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Your platform needs to provide essential product data to enable product discovery and merchant management in Store Sync. A well-structured product feed ensures that AI agents can find, understand, and transact against your inventory across PayPal surfaces. This page tells developers who are responsible for integrating product feeds into Store Sync how to format and structure their product feed. To complete the integration, you will review prerequisites, choose a file format, select a feed specification, structure your product variants, and verify your feed before connecting it to Store Sync.

Before you begin

Before you create your product feed, be sure that you’re ready to meet these requirements:
  • To access Store Sync and the product feed integration, merchants must contact the PayPal AI team to request access.
  • Your feed file must not exceed 4 GB in size.
  • All feeds must be UTF-8 encoded and include a header row specifying column names.
  • For compressed formats, the archive must contain only one CSV or TSV file.

Supported file formats

PayPal supports the following file formats for product feeds. Choose the format that best fits your existing export pipeline.
FormatDescriptionDelimiter
CSVComma-separated values,
TSVTab-separated values\t
PSVPipe-separated values|
You can also compress your feed file in either of the following formats before uploading. The archive must contain only one CSV or TSV file.
FormatDescription
GZGzip compressed archive that contains a single CSV or TSV file
ZIPZIP compressed archive that contains a single CSV or TSV file

Feed specifications

PayPal supports 3 feed specifications. Choose the option that best fits your existing setup and business needs. A more complete and detailed product feed enables PayPal to surface your products more effectively in relevant shopping experiences. Regardless of which specification you use, each row in your feed represents a single product variant. The sections below describe the required and important optional fields for each specification.
The field lists in the following sections highlight the most critical fields for each specification, but they are not exhaustive. For the complete field reference, see the full specification documentation for Google Product Feed or OpenAI ACP Product Feed.
The most common product feed format. If you already maintain a Google Product Feed, you can reuse it to power both traditional and AI-driven discovery with minimal extra work.The following fields apply when using the Google Product Feed specification.

Required fields

You must include the following fields in every row of your Google Product Feed.
FieldDescriptionExample
idUnique product identifier (variant ID)"shirt123-red-m"
titleProduct title"Classic T-Shirt - Red, Medium"
linkURL to the product page"https://www.yourstore.com/products/classic-tshirt-red-m"
image_linkURL to the main product image"https://www.yourstore.com/images/tshirt-red-m.jpg"
descriptionProduct description (minimum 25 characters)"Comfortable cotton t-shirt in vibrant red color..."
priceProduct price with currency code"19.99 USD"
availabilityStock status"in_stock"

Important optional fields

Including these fields improves product discoverability, search relevance, and personalized recommendations.
FieldDescriptionExample
item_group_idParent product ID for variants. Required if the product is a variant."shirt123"
brandProduct brand name"YourBrand"
mpnManufacturer Part Number"MP12345"
gtinGlobal Trade Item Number"5901234123457"
sale_priceDiscounted price"15.99 USD"
google_product_categoryGoogle taxonomy category"Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Shirts & Tops"
product_typeYour store’s category path"Men's > T-Shirts"
additional_image_linkURL to an additional product image"https://www.yourstore.com/images/tshirt-red-m-back.jpg"
colorProduct color"red"
sizeProduct size"medium"
size_systemSize system (country code or system code)"US"
genderTarget gender"male"
group_idParent product ID for variants"shirt123"
A newer specification that is optimized for conversational, agent-led shopping and instant checkout in LLM environments, the OpenAI ACP Product Feed format has richer requirements around inventory, shipping, and structured context.The following fields apply when using the OpenAI ACP Product Feed specification.

Required fields

You must include the following fields in every row of your OpenAI ACP feed.
FieldDescriptionExample
item_idUnique product identifier (variant ID)"shirt123-red-m"
group_idParent product ID for variants. Required if the product is a variant."shirt123"
titleProduct title"Classic T-Shirt - Red, Medium"
urlURL to the product page"https://www.yourstore.com/products/classic-tshirt-red-m"
image_urlURL to the main product image"https://www.yourstore.com/images/tshirt-red-m.jpg"
descriptionProduct description (minimum 25 characters)"Comfortable cotton t-shirt in vibrant red color..."
priceProduct price with currency code"19.99 USD"
availabilityStock status"in_stock"
brandProduct brand name"YourBrand"
listing_has_variationsIndicates if the listing has variations"true"
seller_nameSeller name"Example Store"
seller_urlSeller page URL"https://yourstore.com"
seller_privacy_policySeller privacy policy URL"https://yourstore.com/privacy"
seller_tosSeller terms of service URL"https://yourstore.com/terms"
return_policyReturn policy URL"https://yourstore.com/returns"
target_countriesTarget countries for the item (first entry is used)"US"
store_countryStore country of the item"US"

Important optional fields

Including these fields enables richer agentic discovery and checkout capabilities.
FieldDescriptionExample
is_eligible_searchControls whether the product can be surfaced in search results."true"
is_eligible_checkoutControls whether the product can be directly purchased in agentic surfaces. is_eligible_search must be true for this to take effect."true"
item_group_titleGroup product title"Classic T-Shirt"
mpnManufacturer Part Number"MP12345"
gtinGlobal Trade Item Number"5901234123457"
sale_priceDiscounted price"15.99 USD"
product_categoryCategory path"Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Shirts & Tops"
additional_image_urlsURLs to additional product images (comma-separated)"https://www.yourstore.com/images/tshirt-red-m-back.jpg"
colorProduct color"red"
sizeVariant size"medium"
size_systemSize system (country code)"US"
genderGender target"male"
variant_dictVariant attributes map{"color": "Red", "size": "Medium"}
The PayPal Enhanced Shopping Feed specification extends the Google Product Feed specification with a select set of additional fields for agentic commerce. This specification lets you prepare for AI-driven commerce with minimal changes to your existing Google feed. It requires two additional fields (is_eligible_search and is_eligible_checkout) and supports several additional optional fields.The PayPal Enhanced Shopping Feed specification uses the same fields as the Google Product Feed specification with the following additions.

Additional required fields

Use these two fields in addition to all Google Product Feed required fields.
FieldDescriptionExample
is_eligible_searchControls whether the product can be surfaced in search results."true"
is_eligible_checkoutControls whether the product can be directly purchased in agentic surfaces. is_eligible_search must be true for this to take effect."true"

Additional important optional fields

These fields extend the Google Product Feed with agentic commerce and policy information.
FieldDescriptionExample
item_group_titleGroup product title"Classic T-Shirt"
warning / warning_urlProduct disclaimer text or a URL resolving to HTTP 200."Contains lithium battery"
seller_privacy_policySeller privacy policy URL"https://yourstore.com/privacy"
seller_tosSeller terms of service URL"https://yourstore.com/terms"
return_policyReturn policy URL"https://yourstore.com/returns"
For tips for setting up fields and other best practices, see Best practices.

Handle product variants

You must list products with variations, such as different sizes or colors, as separate rows in your feed, using one row for each variant. Each variant row must include:
  1. A unique id or item_id value for the variant.
  2. The same item_group_id or group_id value to indicate the variants belong to the same product.
  3. Variant-specific attributes, such as color and size.
The following example shows 3 variants of the same T-shirt:
id,item_group_id,title,description,link,image_link,price,availability,color,size
shirt123-red-m,shirt123,"Classic T-Shirt - Red, Medium","Comfortable cotton t-shirt in red",https://yourstore.com/products/shirt-red-m,https://yourstore.com/images/shirt-red-m.jpg,"19.99 USD","in_stock",red,medium
shirt123-red-l,shirt123,"Classic T-Shirt - Red, Large","Comfortable cotton t-shirt in red",https://yourstore.com/products/shirt-red-l,https://yourstore.com/images/shirt-red-l.jpg,"19.99 USD","in_stock",red,large
shirt123-blue-m,shirt123,"Classic T-Shirt - Blue, Medium","Comfortable cotton t-shirt in blue",https://yourstore.com/products/shirt-blue-m,https://yourstore.com/images/shirt-blue-m.jpg,"19.99 USD","in_stock",blue,medium
Before submitting, validate each variant row for correct data types and required fields. Rows with missing required fields or malformed values are skipped during ingestion without failing the entire feed.

Verify your feed

Before you upload your feed to Store Sync, confirm that it meets these requirements to ensure a smooth ingestion process and optimal product representation.
  • All required fields for your chosen specification are present in every row.
  • Each variant has a unique id or item_id and shares the correct item_group_id or group_id with its siblings.
  • The feed file is UTF-8 encoded and includes a header row.
  • The file does not exceed 4 GB. If it does, split it into multiple smaller files.
  • All URLs (product links, image links, policy URLs) are accessible and return HTTP 200.
  • All image URLs resolve to a JPG or PNG file at a minimum resolution of 300×300 pixels.
  • Price values follow the "XX.XX USD" format and the currency code matches your merchant profile.
  • For the PayPal Enhanced Shopping Feed, warning_url values resolve to HTTP 200.

Best practices

Use these best practices to keep your product feed accurate, complete, and ready for reliable product discovery and checkout experiences.

Feed quality and maintenance

Follow these recommendations to maintain a high feed quality over time and to reduce ingestion or catalog issues. Maintain data quality
  • Use only fields from your chosen feed specification.
  • Complete all required fields for every product.
  • Provide accurate, detailed product information and high-quality images.
Update regularly
  • Update your catalog at least once daily.
  • Keep availability status current.
  • Remove discontinued products promptly.
Validate before publishing
  • Validate your CSV format before uploading.
  • Confirm all URLs are accessible and return HTTP 200.
  • Verify that all image links load correctly.
  • For the warning_url field (PayPal Enhanced), ensure the URL resolves to HTTP 200 before submitting.

Optimize fields for discoverability and performance

Follow these recommendations for the most common fields to ensure that your products are accurately represented and discoverable. Product identifier (id / item_id)
  • Must be unique within your catalog.
  • Used for deduplication and product updates.
  • Should identify the specific variant (for example, shirt-red-medium).
Product title (title)
  • Should match the title on your product page.
  • Include variant details such as color and size.
  • Keep under 150 characters for optimal display.
Product link (link / url)
  • Must be a valid, accessible URL.
  • Should link directly to the specific variant page.
Product images (image_link / image_url)
  • Must be a direct URL to a JPG or PNG image file.
  • Image should clearly show the product.
  • Minimum recommended resolution: 300×300 pixels.
  • Additional images can be included in additional_image_link or additional_image_urls.
Price (price, sale_price)
  • Format as "XX.XX USD" (for example, "19.99 USD").
  • The currency code must match your merchant profile.
  • Include sale_price if a discounted price applies.
Availability (availability) must be one of the following exact values.
ValueMeaning
in_stockReady to ship
out_of_stockCurrently unavailable
preorderAvailable for future shipping
backorderTemporarily out of stock but can be ordered

Troubleshoot common issues

The following table describes common feed issues and how to fix them.
IssueCauseFix
Feed file is rejected on upload.The file exceeds 4 GB.Split the feed into multiple smaller files, each under 4 GB.
Products are missing from the catalog after ingestion.Rows are skipped due to missing required fields.Ensure that all required fields for your specification are present and non-empty in every row.
There are encoding errors during processing.The file is not UTF-8 encoded.Re-export your feed file with UTF-8 encoding. Most spreadsheet and export tools offer this as an option.
The image is not displayed for a product.Image URL is inaccessible or returns a non-200 status.Verify that all image URLs are publicly accessible and return a 200 status. Ensure the URL points directly to a JPG or PNG file.
A product is not appearing in the search results (OpenAI ACP or PayPal Enhanced).is_eligible_search is missing or set to false.Set is_eligible_search to "true" for all products that you want to surface in search.
Agentic checkout not available for a product.is_eligible_checkout is true but is_eligible_search is false.is_eligible_search must be "true" for is_eligible_checkout to take effect. Update both fields.
Variants are not grouped correctly.item_group_id or group_id values are inconsistent across rows.Confirm that all variants of the same product share an identical item_group_id or group_id value.
A compressed archive is rejected.The archive contains more than 1 data file.Ensure that your .gz or .zip archive contains only a single CSV or TSV file.

Next steps

To enable AI-driven discovery and checkout across PayPal surfaces, connect your product feed to Store Sync. For details, see Connect your product feed. Your platform needs to provide essential data components to enable product discovery and merchant management in Store Sync. These components ensure that AI agents find and understand your inventory. They also facilitate seamless transactions across your entire network.