If you’ve set up a product feed and dealt with a few disapprovals, you may be wondering whether another platform could do the job with less effort. It’s a fair question. But the honest answer to “what are the alternatives to Google Merchant Center?” is that there is no like-for-like replacement for Google Shopping, only other places to send your products.
No source below presents any other platform as a replacement for Merchant Center. Microsoft, Meta, TikTok and Pinterest each run their own catalogue system, so think of them as extra channels for the same products that you use alongside Merchant Center[1][2][3][4][5].
Why there’s no true alternative
Merchant Center is where your product data goes to appear on Google Shopping and in Shopping ads. Other platforms each have their own catalogue tool and their own feed rules. A better question than “which one instead?” is where else you want your products shown, and what each platform needs from you.
Two things are worth separating early. A feed is the file that describes your products. Ads are what you build on top of it. If that distinction is fuzzy, read our beginner’s guide to the Merchant Center feed first: https://oxfordimpulse.com/beginners-guide-google-merchant-center-feed/ . Then read the breakdown of how Merchant Center and Google Ads differ: https://oxfordimpulse.com/google-merchant-center-vs-google-ads-difference/ .
Microsoft Merchant Center
Microsoft is one option. A feed file there lists your products and their attributes for the Microsoft Advertising Network, and it is used to run Microsoft Shopping campaigns[1].
Accepted formats are tab-delimited plain text (TXT, ZIP, GZ, GZIP, TAR.GZ and TGZ) and Google-formatted XML[1].
Watch out
A Microsoft feed expires after 30 days, so a file you upload once and forget will lapse[1].
Importing from Google
You don’t have to build a second feed. Microsoft can import your Google Merchant Center offers[2]. Create your Microsoft store first, then follow this path:
- Go to Tools, then Merchant Center, then open your store.
- Select the Import tab and click New import.
- Sign in to Google when prompted.
- Choose to run the import now or schedule it daily, weekly or monthly.
A few limits apply. Only online offers are imported. You need to re-import at least every 30 days. The maximum is 10 million offers per market[2]. The upside is that importing saves you from keeping separate feed files for each platform[2].
Meta catalog vs Merchant Center
Meta’s catalog works alongside Merchant Center rather than replacing it. Meta describes a catalog as “a structured data file that holds information about the items in your inventory”[3]. It is used for Advantage+ catalog ads and purchases[3].
Accepted formats are CSV, TSV, RSS XML, ATOM XML and Google Sheets[3]. You can upload manually or schedule the feed hourly, daily or weekly[3].
One practical point: check Meta’s field requirements before assuming a Merchant Center file will pass as it is.
TikTok catalogues
TikTok’s route is Assets, then Catalog, then Create[4]. Accepted formats are CSV, XML (RSS), XML (Atom), ZIP and GZ[4].
One of the upload methods is Google Merchant Center[4]. The catch is geography. Catalogues are limited to launched markets with Video Shopping Ads capabilities, so check that your target country is covered before you invest time[4].
Pinterest catalogues
Pinterest takes TSV, CSV, XML (RSS 2.0 or ATOM 1.0) and Google Sheets[5]. Before you upload anything, you need three things in place: a business account, a claimed website and the Pinterest tag[5]. It isn’t available in every region, so check that too[5].
What each platform takes: a quick comparison
- Microsoft: tab-delimited text files (TXT, ZIP, GZ, GZIP, TAR.GZ, TGZ) or Google-formatted XML. Can import from Merchant Center. Feed expires after 30 days[1][2].
- Meta: CSV, TSV, RSS XML, ATOM XML or Google Sheets. Manual or scheduled hourly, daily or weekly[3].
- TikTok: CSV, XML (RSS), XML (Atom), ZIP or GZ. Merchant Center is one upload method[4].
- Pinterest: TSV, CSV, XML (RSS 2.0 or ATOM 1.0) or Google Sheets. Needs a business account, claimed website and Pinterest tag[5].
Each of the four accepts a delimited text file or an XML feed[1][3][4][5]. That makes clean, well-structured product data a useful starting point for any channel, although you should check each platform’s field requirements.
What about Europe and comparison shopping services?
If you sell into Europe, you may also come across comparison shopping services (CSSs). They are a separate topic from the platforms above, and we cover how they work in our guide to comparison shopping services: https://oxfordimpulse.com/what-is-comparison-shopping-service-css/ .
How to decide where to send your products
Start with the feed you already have and tidy its data in Merchant Center: titles, GTINs (the barcode numbers that identify products), prices and availability. Clean product data is useful on any channel.
Then add one channel at a time. Pick the one where your customers already spend time, check that your country is supported and set up the import or upload. Don’t launch four channels in a week and then wonder which one is working.
This article doesn’t rank the platforms against each other, because the sources used here don’t compare them. A catalogue won’t fix weak product pages or thin margins either.
If you want a hand getting your Merchant Center data right before you add other channels, start with our Merchant Center guide: https://oxfordimpulse.com/google-merchant-center/ .
FAQs
What is the best alternative to Google Merchant Center?
Is Microsoft Merchant Center the same as Google Merchant Center?
Can you import a Google Merchant Center feed into Microsoft?
Yes, for online offers. Create a Microsoft store, open the Import tab and choose New import, then sign in to Google[2]. You can run the import now or schedule it daily, weekly or monthly.
Does a Microsoft product feed expire?
What is a Meta catalog?
It’s a structured data file that holds information about the items in your inventory[3]. It’s used for Advantage+ catalog ads and purchases. You can upload it manually or schedule it hourly, daily or weekly.
Can you use one feed for several platforms?
Does TikTok accept a Google Merchant Center feed?
What do you need to use Pinterest catalogues?
A business account, a claimed website and the Pinterest tag[5]. It’s not available in every region, so check yours first.
Can you sell on Google Shopping without Merchant Center?
None of the sources used for this article describes a substitute for it. Merchant Center is the tool Google provides for sending product data to Google Shopping.
Do comparison shopping services replace Merchant Center?
No source used for this article describes them that way. They are a separate topic that comes up when you sell into Europe. Our guide to comparison shopping services explains how they work.
Sources
- Microsoft Learn: Creating and organizing Microsoft Shopping campaigns feed files learn.microsoft.com
- Microsoft Learn: Import your Google Merchant Center product offers to Microsoft Merchant Center learn.microsoft.com
- Meta for Developers: Catalog overview – Commerce Platform developers.facebook.com
- TikTok Ads Manager Business Help Center: How to create a Catalog ads.tiktok.com
- Pinterest Business help: Get started with retail catalogs help.pinterest.com
