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.

 

In This Article

• Migration Overview
• How to Migrate Your Feed
• Post-Migration Operations
• FAQs

 

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Migration Overview

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

 

 

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.

 

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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.

2. After completing the Feed backup, disconnect GMC in the Shopify app for Feed synchronization you use.
3. 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.

4. 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.

 

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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.

 

3. Check the Feed list and status prompts in Smart Feed.

• • If a yellow exclamation mark appears in the status bar of the Feed list, click on the status bar and you will be prompted the following: “The file you submitted in the migration tool contains products in {target market}_{language}. Please confirm whether the Feed rules match your needs, otherwise, your advertisements will be affected.” Click View now to check whether the feed rules meet expectations.
    
    

4. Check migration data match at the product level.

• • Configure rules: Set product source filtering rules in Product upload rules, that is, select which products are to be synchronized to GMC.
  • Detect data: After configuring the rules, use the data detection function to verify the quantity of products before and after migration.
  • Verify results: Click View more to check product matching results. There will be two states: Surplus and Missing.
    • Missing: The product is in the migration file but not in the Smart Feed product upload rules.
    • Surplus: The product is in the Smart Feed product upload rules but not in the migration file.

 

5. Process migration data at the product level: Three options are available to deal with mismatches.

• • Migrate again or add manually from the admin panel. This option makes up products missing from the total product pool of goods, which is the most effective way to complement products. In actual operation, you can assess the quantity and value of missing products to determine whether it is necessary.
  • Complement missing products with one click. This option modifies Product upload rules to custom rules and synchronizes products that are in a Missing state and fail to meet product source settings to GMC. However, it can’t complement products not existing in the SHOPLINE admin panel.
    • If there are still missing products after you use this function, you might have missed them during migration. Please confirm the value of the missing products. If you wish to complement them, please migrate them again or add them manually from your SHOPLINE admin panel.
    • You can complement a maximum of 200 products with one click. If there are more than 200 products to be complemented, it is recommended that you add the category/tag or other identifiers to these products in the product management page and include them in product source rules.
  • Ignore. If you believe the quantity and value of these products won’t affect your operation, you can ignore them.
    • As Smart Feed can’t sync missing products into Google Merchant Center, your advertising may be affected. Of course, you can add them manually from your SHOPLINE admin panel later. Smart Feed will synchronize products in the Surplus state that don’t exist in migration files to Google Merchant Center to increase the number of products.

 

6. Check migration data matching results at the product field level.

• • Configure rules: Set product field filling rules in Product field rules.
  • Detect data: After configuring the rules, use the data detection function to verify the field data of products before and after migration.
  • Verify results: Click View more to check whether the field data of products matches.
    • Data value before migration: the content in product fields of the migration file.
    • Data value after migration: the content you set in product field rules of Smart Feed settings.

 

7. Process migrated data at the product field level: Products that don’t match can be processed in two ways.

• • Optimize product fields with one click. Content in product fields before the migration will be synchronized to GMC in the form of fixed text, and the data in your SHOPLINE admin panel won’t be read. If you wish to edit or modify product field information later, you need to edit the specific product in Smart Feed.
  • Restore default fields (recommended). Product field information will be synchronized to GMC according to the product field rules set in Smart Feed, and content in product fields before migration (except for product ID) will be ignored. If you wish to edit or modify product field information later, you can do it from your SHOPLINE admin panel. The information will be automatically updated to GMC.

 

8. 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.

 

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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.

2. 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.
3. 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.

4. 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