Manage omnichannel settings

OmnichannelSettings API is the entry point to configuring your Local Inventory Ads (LIA) and Free Local Listings (FLL) programs.

Use it to programmatically

Manage (create and update) omnichannel settings
Fetch (get and list) omnichannel settings
Request inventory verification for eligible merchants

For more information, see Local inventory ads and free local listings overview.

Prerequisites

You should have

a Merchant Center account
a Business Profile. If you don't have one, you can create one. See Sign up for a Business Profile.
A link between your Business Profile and your Merchant Center account. To create the link, you can use the Merchant Center user interface or Merchant API (see Link a Google Business Profile).

Create an omnichannel setting

You can use the omnichannelSettings.create method to create an omnichannel setting. The create method takes an omnichannelSetting resource as input and returns the created omnichannel setting, if successful.

When creating, you must fill in both the regionCode and the LsfType:

OmnichannelSetting is on a per-country basis. RegionCode defines the targeted country. Once created, you cannot change it. RegionCode should follow the naming rule defined by the Common Locale Data Repository (CLDR) project.
LsfType is based on your product page. For details, see LsfType.

For more detail, see Change the product page experience for your local inventory ads.

You don't have to fill in all the fields at the creation stage, but can configure them later instead. To update an existing omnichannelSetting, see Update an omnichannel setting.

Here is a sample request if you were to choose MHLSF_BASIC and enroll inStock:

POST https://merchantapi.googleapis.com/accounts/v1beta/accounts/{ACCOUNT_ID}/omnichannelSettings

{
  "regionCode": "{REGION_CODE}",
  "lsfType: "MHLSF_BASIC",
  "inStock": {
      "uri": "{URI}"
  }
}

Replace the following:

{ACCOUNT_ID}: The unique identifier of your Merchant Center account
{REGION_CODE}: A region code as defined by CLDR
{URI}: A valid URI used for the given review. An ineligible URI may prevent approval.

After the request runs successfully, you should see the following response:

{
  "name": "accounts/{ACCOUNT_ID}/omnichannelSettings/{omnichannel_setting}",
  "regionCode": "{REGION_CODE}",
  "lsfType: "MHLSF_BASIC",
  "inStock": {
      "uri": "{URI}",
      "state": "RUNNING"
  }
}

Enrolling different LIA/FLL features using omnichannelSetting fields triggers manual reviews that usually require a couple of hours to a couple of days. We recommend double-checking your inputs to avoid unnecessary waiting time due to an ineligible data.

To view your newly-created omnichannel setting or check the state of reviews, use accounts.omnichannelSettings.get or accounts.omnichannelSettings.list, specifying the country.

Local Store Front (LSF) Type

Based on the product page you plan to use, choose an LsfType:

Product page type	LsfType	Enum value
Product pages with in-store availability	Merchant-Hosted Local Store Front Basic	`MHLSF_BASIC`
Store-specific product pages with availability and price	Merchant-Hosted Local Store Front Full	`MHLSF_FULL`
Product pages without in-store availability	Google-Hosted Local Store Front (GHLSF)	`GHLSF`

If you choose Merchant-hosted local store front types, you also need to fill in the URI field for at least one of inStock or pickup.

InStock

You can use InStock to provide more information about your product page.

If you choose Merchant-Hosted LSF types and specify the URI field in InStock, you're showing your intention to serve products with in-stock availability. We will start a review based on the provided URI.

If you choose the GHLSF type, you need to supply an empty InStock field in the request. Unlike Merchant-hosted LSF types, to complete onboarding, you need to complete the Inventory Verification process.

This code sample creates an omnichannelSetting with GHLSF:

package shopping.merchant.samples.accounts.v1beta;

// [START merchantapi_create_omnichannel_setting]
import com.google.api.gax.core.FixedCredentialsProvider;
import com.google.auth.oauth2.GoogleCredentials;
import com.google.shopping.merchant.accounts.v1beta.AccountName;
import com.google.shopping.merchant.accounts.v1beta.CreateOmnichannelSettingRequest;
import com.google.shopping.merchant.accounts.v1beta.InStock;
import com.google.shopping.merchant.accounts.v1beta.OmnichannelSetting;
import com.google.shopping.merchant.accounts.v1beta.OmnichannelSetting.LsfType;
import com.google.shopping.merchant.accounts.v1beta.OmnichannelSettingsServiceClient;
import com.google.shopping.merchant.accounts.v1beta.OmnichannelSettingsServiceSettings;
import shopping.merchant.samples.utils.Authenticator;
import shopping.merchant.samples.utils.Config;

/**
 *   This class demonstrates how to create an omnichannel setting for a given Merchant Center account
 *   in a given country
 */
public class CreateOmnichannelSettingSample {

  public static void createOmnichannelSetting(Config config, String regionCode) throws Exception {

    // Obtains OAuth token based on the user's configuration.
    GoogleCredentials credential = new Authenticator().authenticate();

    // Creates service settings using the retrieved credentials.
    OmnichannelSettingsServiceSettings omnichannelSettingsServiceSettings =
        OmnichannelSettingsServiceSettings.newBuilder()
            .setCredentialsProvider(FixedCredentialsProvider.create(credential))
            .build();

    // Calls the API and catches and prints any network failures/errors.
    try (OmnichannelSettingsServiceClient omnichannelSettingsServiceClient =
        OmnichannelSettingsServiceClient.create(omnichannelSettingsServiceSettings)) {
      String accountId = config.getAccountId().toString();
      String parent = AccountName.newBuilder().setAccount(accountId).build().toString();

      // Creates an omnichannel setting with GHLSF type in the given country.
      CreateOmnichannelSettingRequest request =
          CreateOmnichannelSettingRequest.newBuilder()
              .setParent(parent)
              .setOmnichannelSetting(
                  OmnichannelSetting.newBuilder()
                      .setRegionCode(regionCode)
                      .setLsfType(LsfType.GHLSF)
                      .setInStock(InStock.getDefaultInstance())
                      .build())
              .build();

      System.out.println("Sending create omnichannel setting request:");
      OmnichannelSetting response =
          omnichannelSettingsServiceClient.createOmnichannelSetting(request);

      System.out.println("Inserted Omnichannel Setting below:");
      System.out.println(response);
    } catch (Exception e) {
      System.out.println("An error has occurred: ");
      System.out.println(e);
    }
  }

  public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
    Config config = Config.load();

    // The country which you're targeting at.
    String regionCode = "{REGION_CODE}";

    createOmnichannelSetting(config, regionCode);
  }
}
// [END merchantapi_list_omnichannel_settings]

Pickup

Apart from in-store availability, you can also enhance your in-store products with the Pickup feature, which is only eligible for Merchant-hosted LSF types.

When a product is marked for Pickup, it means that a customer can buy it online and pick it up at the store. By setting the Pickup field, you are showing your intention to serve products with a pickup SLA. We will start a review based on the provided URI.

Here is a sample request that creates an omnichannel setting with Pickup:

POST https://merchantapi.googleapis.com/accounts/v1beta/accounts/{ACCOUNT_ID}/omnichannelSettings

{
  "regionCode": "{REGION_CODE}",
  "lsfType: "MHLSF_BASIC",
  "pickup": {
     "uri: "{URI}"
  }
}

On display to order

With the on display to order feature, you can show products that are displayed in your physical store, but not available for immediate purchase. For example, large furniture:

Customers who are looking for similar products on Google will see these ads with the "in-store" annotation in their search results.
Customers who are browsing the store on a Google Search result page will see these products marked as "Available to order".

They can choose your local inventory ad or free local listing to view the item. To buy the item, they can visit your physical store, view the item, and then order it to be shipped to them or shipped to your store for pick up.

About (Germany, Austria and Switzerland)

If you're serving in Austria and Germany and choose GHLSF, you must submit an About page.

If you're serving in Switzerland, you must submit an "About" page regardless of LsfType.

Until the About page URL is verified, GHLSF merchants cannot request manual inventory verification from Google.

For all merchants in these three countries, the service does not enable the FLL/LIA features until your About page receives approval.

Inventory Verification

Inventory Verification is only required for GHLSF merchants. It is not supported for MHLSF types.

Either before or after you add product data and inventory data (either using accounts.products.localInventories.insert or the Merchant Center user interface), you must verify your contact. Provide an inventory verification contact (name and email address) using the create or update method. The contact will receive an email sent by Google and the ability to verify their status by clicking a button in the message.

Once you have completed this, you can Request inventory verification. For more information see About inventory verification.

You can change your contact during the verification process or after verification using omnichannelSetting.update.

After this process is complete, Google validates the accuracy of the provided information.

Get an omnichannel setting

To retrieve the omnichannelSetting configuration in a given country, or check the current status of your reviews, use the omnichannelSettings.get method.

Here's a sample request:

GET https://merchantapi.googleapis.com/accounts/v1beta/accounts/{ACCOUNT_ID}/omnichannelSettings/{OMNICHANNEL_SETTING}

Replace the following:

{ACCOUNT_ID}: The unique identifier of your Merchant Center account
{OMNICHANNEL_SETTING}: The region code of your targeted country

The ACTIVE status indicates that the review has received approval.

If the status is FAILED, address the issues and trigger a new review by calling omnichannelSetting.update.

The read-only LFP field shows your Local Feeds Partnership status. To link to the partnership, use lfpProviders.linkLfpProvider.

For more information on checking statuses and their meanings, see View the status of an omnichannel setting.

List omnichannel settings

To retrieve all omnichannelSetting information for your account, use the omnichannelSettings.list method.

Here's a code sample:

package shopping.merchant.samples.accounts.v1beta;

// [START merchantapi_list_omnichannel_settings]
import com.google.api.gax.core.FixedCredentialsProvider;
import com.google.auth.oauth2.GoogleCredentials;
import com.google.shopping.merchant.accounts.v1beta.AccountName;
import com.google.shopping.merchant.accounts.v1beta.ListOmnichannelSettingsRequest;
import com.google.shopping.merchant.accounts.v1beta.OmnichannelSetting;
import com.google.shopping.merchant.accounts.v1beta.OmnichannelSettingsServiceClient;
import com.google.shopping.merchant.accounts.v1beta.OmnichannelSettingsServiceClient.ListOmnichannelSettingsPagedResponse;
import com.google.shopping.merchant.accounts.v1beta.OmnichannelSettingsServiceSettings;
import shopping.merchant.samples.utils.Authenticator;
import shopping.merchant.samples.utils.Config;

/**
 *   This class demonstrates how to get the list of omnichannel settings for a given Merchant Center
 *   account
 */
public class ListOmnichannelSettingsSample {

  public static void omnichannelSettings(Config config) throws Exception {

    // Obtains OAuth token based on the user's configuration.
    GoogleCredentials credential = new Authenticator().authenticate();

    // Creates service settings using the retrieved credentials.
    OmnichannelSettingsServiceSettings omnichannelSettingsServiceSettings =
        OmnichannelSettingsServiceSettings.newBuilder()
            .setCredentialsProvider(FixedCredentialsProvider.create(credential))
            .build();

    String accountId = config.getAccountId().toString();
    String parent = AccountName.newBuilder().setAccount(accountId).build().toString();

    // Calls the API and catches and prints any network failures/errors.
    try (OmnichannelSettingsServiceClient omnichannelSettingsServiceClient =
        OmnichannelSettingsServiceClient.create(omnichannelSettingsServiceSettings)) {
      ListOmnichannelSettingsRequest request =
          ListOmnichannelSettingsRequest.newBuilder().setParent(parent).build();

      System.out.println("Sending list omnichannel setting request:");
      ListOmnichannelSettingsPagedResponse response =
          omnichannelSettingsServiceClient.listOmnichannelSettings(request);

      int count = 0;

      // Iterates over all the entries in the response.
      for (OmnichannelSetting omnichannelSetting : response.iterateAll()) {
        System.out.println(omnichannelSetting);
        count++;
      }
      System.out.println(String.format("The following count of elements were returned: %d", count));
    } catch (Exception e) {
      System.out.println("An error has occurred: ");
      System.out.println(e);
    }
  }

  public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
    Config config = Config.load();

    omnichannelSettings(config);
  }
}
// [END merchantapi_list_omnichannel_settings]

Update an omnichannel setting

To update the configuration of an existing omnichannel setting use the omnichannelSettings.update method.

To update, you must add the feature you want to the update mask, and fill in the corresponding fields in the omnichannelSetting field in the update request. You can update any of

lsfType
inStock
pickup
odo
about
inventoryVerification

If an attribute is not included in the update mask, it won't be updated.

If an attribute is included in the update mask, but not set in the request, it will be cleared.

The following code sample demonstrates how to update the inventory verification field.

package shopping.merchant.samples.accounts.v1beta;

// [START merchantapi_update_omnichannel_setting]
import com.google.api.gax.core.FixedCredentialsProvider;
import com.google.auth.oauth2.GoogleCredentials;
import com.google.protobuf.FieldMask;
import com.google.shopping.merchant.accounts.v1beta.InventoryVerification;
import com.google.shopping.merchant.accounts.v1beta.OmnichannelSetting;
import com.google.shopping.merchant.accounts.v1beta.OmnichannelSettingName;
import com.google.shopping.merchant.accounts.v1beta.OmnichannelSettingsServiceClient;
import com.google.shopping.merchant.accounts.v1beta.OmnichannelSettingsServiceSettings;
import com.google.shopping.merchant.accounts.v1beta.UpdateOmnichannelSettingRequest;
import shopping.merchant.samples.utils.Authenticator;
import shopping.merchant.samples.utils.Config;

/**
 *   This class demonstrates how to update an omnichannel setting for a given Merchant Center account
 *   in a given country
 */
public class UpdateOmnichannelSettingSample {

  public static void updateOmnichannelSettings(
      Config config, String regionCode, String contact, String email) throws Exception {

    // Obtains OAuth token based on the user's configuration.
    GoogleCredentials credential = new Authenticator().authenticate();

    // Creates service settings using the retrieved credentials.
    OmnichannelSettingsServiceSettings omnichannelSettingsServiceSettings =
        OmnichannelSettingsServiceSettings.newBuilder()
            .setCredentialsProvider(FixedCredentialsProvider.create(credential))
            .build();

    // Calls the API and catches and prints any network failures/errors.
    try (OmnichannelSettingsServiceClient omnichannelSettingsServiceClient =
        OmnichannelSettingsServiceClient.create(omnichannelSettingsServiceSettings)) {
      String accountId = config.getAccountId().toString();
      String name =
          OmnichannelSettingName.newBuilder()
              .setAccount(accountId)
              .setOmnichannelSetting(regionCode)
              .build()
              .toString();

      OmnichannelSetting omnichannelSetting =
          OmnichannelSetting.newBuilder()
              .setName(name)
              .setInventoryVerification(
                  InventoryVerification.newBuilder()
                      .setContact(contact)
                      .setContactEmail(email)
                      .build())
              .build();
      FieldMask fieldMask = FieldMask.newBuilder().addPaths("inventory_verification").build();
      UpdateOmnichannelSettingRequest request =
          UpdateOmnichannelSettingRequest.newBuilder()
              .setOmnichannelSetting(omnichannelSetting)
              .setUpdateMask(fieldMask)
              .build();

      System.out.println("Sending update omnichannel setting request:");
      OmnichannelSetting response =
          omnichannelSettingsServiceClient.updateOmnichannelSetting(request);

      System.out.println("Updated Omnichannel Setting below:");
      System.out.println(response);
    } catch (Exception e) {
      System.out.println("An error has occurred: ");
      System.out.println(e);
    }
  }

  public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
    Config config = Config.load();

    // The country which you're targeting at.
    String regionCode = "{REGION_CODE}";
    // The name of the inventory verification contact you want to update.
    String contact = "{NAME}";
    // The address of the inventory verification email you want to update.
    String email = "{EMAIL}";

    updateOmnichannelSettings(config, regionCode, contact, email);
  }
}
// [END merchantapi_update_omnichannel_setting]

Request inventory verification

omnichannelSettings.requestInventoryVerification is only relevant to GHLSF merchants.

Before you call this RPC, you need to have performed the following:

Upload your product and inventory data.
Verify an inventory verification contact.
For merchants in Austria, Germany or Switzerland, complete an About page review.

To determine your eligibility, call omnichannelSettings.get and check omnichannelSetting.inventoryVerification.state. If it shows INACTIVE, you're ready to call omnichannelSettings.requestInventoryVerification.

package shopping.merchant.samples.accounts.v1beta;

// [START merchantapi_request_inventory_verification]
import com.google.api.gax.core.FixedCredentialsProvider;
import com.google.auth.oauth2.GoogleCredentials;
import com.google.shopping.merchant.accounts.v1beta.OmnichannelSettingName;
import com.google.shopping.merchant.accounts.v1beta.OmnichannelSettingsServiceClient;
import com.google.shopping.merchant.accounts.v1beta.OmnichannelSettingsServiceSettings;
import com.google.shopping.merchant.accounts.v1beta.RequestInventoryVerificationRequest;
import com.google.shopping.merchant.accounts.v1beta.RequestInventoryVerificationResponse;
import shopping.merchant.samples.utils.Authenticator;
import shopping.merchant.samples.utils.Config;

/**
 *   This class demonstrates how to request inventory verification for a given Merchant Center account
 *   in a given country
 */
public class RequestInventoryVerificationSample {

  public static void requestInventoryVerification(Config config, String regionCode)
      throws Exception {

    // Obtains OAuth token based on the user's configuration.
    GoogleCredentials credential = new Authenticator().authenticate();

    // Creates service settings using the retrieved credentials.
    OmnichannelSettingsServiceSettings omnichannelSettingsServiceSettings =
        OmnichannelSettingsServiceSettings.newBuilder()
            .setCredentialsProvider(FixedCredentialsProvider.create(credential))
            .build();

    // Calls the API and catches and prints any network failures/errors.
    try (OmnichannelSettingsServiceClient omnichannelSettingsServiceClient =
        OmnichannelSettingsServiceClient.create(omnichannelSettingsServiceSettings)) {
      String accountId = config.getAccountId().toString();
      String name =
          OmnichannelSettingName.newBuilder()
              .setAccount(accountId)
              .setOmnichannelSetting(regionCode)
              .build()
              .toString();
      RequestInventoryVerificationRequest request =
          RequestInventoryVerificationRequest.newBuilder().setName(name).build();

      System.out.println("Sending request inventory verification request:");
      RequestInventoryVerificationResponse response =
          omnichannelSettingsServiceClient.requestInventoryVerification(request);

      System.out.println("Omnichannel Setting after inventory verification request below:");
      System.out.println(response);
    } catch (Exception e) {
      System.out.println("An error has occurred: ");
      System.out.println(e);
    }
  }

  public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
    Config config = Config.load();

    // The country which you're targeting at.
    String regionCode = "{REGION_CODE}";

    requestInventoryVerification(config, regionCode);
  }
}
// [END merchantapi_request_inventory_verification]

View the status of an omnichannel setting.

To check the review status of the LIA onboarding reviews, check ReviewState for corresponding attributes of omnichannelSetting returned by the omnichannelSettings.get or omnichannelSettings.list methods.

The ReviewState field applies to all the onboarding reviews except the inventory verification process, and can have the following values:

ACTIVE: It is approved.
FAILED: It is rejected.
RUNNING: It is still under review.
ACTION_REQUIRED: This only exists in the InStock.state for GHLSF merchants. It means you need to request inventory verification to make LIA serve.

InventoryVerification.State has the following values:

SUCCEEDED: It is approved.
INACTIVE: You're ready to request inventory verification.
RUNNING: It is under review
SUSPENDED: You have failed inventory verification too many times (usually 5), and need to wait before being able to request it again.
ACTION_REQUIRED: You need to take additional actions before requesting inventory verification.

Troubleshoot issues related to `OmnichannelSettings` API

This section describes how to troubleshoot common issues.

Create an omnichannel setting

Make sure to set both LsfType and RegionCode.
If you choose GHLSF, provide an empty InStock in the request.
If you choose Merchant-hosted LSF types, provide at least one URI in InStock or Pickup.

Update an omnichannel setting

The update method for this resource requires the following additional rules:

You cannot modify the region code.
You cannot make updates while the LIA/FLL feature is running or has been approved.
When changing from Merchant-hosted LSF types to GHLSF, if InStock and Pickup were previously configured, you must include them in the update mask along with the LsfType update.

For example, if you applied MHLSF_BASIC and Pickup before and they were rejected, you are able to switch to GHLSF by sending a request like this:

PATCH https://merchantapi.googleapis.com/accounts/v1beta/accounts/{ACCOUNT_ID}/omnichannelSettings/{REGION_CODE}?update_mask=lsf_type,in_stock,pickup

{
  "lsfType: "GHLSF",
  "inStock": {},
}

Replace the following:

{ACCOUNT_ID}: The unique identifier of your Merchant Center account
{REGION_CODE}: A region code as defined CLDR

Request inventory verification

If, despite updating the product or inventory feeds and confirming the contact, InventoryVerification.state is other than INACTIVE:

For merchants in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland: Ensure that you have completed an About page review.
There will be a delay of about 48 hours.
In case of Repeated Inventory Check failures (more than five), the service enforces a thirty-day cooling-down period before allowing another request. Contact Google Support if you want to request it earlier.

Learn more

For more details, see Local inventory ads and free local listings Help Center.

Manage omnichannel settings Stay organized with collections Save and categorize content based on your preferences.

Prerequisites

Create an omnichannel setting

Local Store Front (LSF) Type

InStock

Pickup

On display to order

About (Germany, Austria and Switzerland)

Inventory Verification

Get an omnichannel setting

List omnichannel settings

Update an omnichannel setting

Request inventory verification

View the status of an omnichannel setting.

Troubleshoot issues related to OmnichannelSettings API

Create an omnichannel setting

Update an omnichannel setting

Request inventory verification

Learn more

Manage omnichannel settings

Troubleshoot issues related to `OmnichannelSettings` API