Migrate inventory management

AI-generated Key Takeaways

The Merchant API allows management of both local (in-store) and regional inventory for products.
It introduces new methods for inventory management like listing and removing local and regional inventory, replacing the Content API for Shopping for these operations.
There are key differences in how local and regional inventory are handled in the Merchant API compared to the Content API, including new fields and data types.
The name field is introduced to uniquely identify inventory resources, and account is added to link products and inventory to the merchant account.
price, salePrice, and salePriceEffectiveDate fields have been updated with new data types and structures in the Merchant Inventories API.

You can use the Merchant API to manage local (in-store) and regional inventory.

Use the following request URL format for the Merchant Inventories API:

POST https://merchantapi.googleapis.com/inventories/v1/{PARENT}/regionalInventories

POST https://merchantapi.googleapis.com/inventories/v1/{PARENT}/localInventories

{PARENT} will have the format: accounts/{ACCOUNT_ID}/products/{PRODUCT_ID}.

Here's a sample comparison for local inventory requests:

Item	Content API for Shopping	Merchant API
URL	https://shoppingcontent.googleapis.com/content/v2.1/`{MERCHANT_ID}`/products/`{PRODUCT_ID}`/localinventory	https://merchantapi.googleapis.com/inventories/v1/`{PARENT}`/localInventories
Identifiers	`{MERCHANT_ID}/products/{PRODUCT_ID}`	`{NAME}`

The Merchant API introduces two new methods for inventory management:

Here's a comparison of the available methods to manage inventories:

Here's what's changed for local and regional inventories:

Content API for Shopping	Merchant API	Description
Not supported	`name:string`	The field differentiates `LocalInventory` and `RegionalInventory` resources within a `product`. The Content API for Shopping identifies local inventory by `storeCode` and `productId`, and regional inventory by `regionId` and `productId`.
Not supported	`account:string`	Added new field to identify the Merchant Center account the `product` and `LocalInventory` belong to.
`price: { object (Price) }`	`price: {` `object (Price)` `}`	`Price` definition has changed.
`salePrice: {` `object (Price)` `}`	`salePrice: {` `object (Price)` `}`	`Price` definition has changed.
`salePriceEffectiveDate: string`	`salePriceEffectiveDate: {` `object (TimePeriod)` `}`	`salePriceEffectiveDate` uses the new `TimePeriod` object in the Merchant Inventories API.
`kind:string`	Not supported	The API doesn't support `kind`.
`quantity:string`	`quantity:integer`	`quantity` takes an integer instead of string in the local inventory.
Not supported	`localShippingLabel:string`	Added new field to identify the merchant center account the `product` and `regionalInventory` belong to.
`"regionId": string`	`"region": string`	`regionID` is now called `region` for the regional inventory.
`string` type fields with defined set of values	`enum` type fields with defined set of values	Fields within inventory attributes with defined set of values (for example `availability`, `pickupMethod`) are now `enum` type.