Create accounts

You can use Merchant API to create Merchant Center accounts, which can be linked to an advanced account by using accountAggregation , accountManagement or comparisonShopping . The accounts.createAndConfigure method lets you create an account and optionally configure it with users and link it to other accounts through services.

This guide explains how to use Merchant API to create accounts using services such as accountManagement , comparisonShopping , or accountAggregation . When using accounts.createAndConfigure , you must link the new account to a provider by specifying at least one of accountAggregation , accountManagement , or comparisonShopping in the service field. You can specify accountAggregation and comparisonShopping in the same request, but accountManagement cannot be combined with either accountAggregation or comparisonShopping . If you specify accountManagement , you must also add at least one user to the new account using the user or users field.

Prerequisites

Before you can create accounts using Merchant API, ensure you meet the following requirements depending on the services you use:

• Administrator access: You must have administrator access to the provider account when linking a new account using accountManagement , comparisonShopping , or accountAggregation .
• Advanced account: If you use accountAggregation , your provider account must be an advanced account configured for account aggregation. If you are a service provider and need to set up an advanced account, reach out to support for assistance with configuration.

Create an account (using account management or comparison shopping)

To create a new account, call accounts.createAndConfigure . This is the recommended approach for partners helping merchants manage their accounts, as it allows merchants to retain full control and ownership of their account while granting specific permissions to partners.

In the request body:

1. Provide the details of the account you want to create in the account field.
2. If you are using accountManagement , specify at least one user in the user field who will have access to the account.
3. In the service field, specify any services you want to provide to this account, for example accountManagement , and set the provider to the resource name of your account (for example, providers/ {YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID} ). See Manage account relationships for a list of available services such as productsManagement or campaignsManagement .

Here's an example request to create an account named "merchantStore" and link it to account {YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID} for account and product management:

  POST https://merchantapi.googleapis.com/accounts/v1/accounts:createAndConfigure 
 { 
 "account": { 
 "accountName": "merchantStore", 
 "adultContent": false, 
 "timeZone": { 
 "id": "America/New_York" 
 }, 
 "languageCode": "en-US" 
 }, 
 "user": [ 
 { 
 "userId": "test@example.com", 
 "user": { 
 "accessRights": ["ADMIN"] 
 } 
 } 
 ], 
 "service": [ 
 { 
 "accountManagement": {}, 
 "provider": "providers/ {YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID} 
" 
 }, 
 { 
 "productsManagement": {}, 
 "provider": "providers/ {YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID} 
" 
 } 
 ] 
 } 
 

A successful call creates the new account and links it to your account for the specified services. If you specify accountManagement , accountAggregation , or comparisonShopping services during creation, they are automatically approved and the link state is ESTABLISHED . Other service links might be in PENDING state until accepted by the created account. The response body contains the newly created Account resource.

After creating such an account, you need to onboard it by performing steps such as accepting Terms of Service , setting up business information , and verifying website .

Suppress email verification during account creation

When creating an account with accounts.createAndConfigure , you can optionally suppress verification emails for new users added using the user field by setting verificationMailSettings.verificationMailMode to SUPPRESS_VERIFICATION_MAIL in the request for that user. This is useful if you intend to verify users on behalf of the merchant immediately after creation using the users.verifySelf method. By default, verificationMailMode is SEND_VERIFICATION_MAIL , and verification emails are sent to new users added during account creation.

  POST https://merchantapi.googleapis.com/accounts/v1/accounts:createAndConfigure 
 { 
 "account": { 
 "accountName": "merchantStore", 
 "adultContent": false, 
 "timeZone": { 
 "id": "America/New_York" 
 }, 
 "languageCode": "en-US" 
 }, 
 "user": [ 
 { 
 "userId": "test@example.com", 
 "user": { 
 "accessRights": ["ADMIN"] 
 }, 
 "verificationMailSettings": { 
 "verificationMailMode": "SUPPRESS_VERIFICATION_MAIL" 
 } 
 } 
 ], 
 "service": [ 
 { 
 "accountManagement": {}, 
 "provider": "providers/ {YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID} 
" 
 } 
 ] 
 } 
 

If you set verificationMailMode to SUPPRESS_VERIFICATION_MAIL , you need to call users.verifySelf for each user added during creation to complete verification. This call must be authenticated as the user being verified (the user specified in userId ), for example using an OAuth token from the user.

Specify an alias during account creation

You can specify an alias for an account in the context of a provider in CreateAndConfigureAccountRequest using the setAlias field. The alias can be used to identify the account in your system. If you are a service provider, you can use the alias to retrieve the account using GET /accounts/v1/accounts/{provider}~{alias} . The alias must be unique for a given provider, and you must specify a service with the same provider in the service field of the request. For more information on alias requirements, see Manage account relationships .

  POST https://merchantapi.googleapis.com/accounts/v1/accounts:createAndConfigure 
 { 
 "account": { 
 "accountName": "merchantStore", 
 "adultContent": false, 
 "timeZone": { 
 "id": "America/New_York" 
 }, 
 "languageCode": "en-US" 
 }, 
 "service": [ 
 { 
 "accountManagement": {}, 
 "provider": "providers/ {YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID} 
" 
 } 
 ], 
 "setAlias": [ 
 { 
 "provider": "providers/ {YOUR_ACCOUNT_ID} 
", 
 "accountIdAlias": "my-merchant-alias" 
 } 
 ] 
 } 
 

Recommended onboarding flow

If you are a partner creating an account on behalf of a merchant, we recommend the following flow:

1. Create account: Call accounts.createAndConfigure with your partner credentials to create a new account.
   • Set service to include accountManagement linking to your provider ID.
   • Add the merchant as a user using the user field, and set verificationMailSettings.verificationMailMode to SUPPRESS_VERIFICATION_MAIL .
2. Verify user: With credentials from the merchant (for example, using an OAuth token), call users.verifySelf to change the user state from PENDING to VERIFIED .
3. Set business country: With merchant credentials, set the business country by updating address.regionCode using accounts.updateBusinessInfo . This is required before accepting Terms of Service.
4. Accept Terms of Service: With merchant credentials, accept the Terms of Service .

This flow allows a merchant to be seamlessly onboarded within your platform without receiving invitation emails from Google.

Create a client account (using account aggregation)

Client accounts are distinct Merchant Center accounts linked to your advanced account using the accountAggregation service, allowing for centralized management while maintaining separate settings, websites, and data feeds. You can use the Merchant Accounts sub-API to create new client accounts.

To create client accounts, you must first have an advanced account setup . You must be an account administrator to convert your Merchant Center account to an advanced account, and your account must not have any pending issues .

To create a new client account, call accounts.createAndConfigure . In the request body:

1. Provide the details of the account you want to create in the account field.
2. Optionally, specify any new authorized users in the user field. User access for the account is also inherited from the parent advanced account.
3. In the service field, specify accountAggregation and set the provider to the resource name of your advanced account (for example, providers/ {ADVANCED_ACCOUNT_ID} ). This establishes your advanced account as the aggregator for the new account.

Here's an example request to create a client account named "merchantStore" linked to the advanced account {ADVANCED_ACCOUNT_ID} :

  POST https://merchantapi.googleapis.com/accounts/v1/accounts:createAndConfigure 
 { 
 "account": { 
 "accountName": "merchantStore", 
 "adultContent": false, 
 "timeZone": { 
 "id": "America/New_York" 
 }, 
 "languageCode": "en-US" 
 }, 
 "service": [ 
 { 
 "accountAggregation": {}, 
 "provider": "providers/ {ADVANCED_ACCOUNT_ID} 
" 
 } 
 ] 
 } 
 

A successful call creates the new client account and links it to your specified advanced account. The response body will contain the newly created Account resource.

The following samples demonstrate how you can use the accounts.createAndConfigure to create a new client account.

  import 
  
 com.google.api.gax.core.FixedCredentialsProvider 
 ; 
 import 
  
 com.google.auth.oauth2.GoogleCredentials 
 ; 
 import 
  
 com.google.shopping.merchant.accounts.v1.Account 
 ; 
 import 
  
 com.google.shopping.merchant.accounts.v1.AccountAggregation 
 ; 
 import 
  
 com.google.shopping.merchant.accounts.v1.AccountsServiceClient 
 ; 
 import 
  
 com.google.shopping.merchant.accounts.v1.AccountsServiceSettings 
 ; 
 import 
  
 com.google.shopping.merchant.accounts.v1.CreateAndConfigureAccountRequest 
 ; 
 import 
  
 com.google.shopping.merchant.accounts.v1.CreateAndConfigureAccountRequest.AddAccountService 
 ; 
 import 
  
 com.google.type.TimeZone 
 ; 
 import 
  
 shopping.merchant.samples.utils.Authenticator 
 ; 
 import 
  
 shopping.merchant.samples.utils.Config 
 ; 
 /** This class demonstrates how to create a sub-account under an advanced account. */ 
 public 
  
 class 
 CreateSubAccountSample 
  
 { 
  
 private 
  
 static 
  
 String 
  
 getParent 
 ( 
 String 
  
 accountId 
 ) 
  
 { 
  
 return 
  
 String 
 . 
 format 
 ( 
 "accounts/%s" 
 , 
  
 accountId 
 ); 
  
 } 
  
 public 
  
 static 
  
 void 
  
 createSubAccount 
 ( 
 Config 
  
 config 
 ) 
  
 throws 
  
 Exception 
  
 { 
  
 // Obtains OAuth token based on the user's configuration. 
  
 GoogleCredentials 
  
 credential 
  
 = 
  
 new 
  
 Authenticator 
 (). 
 authenticate 
 (); 
  
 // Creates service settings using the credentials retrieved above. 
  
 AccountsServiceSettings 
  
 accountsServiceSettings 
  
 = 
  
 AccountsServiceSettings 
 . 
 newBuilder 
 () 
  
 . 
 setCredentialsProvider 
 ( 
 FixedCredentialsProvider 
 . 
 create 
 ( 
 credential 
 )) 
  
 . 
 build 
 (); 
  
 // Creates parent/provider to identify the advanced account into which to insert the subaccount. 
  
 String 
  
 parent 
  
 = 
  
 getParent 
 ( 
 config 
 . 
 getAccountId 
 (). 
 toString 
 ()); 
  
 // Calls the API and catches and prints any network failures/errors. 
  
 try 
  
 ( 
 AccountsServiceClient 
  
 accountsServiceClient 
  
 = 
  
 AccountsServiceClient 
 . 
 create 
 ( 
 accountsServiceSettings 
 )) 
  
 { 
  
 CreateAndConfigureAccountRequest 
  
 request 
  
 = 
  
 CreateAndConfigureAccountRequest 
 . 
 newBuilder 
 () 
  
 . 
 setAccount 
 ( 
  
 Account 
 . 
 newBuilder 
 () 
  
 . 
 setAccountName 
 ( 
 "Demo Business" 
 ) 
  
 . 
 setAdultContent 
 ( 
 false 
 ) 
  
 . 
 setTimeZone 
 ( 
 TimeZone 
 . 
 newBuilder 
 (). 
 setId 
 ( 
 "America/New_York" 
 ). 
 build 
 ()) 
  
 . 
 setLanguageCode 
 ( 
 "en-US" 
 ) 
  
 . 
 build 
 ()) 
  
 . 
 addService 
 ( 
  
 AddAccountService 
 . 
 newBuilder 
 () 
  
 . 
 setProvider 
 ( 
 parent 
 ) 
  
 . 
 setAccountAggregation 
 ( 
 AccountAggregation 
 . 
 getDefaultInstance 
 ()) 
  
 . 
 build 
 ()) 
  
 . 
 build 
 (); 
  
 System 
 . 
 out 
 . 
 println 
 ( 
 "Sending Create SubAccount request" 
 ); 
  
 Account 
  
 response 
  
 = 
  
 accountsServiceClient 
 . 
 createAndConfigureAccount 
 ( 
 request 
 ); 
  
 System 
 . 
 out 
 . 
 println 
 ( 
 "Inserted Account Name below" 
 ); 
  
 // Format: `accounts/{account} 
  
 System 
 . 
 out 
 . 
 println 
 ( 
 response 
 . 
 getName 
 ()); 
  
 } 
  
 catch 
  
 ( 
 Exception 
  
 e 
 ) 
  
 { 
  
 System 
 . 
 out 
 . 
 println 
 ( 
 e 
 ); 
  
 } 
  
 } 
  
 public 
  
 static 
  
 void 
  
 main 
 ( 
 String 
 [] 
  
 args 
 ) 
  
 throws 
  
 Exception 
  
 { 
  
 Config 
  
 config 
  
 = 
  
 Config 
 . 
 load 
 (); 
  
 createSubAccount 
 ( 
 config 
 ); 
  
 } 
 } 
 
  CreateSubAccountSample 
 . 
 java 
 
 
 

  use Google\ApiCore\ApiException; 
 use Google\Shopping\Merchant\Accounts\V1\Account; 
 use Google\Shopping\Merchant\Accounts\V1\AccountAggregation; 
 use Google\Shopping\Merchant\Accounts\V1\Client\AccountsServiceClient; 
 use Google\Shopping\Merchant\Accounts\V1\CreateAndConfigureAccountRequest; 
 use Google\Shopping\Merchant\Accounts\V1\CreateAndConfigureAccountRequest\AddAccountService; 
 use Google\Type\TimeZone; 
 /** 
 * This class demonstrates how to create a sub-account under an MCA account. 
 */ 
 class CreateSubAccount 
 { 
 private static function getParent(string $accountId): string 
 { 
 return sprintf("accounts/%s", $accountId); 
 } 
 public static function createSubAccount(array $config): void 
 { 
 // Gets the OAuth credentials to make the request. 
 $credentials = Authentication::useServiceAccountOrTokenFile(); 
 // Creates options config containing credentials for the client to use. 
 $options = ['credentials' => $credentials]; 
 // Creates a client. 
 $accountsServiceClient = new AccountsServiceClient($options); 
 // Creates parent/provider to identify the MCA account into which to insert the subaccount. 
 $parent = self::getParent($config['accountId']); 
 // Calls the API and catches and prints any network failures/errors. 
 try { 
 $request = new CreateAndConfigureAccountRequest([ 
 'account' => (new Account([ 
 'account_name' => 'Demo Business', 
 'adult_content' => false, 
 'time_zone' => (new TimeZone(['id' => 'America/New_York'])), 
 'language_code' => 'en-US', 
 ])), 
 'service' => [ 
 (new AddAccountService([ 
 'provider' => $parent, 
 'account_aggregation' => new AccountAggregation, 
 ])), 
 ], 
 ]); 
 print "Sending Create SubAccount request\n"; 
 $response = $accountsServiceClient->createAndConfigureAccount($request); 
 print "Inserted Account Name below\n"; 
 // Format: `accounts/{account} 
 print $response->getName() . PHP_EOL; 
 } catch (ApiException $e) { 
 print $e->getMessage(); 
 } 
 } 
 public function callSample(): void 
 { 
 $config = Config::generateConfig(); 
 self::createSubAccount($config); 
 } 
 } 
 $sample = new CreateSubAccount(); 
 $sample->callSample(); 
 CreateSubAccountSample.php