Google announced that the Merchant API is generally available and set as the primary way to manage products and business data in Merchant Center.
The older Content API for Shopping remains available until August 2026, giving retailers, platforms, and agencies time to transition.
What’s Changing
Google positions Merchant API as the successor to the Content API, with a simpler structure and faster feature rollouts.
This is the interface Google will enhance going forward, while the Content API is on a two-year runway to shutdown.
What You’ll Notice
Richer shipping signals for listings.
Order-tracking data lets Google present more precise delivery estimates and can enable “free and fast shipping” annotations where earned. This can improve click-through rates on high-intent queries.
Cleaner diagnostics and faster fixes
The issue resolution capability highlights product and account issues in a way that mirrors Merchant Center, which should lead to faster solutions.
Creative support via API
Product Studio now has an API (alpha) for image generation tasks like background creation and upscaling, which feed tools and platforms can integrate for scaled merchandising.
Who Should Care
This update matters for:
- Retailers with large catalogs that rely on custom feeds or complex account structures.
- Agencies and feed-management vendors whose tools connect to Merchant Center.
- Platforms and marketplaces that surface shipping speed and inventory freshness as competitive advantages.
What To Do Now
- Ask your vendor or dev team about your current dependencies on the Content API and when they will shift over to Merchant API.
- If shipping speed and delivery guarantees affect your conversions, put order tracking on the roadmap so you can qualify for richer shipping annotations.
- Use issue resolution to bring Merchant Center diagnostics into your workflows. This could reduce downtime for products and promotions.
- If you do large-scale image work, check whether your platform plans to support the Product Studio API while it’s in alpha.
Looking Ahead
Expect continued updates to flow to Merchant API as the Content API sunsets. Early adopters will be best positioned to take advantage of new features as they roll out.
Featured Image: Tada Images/Shutterstock
