Stay organized with collections
Save and categorize content based on your preferences.
Existing Merchant Center Account - Existing Account Connection
It is imperative to allow your merchants to use their existing Merchant Center account if they choose to. This account has a lot of historic data and can potentially make the onboarding easier (for example, account has been policy approved already).
UX Guidance
There could be two scenarios in which a merchant already has an existing Merchant Center Account.
Scenario #1. They have one existing account:
Account connected:
Account created and connected:
Scenario #2. They have multiple existing accounts:
Select from drop-down and click "connect":
Account connected:
Account created and connected:
Tech Guidance
If your merchant already has an existing Merchant Center Account they want to use, follow these steps to successfully use their account:
Identifying the Merchant Center account: Use the content API endpoint account.authinfo with the OAuth credentials of the Google Account of the merchant to display the MC account associated with the Merchant’s Google Account.
Storing Data: Make sure to store the Merchant sub-account details
Existing Not part of your MCA: The MC account will not be a sub-account of your MCA. It is possible for them to be part of a different MCA and still connect to your integration.
Account linking: You should use account.link to link your MCA to the merchant’s existing accounts. You will manage the merchant MC account only via the content API using OAuth. Note: More information on account linking (account flagging) can be found here within this guide.
Overwriting existing data: We recommend notifying your merchants by connecting their existing Merchant Center account, their product data and existing settings will be overwritten.
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Missing the information I need","missingTheInformationINeed","thumb-down"],["Too complicated / too many steps","tooComplicatedTooManySteps","thumb-down"],["Out of date","outOfDate","thumb-down"],["Samples / code issue","samplesCodeIssue","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2024-09-03 UTC."],[[["\u003cp\u003eMerchants can connect their existing Google Merchant Center account to streamline onboarding and leverage historical data.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eTwo scenarios are outlined for merchants with single or multiple existing accounts, providing visual guidance for account connection.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eTechnical guidance includes identifying the Merchant Center account, storing data, linking accounts, and understanding implications for existing data.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eUtilizing the Content API, developers can facilitate account connections and manage merchant accounts efficiently.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eMerchants should be informed that connecting an existing account may overwrite existing product data and settings.\u003c/p\u003e\n"]]],["Merchants can utilize their existing Merchant Center accounts, which may expedite onboarding due to pre-existing data and policy approvals. To enable this, use the `account.authinfo` API endpoint to identify the merchant's associated account and store the sub-account details. Linking the merchant's account to your MCA is done via the `account.link` API. Note that these accounts won't be sub-accounts of your MCA. Merchants should be informed that connecting an existing account will overwrite existing data.\n"],null,["Existing Merchant Center Account - Existing Account Connection\n--------------------------------------------------------------\n\nIt is imperative to allow your merchants to use their existing Merchant Center account if they choose to. This account has a lot of historic data and can potentially make the onboarding easier (for example, account has been policy approved already).\n\n### UX Guidance\n\n*** ** * ** ***\n\nThere could be two scenarios in which a merchant already has an existing Merchant Center Account.\n\n**Scenario #1. They have one existing account:**\n\nAccount connected:\n\nAccount created and connected:\n\n**Scenario #2. They have multiple existing accounts:**\n\nSelect from drop-down and click \"connect\":\n\nAccount connected:\n\nAccount created and connected:\n\n### Tech Guidance\n\n*** ** * ** ***\n\nIf your merchant already has an existing Merchant Center Account they want to use, follow these steps to successfully use their account:\n\n1. Identifying the Merchant Center account: Use the content API endpoint [`account.authinfo`](https://developers.google.com/shopping-content/reference/rest/v2.1/accounts/authinfo) with the OAuth credentials of the Google Account of the merchant to display the MC account associated with the Merchant's Google Account.\n\n2. Storing Data: Make sure to store the Merchant sub-account details\n\n3. Existing Not part of your MCA: The MC account will not be a sub-account of your MCA. It is possible for them to be part of a different MCA and still connect to your integration.\n\n4. Account linking: You should use [`account.link`](https://developers.google.com/shopping-content/reference/rest/v2.1/accounts/link) to link your MCA to the merchant's existing accounts. You will manage the merchant MC account only via the content API using OAuth. Note: More information on account linking (account flagging) can be found [here](/merchant/storebuilder/online/sections/1_3_account_linking) within this guide.\n\n5. Overwriting existing data: We recommend notifying your merchants by connecting their existing Merchant Center account, their product data and existing settings will be overwritten."]]
