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Smart Feed: Migrating Google Feed from Shopify Stores

This article intends to provide merchants migrated from Shopify with a detailed guide to Google Feed migration, to make sure the Google Feed and data reporting are consistent with those before the migration, enable lossless migration of the Feed, and avoid damage to the advertisement data.

 

 

Migration Overview

The overall Shopify store migration process is shown in the diagram below.

image1.png

 

Make sure to complete the following steps before the Google Feed migration (the detailed process is described in the next section):

  1. Download a copy of Google Feed files in Google Merchant Center (GMC) for backup.
  2. Disconnect GMC in the Shopify app for Feed synchronization you use.
  3. Connect your SHOPLINE store to your GMC account.
  4. In the SHOPLINE Multi-platform Store Migration app, complete configuration and import the Feed backup file.

 

 

How to Migrate Your Feed

Follow the steps and instructions below to complete the Feed data migration.

  1. Download a copy of Google Feed files in GMC for backup: To verify the Feed migration results later, you need to download the Feed copy from the GMC platform for backup. Go to the GMC homepage, click Products > All products in the left navigation bar, and then click on the download icon.
Note: At the moment, only backup files in English can be identified by Smart Feed. Please make sure the backup file is in English. Go to the GMC homepage > Settings > Account settings > Account display language > Select English.


image2.png

  1. After completing the Feed backup, disconnect GMC in the Shopify app for Feed synchronization you use.
  2. Make sure your SHOPLINE store domain name is consistent with that registered in Google Merchant Center. Go to the GMC homepage > Business info > Confirm online store, and enter the main domain name of your store.
Note: The domain name verified in GMC needs to be exactly the same as your store’s main domain name (including URL symbols such as https) in order to connect the account successfully. For example, https://www.abc.com and abc.com will be considered inconsistent domain names, resulting in account connection failure.

image3.png

 

  1. In the SHOPLINE Multi-platform Store Migration app, import the Feed backup file and complete the GMC Feed Migration Settings: From your SHOPLINE admin panel, go to Apps > Multi-platform Store Migration. In the app, go to GMC Feed Migration Settings > Upload file to import Google Feed backup file into GMC Feed migration settings.
  1.  
    • Turn on the GMC Feed Migration toggle.
    • Select the Feed tool used in Shopify, which is usually Google Channel Synchronize.
    • Please select according to the GMC Item ID rules previously used. If multiple ID formats exist at the same time or you’re doubtful about the ID rules, contact SHOPLINE website consultants.

 

 

Post-Migration Operations

  1. Install the Smart Feed app from SHOPLINE App Store and connect assets.
    • For the specific path, refer to the following: from the SHOPLINE navigation bar, click Apps > Go to App Store, search for Smart Feed, and click Install to authorize and install the app.
    • Link Google and GMC with Smart Feed to complete asset connection. For details, refer to Smart Feed Installation and Asset Binding.
  2. In the Smart Feed app, create a Feed automatically or manually.
    • Smart Feed automatically creates the Feed according to the Feed file you uploaded.
    • Please confirm whether the Feed rules you created meet expectations, and compare whether product data before and after the migration are consistent by using the verification function (Step 3 to Step 7).
    • After confirming and saving the rules, you can enable the Feed to allow automatic upload by the system.

Notes: Smart Feed supports automatic verification of Google Feed migration results. It compares “File imported from GMC backup” with “Feed created by Smart Feed”, automatically prompts mismatches, and adjusts upload rules and field information according to merchant needs.

If your GMC displays products in multiple countries/regions, make sure to create a Feed for each country for the cross-region product synchronization.
  1. Next, compare the matching results of the migrated data at both the product level and product field level before and after migration to ensure consistency. For details on how to verify matching results across different levels and resolve products with inconsistent matches, please refer to "Smart Feed: Understanding Field Mapping Rules for Product Migration."
  2. Click Save. After saving the rules, products will be synchronized according to the Product upload rules, and the Product field rules newly edited to complete the migration.

 

 

FAQs

  1. Please don’t change the data of product variants to be migrated during the Feed migration process. Adding or deleting specification fields in the Variants section of product details pagewill cause the product ID to change, that is, SHOPLINE will recognize this product as a new SKU. This operation will have a direct impact on your Feed migration.
  •  
    • For example, the variant information of product A to be migrated is Red–Size S, and its product ID is Shopify-US-123.
    • If product variants are added during the Feed migration process, the product will be considered a new SKU, for which a new product ID will be generated, such as SHOPLINE-456, and data will be reported in the new product ID. 
      At this point, the product information and advertising data accumulated under the original product ID will be overwritten. Therefore, don’t change variant information during migration.
  1. Will Google Feed migration result in my GMC account being blocked? Google Feed migration won’t result in your GMC being blocked. A common reason for blocking GMC account is that the product information submitted to GMC doesn’t comply with GMC specifications and requirements. Nevertheless, the most important goal of Google Feed migration in the SHOPLINE system is to completely transfer product information and ensure that your product information isn’t changed. As long as you confirm that the website information and product information you provided comply with GMC requirements, the Feed migration process won’t cause your GMC account to be blocked.
  2. How long does it take to relocate the entire Google Feed?
  •  
    • Google Feed migration will be carried out according to the process below. You can evaluate the time needed for each step with the following as references.
    • Take the migration of 100,000 SKUs as an example:
      • Complete store migration: about 1 hour
      • Create Google Feed in SHOPLINE and upload it to GMC: 10 minutes to 1 hour
      • GMC reviews your products: 30 minutes to 1 hour (GMC product review is an empirical estimate. According to GMC, product review takes up to three days. However, for the Feed migration, GMC is reviewing products that have been uploaded before, so the review time will be greatly shortened).
        • Please note that Migration is successful when Valid is displayed for products in GMC.
        • Smart Feed pulls GMC product status every four hours. There may be a latency in displaying product status on Smart Feed. Please refer to the product status display in GMC.
  1. Will GMC Item ID change after the Google Feed migration?
  •  
    • No, they won’t change. Before the migration, SHOPLINE will match product item IDs according to the mapping rules and make sure they won’t change in GMC.
    • For new products, you can choose from the following rules for populating Item ID.
      • Product SKU ID (default value)
      • Product SKU
      • Product SPU ID
      • Product SKU - Product SPU ID
      • Product SKU - Target market - Target language
      • Product SKU ID - Target market - Target language
      • Product SKU ID - Product SKU