Configure target countries

  • The Merchant API is the new version of the Content API for Shopping and represents the future of the platform.

  • You can manage Local Inventory Ads (LIA) settings, including country targeting and About page submission, using the liasettings service.

  • For countries like Austria, Germany, and Switzerland, an About page submission is required for serving LIAs and must be verified before inventory verification can be requested.

  • On Display to Order (ODO) feature requires a country-specific setup, including a verified shipping cost policy URL, before inventory verification.

  • Verification status for both About pages and ODO policy URLs can be retrieved using the liasettings.get method, and updates or re-reviews can be triggered by modifying the LIA settings.

You can manage LIA-related settings with the liasettings service.

Call liasettings.update to specify the countries where you plan to serve local inventory ads. Here's an example:

PUT https://shoppingcontent.googleapis.com/content/v2.1/12345/liasettings/67890
{
  "accountId" : 67890,
  "countrySettings" : [{
    "country" : "US"
  }]
}

About pages

If you're serving in Austria, Germany, or Switzerland, you must also submit an About page. For example, you might submit the following information to serve in the US and Germany:

PUT https://shoppingcontent.googleapis.com/content/v2.1/12345/liasettings/67890
{
  "accountId" : 67890,
  "countrySettings" : [{
    "country" : "US"
  },
  {
    "country" : "DE",
    "about" : {
      "url" : "https://www.example.com/de/about"
    }
  }]
}

Until this URL is verified, inventory verification cannot be requested. To see the URL verification status, retrieve the account's LIA settings via liasettings.get and check the value of the associated status field:

GET https://shoppingcontent.googleapis.com/content/v2.1/12345/liasettings/67890

Response:
200 OK
{
  "kind": "content#liaSettings",
  "accountId" : 67890,
  "countrySettings" : [{
    "country" : "US"
  },
  {
    "country" : "DE",
    "about" : {
      "url" : "https://www.example.com/de/about",
      "status" : "pending"
    }
  }]
}

Once the status associated with the URL changes to active, the URL is verified. If the status is inactive, then there are issues you must address with your About page. Once you've addressed any issues, you can trigger a new review by either updating your LIA settings with the location of the About page, whether it is the same or has changed.

On display to order and in-store order policy pages

If you want to use the on display to order (ODO) feature, then you should also set that up on a per-country basis:

PUT https://shoppingcontent.googleapis.com/content/v2.1/12345/liasettings/67890
{
  "accountId" : 67890,
  "countrySettings" : [{
    "country" : "US",
    "onDisplayToOrder": {
      "shippingCostPolicyUrl" : "https://www.example.com/inStoreOrderPolicy"
    }
  }]
}

Note that the URL you provide for ODO must be verified before you request inventory verification. The process for checking verification and/or requesting another review of the policy URL in the case of issues follows the same flow as the About page:

GET https://shoppingcontent.googleapis.com/content/v2.1/12345/liasettings/67890

Response:
200 OK
{
  "kind": "content#liaSettings",
  "accountId" : 67890,
  "countrySettings" : [{
    "country" : "US",
    "onDisplayToOrder": {
      "shippingCostPolicyUrl" : "https://www.example.com/inStoreOrderPolicy",
      "status" : "pending"
    }
  }]
}