An update on the Google Base API deprecation timeline

Thursday, May 26, 2011 | 6:20 PM

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As we announced in December, the Google Base API will soon be decommissioned, and current Google Base API users are encouraged to migrate to the new Shopping APIs as soon as possible. Below you’ll find an updated timeline for the Base API deprecation and resources to guide you through the transition.

Updated Timeline
As of June 1, users will no longer be able to create a new Google Base account. However, current Base API users will have a one month grace period to continue using the Base API until July 1. After July 1, users will no longer be able to submit or access content through the Base API. The login at base.google.com will be removed as of June 1.

Resources


Mobile shopping: a big opportunity for retailers

| 8:11 AM

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At an event in New York City today, we announced Google Wallet, an app that will turn shoppers’ phones into their wallets. Google Wallet will enable consumers to store their credit cards, coupons, loyalty and gift cards securely on their phone, so they can pay, redeem offers, and earn loyalty points - all with a single tap of their phone. It is in a field test now and will be available to all consumers this summer.

A key benefit to retailers will be the integration of coupons, or offers, into Google Wallet. We’ve been testing a variety of offers - from discounts directly within search ads to check-in offers to offers in Google Places. Over time, consumers will be able to save each of these offers directly to their Google Wallet. That means consumers will get the benefit of carrying their offers with them at all times, bringing retailers targeted foot traffic.

The integration of offers into Google Wallet will enable merchants to close the loop by directly connecting their online and mobile advertising with offline purchases. In addition, Google Wallet provides merchants with a way to engage with customers in-store, enhancing the customer experience. Many leading merchants are integrating Google Wallet into their stores.



From the outset, Google Wallet will be compatible with more than a hundred thousand merchants nationwide that are part of the MasterCard PayPass network - a merchant point of sale service that enables consumers to tap to pay.

We’re also working with leading retailers and point of sale systems companies to integrate Google Wallet into their physical store experience. Participating retailers include: American Eagle Outfitters, Bloomingdale’s, Champs Sports, The Container Store, Duane Reade, Einstein Bros. Bagels, Foot Locker, Guess, Jamba Juice, Macy’s, Noah's Bagels, Peet’s Coffee & Tea, RadioShack, Subway, Toys“R”Us and Walgreens.

Google Wallet is currently being field tested, and we plan to release it soon. In the meantime, we encourage you to learn more at our website: www.google.com/wallet.

Focus on the Feed: Four Ways Submitting a Product Data Feed Can Help Your Business

Friday, May 20, 2011 | 9:30 AM

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If you’re a retailer, you've probably seen the shopping results on Google.com and Google Product Search. These results are generally based on product feeds that retailers submit, for free, to the Google Merchant Center.

There are four key benefits for retailers who upload product feeds:
Free, Qualified Traffic through Google Product Search, a shopping search engine that helps consumers discover product information, compare prices and find a retailer from whom they can make a purchase. This is free traffic to your retail website, which you can only benefit from by submitting a product feed.
Richer AdWords Formats such as product extensions use the product feed to automatically display your products within AdWords ads where relevant.
Improve On-Site Conversion with Google Commerce Search. Commerce Search leverages your product feed and innovations of Google.com to deliver a powerful search and discovery experience on your e-commerce site. Among other things, Google Commerce Search provides an interactive shopping experience - which includes features like automated promotions and instant results - found only on the top retail websites, as well as a powerful merchandising suite that helps you integrate business goals and adapt to market dynamics.
Reach Mobile Shoppers through Google Shopper, our shopping application for Android and iPhone, Shopping for Mobile, our shopping website, and Google Commerce Search on your mobile website. On-the-go shoppers will be able to discover goods you submit in your product feed.

To take advantage of the unique features associated with the merchant feed, first submit your product data feed at the Google Merchant Center and then explore the hyperlinks listed above.

Shopping made easy for developers at Google I/O

Thursday, May 5, 2011 | 10:19 PM

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The Google I/O developer conference is coming up next week, on May 10-11, 2011 in San Francisco, California. The first day of the conference will feature the first-ever Commerce track, and we want to give you sneak preview of the Google Shopping Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) session.

Shopping APIs have two main components: Content and Search. The Content API makes it easy to upload items as well as quickly change price or availability of your items. The Search API brings the power of Google search to your e-commerce website. In this session, we will walk you through code samples and various use cases for uploading data to Google using the Content API for Shopping. We also show you live demos of retail sites using Search API for Shopping and Google Commerce Search to power e-commerce on their site.

We are excited about Google I/O and look forward to seeing you in San Francisco.


Enforcement of our Unique Identifier Policy

Tuesday, May 3, 2011 | 9:23 AM

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As we announced on March 14, and in emails to all Product Search merchants, today we will begin requiring unique identifiers for products in all categories except for apparel, custom, and one-of-a-kind items. These requirements are part of an ongoing effort to make Product Search better for our users. Our unique identifier requirements enable us to build detailed product pages to help shoppers learn about products and compare prices from across the web. These unique identifiers are required for Google Product Search and Product Ads, and this policy will not impact Google Commerce Search.

We will be gradually enforcing this policy over the next few weeks, with full enforcement in effect on June 20th. During this time, products that do not have correct unique identifiers may not appear in our product listings. If you have products that do not have correct unique identifiers, we recommend that you make the necessary changes as soon as possible.

Please note that in the weeks after June 20th, we will begin disapproving the feeds of merchants who have a significant percentage of items that do not include the correct unique identifiers.

For more information on unique identifiers, and what we require, please see our Help Center. If you did not receive the email informing you of this change, please make sure to update your contact information in the "Settings" tab of the Google Merchant Center. The unique identifier requirement is part of a broader set of changes we plan to announce in the coming months. By checking this blog often and providing your contact information in your account, you can stay up to date with our requirements. Thank you for helping us improve the Product Search experience for our users.

Posted by Karen Corby, Product Manager, Google Product Search