Google Merchant Center Bids FTP Accounts Farewell on Feb. 26

Time’s up!

Merchants with existing active file transfer protocol (FTP) accounts should migrate to another product data upload method this week if they want to avoid problems uploading product data to Google’s Merchant Center going forward.

Google is scheduled to shut down FTP access in Merchant Center on February 26, 2025. After that, all existing FTP accounts will be removed, and ecommerce professionals must use secure file transfer protocol (SFTP) or other uploading methods instead.

The internet giant first announced its decision to end support for FTP in February 2023, ahead of the launch of Google Merchant Center Next. A month later, creating new FTP accounts was no longer allowed, and Google began removing all existing FTP accounts that had been inactive for 90 days from their Merchant Centers.

Merchants were granted two years from the announcement day to upload their product data using SFTP or other methods.

Alternative Ways to Upload Products

Merchants can continue uploading product data to Google Merchant Center using SFTP, Google Cloud Storage, Scheduled Fetches, or the Content API for Shopping.

Unlike FTP, SFTP encrypts data transfers for extra protection, making it a more secure alternative. Merchants can also use Google Cloud Storage, which allows them to store product data files in the cloud and link them directly to the Merchant Center.

In addition, Scheduled Fetches automates the process by pulling product data from a hosted file at regular intervals, ensuring updates without manual uploads. For real-time updates, the Content API for Shopping integrates directly with Merchant Center, enabling seamless synchronization of product information.

Following the removal of FTP access before February ends, these methods provide a safe and efficient way of transferring product data to respective Merchant Center accounts.

Ensure Worry-Free Product Data Uploads

Lumenvo will help you transition to secure, efficient product data upload methods. Let’s work together to keep your Merchant Center running smoothly. Reach out today, and let’s start a productive collaboration.