proper matching of products to shoppers

● See complete UPI definitions and requirements

Note: Refer to feed requirements for most up-to-date list of requirements. All countries




Special Case: Apparel Products

id title price availability item group id

gender age group

color size

123-w-s

Tour De France 2013 Womens T-Shirt

19.99 USD

out of stock 123 unisex adult white small

123-w-m


19.99 USD

in stock 123 unisex adult white medium

123-w-l Tour De France 2013 Womens T-Shirt

19.99 USD

in stock 123 unisex adult white large

123--b-xl


19.99 USD

in stock 123 unisex adult black x-large

● Attributes gender, age group, color are required for apparel and accessories products

● Variants are a group of products that differ only by color, material, pattern, or size

o Required: color, material, pattern

o Required for clothing and shoes: size● To identify items as variants, include item group id attribute

Note: Refer to feed requirements for most up-to-date list of requirements. US, UK, DE, FR, JP



Special Case: Shipping

id title price condition

shipping shipping

145


19.99 USD

new US::Standard::4.95

US::Express::9.95

Note: Refer to feed requirements for most up-to-date list of requirements. US, UK, DE, FR

● Certain countries require shipping information for all items in a data feed

● Two options to do this:

○ Provide shipping attribute with value for each item in the feed

○ Create a custom table in Merchant Center - go to Settings > Tax & shipping



Special Case: Tax

Note: Refer to feed requirements for most up-to-date list of requirements. US

● US targeted feeds are required to provide tax information for all items in a data feed

● Two options to do this:

○ Provide tax attribute with value for each item in the feed

○ Create a custom table in Merchant Center - go to Settings > Tax & shipping

id title price condition

tax

145


19.99 USD

new US:MI:6.0:Y



Plan for Your Campaign


Plan How to Use Important Campaign Attributes

● Data feeds supply the info that Google uses to match your products to shoppers and that you use to build a Shopping campaign

● So, ensure your attribute values help you organize and bid on your inventory

● Review these bidding-related attributes in your feed

Product type Brand Item ID

Google product category

Condition Custom labels


● You control the categories you assign to products - consider using an existing classification system / taxonomy, like the one in your database or website

● Create up to 5 levels using the > symbol with a space on both sides

Organize Similar Inventory with Product_Type

Note: If you make feed changes, be sure to re-upload your feed.

Gendere.g. group womens apparel because has higher CTR

Sub-categorye.g. group sub-categories of products with similar

margins

Stylee.g. group most popular styles

Sizee.g. group best selling / most popular sizes

Top-level categorye.g. group basic product categories because of ROI

Apparel > Womens > Jeans > Skinny > PetiteApparel > Mens > Shirts > Dress > Big and tall

Apparel > Womens > Jeans > Skinny > PetiteApparel > Womens > Jackets > Fashion > Plus size

Apparel > Womens > Jeans > Skinny > PetiteApparel > Womens > Jeans > Boy cut > Plus size

Apparel > Womens > Jeans > Skinny > PetiteApparel > Womens > Jeans > Skinny > Plus size

Apparel > Womens > Jeans > Skinny > PetiteApparel > Womens > Jeans > Skinny > Petite



Alternatively, Rely on Google_Product_Category

Tip: Regardless of whether you plan to use the attribute for your products groups, you must submit it for apparel & accessories, media, and software (required).

id title description pricegoogle_product_category

1

Tour De France Legacy Bike - 21” (Yellow, Black)

The Tour De France Legacy Bike matches innovation and performance with classic style and sleek lines. The Legacy comes fully stocked and is delivered partially assembled.

1999.99 USD

Sporting Goods > Outdoor Recreation > Cycling > Bicycles > Road Bicycles

2

Schwinn 16” Ladies’ Delmar Cruiser Bike

Classic styling meets modern innovation in the Schwinn Delmar 26” Ladies Cruiser Bike. The steel cruiser frame features a comfortable, upright riding position.

599.99 USD

Sporting Goods > Outdoor Recreation > Cycling > Bicycles > Cruisers

3Acme Brand Men’s Triathlon Seat

Designed for performance, this uniquely lightweight bike saddle will meet the demands of the world’s highest performing athletes.

89.00 USD

Sporting Goods > Outdoor Recreation > Cycling > Bicycle Parts > Bicycle Saddles

● If you don’t already have an inventory cataloguing system, it may be easiest to use Google’s taxonomy

● While the standardized classification system won’t be customized to your products, it does provide a basic framework for organizing your products by type



Use Custom_Label for Your Own Targetable Values

Custom label Definition Possible custom_label values

0 Season spring, summer, fall, winter

1 Promotion flash sale, clearance, merchant promo

2 Selling rate bestseller, low seller

3 Margin high margin, low margin

4 Holidayvalentine’s day, mother’s day, father’s day, christmas

● Ideal for grouping by key performance indicators (KPIs) like conversion rate, inventory, seasonality, and more

● Assign up to 5 labels per product with these attributes: custom_label_0, custom_label_1, custom_label_2, custom_label_3, custom_label_4

● Start by defining how you’ll use each label and mapping possible values

Help: Learn more about custom labels.

https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/188494#customlabel


Use Custom_Label for Your Own Targetable Values

id title custom_label_0 custom_label_1 custom_label_2 custom_label_3 custom_label_4

1 Schwinn 26" Ladies' Delmar Cruiser Bike

flash sale low margin mother’s day

2 Tour De France T-Shirt spring high margin

3 Shimano 105 Road Bike Gear System

merchant promo bestseller high margin father’s day

4 Michelin Pro4 Road Tire fall

5 Giro Ionis Road Helmet bestseller low margin

● Once you’ve defined a labeling strategy, add the custom_label attributes to your feed

● Make sure that any values you want to target together are in the same label / column - e.g. all “bestseller” labels are in custom_label_2

Note: If you make feed changes, be sure to re-upload your feed.



Summary: Campaign Targeting Attributes

Attribute Definition Use case

product type

● Product classification with your own values

● Use up to 5 category levels● E.g. Bikes > Mens > Road > 2014 > 26”

Group inventory by your own definition of product lines / category (e.g. bikes, parts, clothes)

google product category

● Product classification with Google’s values

● Download the standardized taxonomy

If you don’t have your own classification system, use Google product category to organize campaign by general product categories

custom label● Your own custom values for products● Submit up to 5 labels per product

Organize campaign by your own key performance indicators (e.g. bestsellers, margins, seasonality)

id● Unique identification value for each

product● Can be any alphanumeric combination

Bid on individual products - e.g. bestsellers

brand ● Manufacturer’s brand name for a product Target specific brands and bid according to their value to your business

condition● Condition or state of a product● E.g. new, used, refurbished

Organize campaigns with large portion of inventory is varying conditions - e.g. frequently used by electronics retailers



Use the Right Attribute for Redirects● Specify a tracking URL for reporting purposes via adwords_redirect

● Provide a mobile landing page URL for your products via mobile_link

● In both cases, ensure that your URL ultimately gets shoppers to the same domain as the product landing page URL you specify in the link attribute

Tip: Check out Google’s 25 principles of mobile site design.


https://www.google.com/think/multiscreen/whitepaper-sitedesign.html


Test Your Knowledge - Build a Complete Feed



Add to Cart

in stock!

$19.99


● Free shipping

● 100% cotton


● Unisex


● Available in S, M, L, XL

1. Still using the product below, add a new sheet to the spreadsheet from exercise A

2. Enter the names of the attributes you identified in the first row

3. Enter the values of the attributes you identified in the second row

4. Add additional recommended attributes as you see fit to fully describe the product

Tip: This is “apparel,” so check special category requirements and note possible variants - also, the product is sold in USD, so assume you’re targeting PLAs to the US.

Answer: your feed should look similar to this.

https://docs.google.com/a/google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AvYWuPdHSg2rdFdnVHdOc3V4bU5ydTdod0lGLTNwX3c&usp=sharing


Submit Your Feed


1) Register Your Feed in Merchant Center

Help: Learn how to register a feed.

1

2

3

4



2) Upload Your Feed to Merchant Center

Retailer manually uploads file to Google Merchant Center

Recommended for:● Beginners

● Feeds <20MB

1) Direct upload

Retailer locates file at a URL where Google retrieves it

Recommended for:● Intermediate users

● Feeds <1GB

2) Automatic upload

Retailer stores file in secure digital location where Google retrieves it

Recommended for:● Advanced users

● Feeds <1GB

3) File Transfer Protocol

21

3

Help: Learn more about feed upload options.



Feed Submission Best Practices

Help: Learn more about using test feeds.

● It may take up to 2 business days for new products to be approved and run as PLAs

● Submit your feed at least once every 30 days - for optimal performance, re-submit your feed whenever product information changes, up to once per day

● If you’re using multiple feeds, keep items in the same feed with each submission

● Upload your feed as a test feed to get a report of errors and issues with your feed

○ In Data Feeds tab, click New Test Data Feed

○ Upload feed in registered test feed slot - to view errors report:


Google Confidential and Proprietary

Thanks!

Google Confidential and Proprietary

Appendix


Test Your Knowledge - Identifying Attributes



$19.99


● Free shipping

● 100% cotton


● Unisex


● Available in S, M, L, XLAdd to Cart

in stock!

See possible answers below.

Product Type

Title

Description

Price

Availability


Special Case: Unit Price Measure

Note: Refer to feed requirements for most up-to-date list of requirements. EU and Switzerland

Price for first item will be displayed as $50($100 /100ml)

id title price unit pricing measure

unit pricing base measure

145 Fever - Womens Perfume by G.S.

50 USD 50ml 100ml

267 Ardeur - Mens Perfume by G.S.

74.99 USD 75ml 150ml

● Attribute allows you to specify unit pricing information for an item - your value should define the measure and/or dimension for an item, specifically:

○ Volume, weight, area, or length of product without packaging

○ Net drained weight of product (in case of food items)● Recommended for UK, DE, FR, IT, ES, ES, CH, CZ, and NL targeted feeds

● Should also submit attribute unit pricing base measure



Special Case: Energy Labels

Note: Refer to feed requirements for most up-to-date list of requirements. EU and Switzerland

id title price condition energy efficiency class

145 Chest Freezer - 25 cubic feet, EnergyStar Rated

315.50 USD new A

267 Chest Freezer - 30 cubic feet

299.75 USD used B

● Attribute allows you to specify the energy efficiency class for certain product categories as defined in EU directive 2010/30/EU

● Requires standardized values: G, F, E, D, C, B, A, A+, A++, A+++

● Recommended for UK, DE, FR, IT, ES, ES, CH, CZ, and NL targeted feeds (if applicable)



id title price condition installment

145 Chest Freezer - 25 cubic feet, EnergyStar Rated

315.60 BRL new 6:52.60 BRL

267 Chest Freezer - 30 cubic feet

299.99 BRL used 6:50 BRL

Special Case: Installments

Note: Refer to feed requirements for most up-to-date list of requirements. Brazil

● Attribute allows you to specify an option for shoppers to pay in multiple installments - in feed, you’ll use “number of payments:payment amount”

● If multiple installment plans are offered, can specify which to use in PLAs

● Note: installment option outlined in feed must be visible on landing page


Google Confidential and Proprietary Shopping Campaigns: A Guide to PLA Data Feeds.

Documents

google confidential

google spreadsheets

google sheets

attribute values youll

data feed slide

information slide

spreadsheet attribute

attribute header