Shopify Google App Content API > shipping_label

[S3ratin]

Hello everybody,

Im sharing with you my concern, and maybe somebody can help me because Shopify telling me that they do not have those features and Google telling Shopify everything is ok with your setting, but ask Shopify why they do not send this call thru API. Maybe somebody will find this interesting, and maybe somebody has an alternative solution.

Ok, let go to the situation.

Google App doesn’t have an option to add and categorize my products through shipping labels, official Google called [shipping_label]. I was trying to push this information thru metafields by creating:

namespace: mm-google-shopping
key: shipping_label
string

Google definition for shipping_label is simple, and it’s like any other string:

My metafield is officially checked by Google thru Google support. They confirm that the definition for Shopify is the ok. I don’t see that in Google Merchandising Center because Shopify does not allow or didn’t set up [shipping_label] in Content API.

Besides what I passed with Shopify support (from you don’t know how to create metafield, you need to contact the app developer for metafield, you need to read metafield, etc. for the next 4 hours!) in the end message is: Our platform (Shopify Store 2.0) doesn’t support that feature, and you can choose some of the apps to implement [shipping_label]. -

Very interesting and contradictory because how is it possible to make shipping_label thru the app, but when you im doing it without an app, Shopify doesn’t know what to do with that because API call just for that is missing. Creating custom_label_01234 is working as a string. Everything else is working, but sorry, shipping_label is not working, and we don’t know when this feature will be available.

Keeping in mind that any other is using the same method to call info from product (metafields), it’s unbelievable that only shipping_label can’t be pushed to Google.

If anybody has any suggestion on how to push shipping_label to Google Merchandising Centar, please advise. I don’t want to use 3rd party solutions thru another app, and Im not looking for a manual creating feed. So thank you in advance if you are planning to suggest that.

(Please DO NOT offer me app advertising solutions just to promote or create backlinks | Please DO NOT link general tutorials for API and metafields).

Im really looking for an advanced solution or proposal because Im sure what kind of deal and why this is not allowed by Shopify.

Thank you for understanding,

[EmmanuelFlossie]

It is correct that shipping labels are not supported in the Free Shopping APP you are using. As you do not want an alternative, your request for advice is going to be non-existing as far as I know.

Is there are a reason you want to do it a specific way? You might find it easier and faster to solve the issue by using what is available. Which in the end might be more cost-effective, and time effective.

Years ago, I would also want to force myself to do things in a specific way but quickly learned that this in the end requires a lot more energy, time, and money than I could have used to do it another way that is more efficient.

Can you share documentation where it says you can push custom meta fields using the free app to Google Merchant Center? I have never heard this is possible.

I only know it’s possible with paid apps.

[S3ratin]

Hi Emmanuel,

Honestly, I was expecting you to answer because I learned so much from your tutorial and shared knowledge. So first, thank you for all that you shared with communication as a professional.

Im opens to solutions. Personally, I’m not too fond of too many interfaces and different platforms to manage my store. So mostly, I would like to upgrade what I have without implementing another app with another script, meta fields, etc., where I again need time and learn the process and management.

So to simplify: The only app im using is the app that actually benefits my customers. And it’s only a review app, Judge.me. To simple more. When IU creating my product and entering google fields, I won’t again go to another app and enter some fields again. Also, what is more, important is that I don’t want my store cost to rise for 60$-100$ per month to have [shipping_label].

Im is sorry if im long in my explanations, but this is my whole idea. Customer in the first place, Less code for speedy store and optimization my business costs.

As a business owner, I hope you understand me, so yes im willing to hear my options. Mostly Im interesting in one-time fee solutions.

---

I can’t share documentation, and that’s the point here. There is no documentation, but if something doesn’t exist doesn’t mean it is not working. Let’s be logical and mathematical here. Im not a developer, but I will try to explain it.

If I have Google App and product without any info inside it - that product will be reported as not corrected, and google will ask you to provide, for example, “Gender”. When you enter your gender value in the Google app, google merchandising center tells you, “Great, I love you!” you passed, and everything is ok. Still, there is no documentation (or I missed) of what actually happened and how this info from the app goes through Shopify Api and ends up in Content API on Google Merchandising Center. But, when you actually check your metafields on this exact product, you will find that the Google app actually created a new metafield that carries this value with a specific key. So I ran another test and created a manual metafield for other strings without using the Google app, and Google Merchandising center again was happy.

Maybe my logic is incorrect, but let’s for a moment think like this. If Im able to send values thru metafields, that means that the free app uses metafields as storage to fill Content API with data. I don’t need documentation to see logic how things are working, but you are right; we will need documentation to see how we can do it.

From my point of view, this is not a big bang code development. Shopify just needs to provide one small line of code and allow this value and string to be used and send to Google. [shipping_label] is defined exactly like [gender] and its string without any special conditions or as an object. And like Google support developer told me: “Your key and value is provided well, but sending data to us is on Shopify end. Why they do not share this data with Google, you will have to find out with them.”

I do understand business and protecting assets that bring profit, so I do not search for an answer to why Shopify see this as "Im sorry this is not a bug in our system, it’s just our system doesn’t support this feature yet, and we can’t provide an answer when it will be available. But I can suggest you great apps like… " and then comes marketing part promoting developer platform with enormous fees.

Let’s be honest, because Shopify politely showed me a dead-end…

Im willing to hear your option and solutions, or if you are willing to talk, I can contact you from your website to find what is the best suit my business?

Thanks,

[EmmanuelFlossie]

What you want to achieve is simply not possible with the free app.

The simplest and most cost effective way is to use custom labels 0 in the free shopping app, then in Google Merchant Center setup a feed rule to use the custom label 0 as the shipping label.

To learn more: https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/7450276

If you don’t want to do that, then you can also use supplement feeds, more info: https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/7439058

If you don’t want to do any of the above, then I recommend you buy an app that can do what you want.

[SavageBubba]

@EmmanuelFlossie Your link to information on feed rules was exactly the information I needed to get my shipping in Google Merchant Center set up. I assign a product type to each of my products. My POD supplier charges a flat rate based on the type of product. So I was able to fill in shipping_label with the value sent over in product-type. I created shipping services and added each shipping_lable (product-type) that has the same rate.

I have less than 6 product types so it was quick and easy to do this with a single feed rule and 3 shipping services.

Thanks again!

[Duke333]

HI @EmmanuelFlossie , we are having a similar problem, where we have a number of sellers selling via our Shopify store all with different shipping config. we can’t use the standard Shopify shipping config, due to a number of reasons downstream in our tech stack. We have build a custom shipping app to handle shipping during checkout. in the Shopify shipping config, we need to display a free rate and zone for all sellers, otherwise the checkout errors.

in result, our feed to GMC says all shipping is free. We are using the new ‘free’ google and YouTube app. I don’t mind using another app, though I want to know if it will do what we want.

we need the following

• automatically apply shipping rules to all products aligned to a particular seller. Also to run automatically on newly created products. We don’t want to have to manually apply rates when new products come in.

• allow for free shipping rules above a particular product price, based on seller.

• automatically feed any changes to google that have been made to the product or shipping rules

basically a set and forget solution. I don’t mind testing out a few apps, though I’m looking for your advice on where to get started. Thanks.

[EmmanuelFlossie]

I would suggest that you assign a custom metafield that has the value of the seller.

Then using: https://apps.shopify.com/multiple-google-shopping-feeds

You can set up rules to add a custom shipping label or shipping price in the feed.

I don’t think there is a set and forget, as I guess you would add more sellers.

But if you add more products to the same seller, that should not require any further work.

[Duke333]

Thank you, much appreciated.

[AranSav]

Hi @EmmanuelFlossie

Thanks for the steps above - this is exactly what we are looking for.

I was hoping you could help please?

I have added a test Label into Google Custom Label 1 in Shopify which has successfully pulled into Google Merchant Center.

I have setup a feed rule on Google Merchant Center to copy Custom Label 1 into Shipping Label but this doesn’t seem to be working, perhaps I am missing something obvious?
Screenshots

1 - This is where we are hoping the Custom Label 1 (Shipping label via feed rule) will show up

2 - Custom Label 1 pulling to Google Merchant Center from Shopify
3 - Custom Label 1 showing up on the front end of product on Google Merch Center

4 - Feed rule setup (this is the task that I have probably not setup correctly?)

5 - Custom Label 1 not mapping to Shipping Label

Many thanks,
Aran

[EmmanuelFlossie]

Make sure you select the shipping label in your feed rules, you have currently set custom label 1 to use custom label 1.

[AranSav]

Awesome, thank you!