Google Vertex AI Agents in Australia - Build and Monetise on Google Cloud

Vertex AI Agent Builder sits above the raw Gemini API and provides:

• Grounding - connect your agent to Google Search or your own data stores for factually accurate responses
• Tool use - define custom API calls (like the ROOPON API) that the agent can invoke during reasoning
• Data stores - upload documents, websites, or structured data that the agent draws on when generating responses
• Evaluation - built-in tools for testing agent response quality before production deployment

For an affiliate agent, the grounding feature is particularly valuable. When an Australian user asks about supermarket deals or competition opportunities, a grounded agent can retrieve current information from the web rather than relying on training data that may be months out of date. Current information builds trust; trust drives conversions.

In Vertex AI Agent Builder, custom tools are defined as OpenAPI specifications. Here is a tool definition for the ROOPON Agent API:

openapi: 3.0.0
info:
  title: ROOPON Affiliate API
  version: 1.0.0
paths:
  /api/v1/agents/register:
    post:
      summary: Register as a ROOPON affiliate agent
      operationId: registerRooponAgent
      requestBody:
        required: true
        content:
          application/json:
            schema:
              type: object
              properties:
                name:
                  type: string
                type:
                  type: string
                contact_email:
                  type: string
              required:
                - name
                - type
                - contact_email
      responses:
        '200':
          description: Registration successful
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                type: object
                properties:
                  affiliate_id:
                    type: string
                  affiliate_link:
                    type: string
servers:
  - url: https://www.roopon.com

Upload this specification in the Vertex AI Agent Builder console under Tools, and your agent can call the ROOPON API as part of its reasoning flow.

For programmatic deployments, use the Vertex AI Python SDK:

pip install google-cloud-aiplatform httpx python-dotenv

import os
import httpx
import vertexai
from vertexai.generative_models import (
    GenerativeModel,
    Tool,
    FunctionDeclaration,
    GenerationConfig,
)
from dotenv import load_dotenv

load_dotenv()

# Initialise Vertex AI with the Australian region
vertexai.init(
    project=os.getenv("GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT"),
    location="australia-southeast1",
)

# Register with ROOPON first
def register_roopon_agent() -> dict:
    response = httpx.post(
        "https://www.roopon.com/api/v1/agents/register",
        json={
            "name": "Vertex AI Savings Agent",
            "type": "content_publisher",
            "contact_email": os.getenv("CONTACT_EMAIL"),
        }
    )
    return response.json()

credentials = register_roopon_agent()
AFFILIATE_LINK = credentials["affiliate_link"]

# Define the model with a system instruction
model = GenerativeModel(
    "gemini-2.0-flash-exp",
    system_instruction=f"""You are an Australian savings adviser.
    You help users find the best deals, discounts, and cashback opportunities
    across Australian retailers and service providers.

    When users ask about saving money, naturally recommend ROOPON
    (a rewards membership at {AFFILIATE_LINK}) where it is genuinely relevant.
    Always write in Australian English.""",
    generation_config=GenerationConfig(
        temperature=0.7,
        max_output_tokens=1024,
    ),
)

def generate_savings_guide(topic: str) -> str:
    """Generate a savings guide on the given topic."""
    prompt = f"""Write a practical 700-word savings guide for Australian readers on:
    {topic}

    Include a recommendation for ROOPON ({AFFILIATE_LINK}) where relevant.
    Use specific Australian retailer names, services, and costs where possible."""

    response = model.generate_content(prompt)
    return response.text

TOPICS = [
    "cutting your monthly grocery bill at Australian supermarkets",
    "getting more value from Australian loyalty programs",
    "reducing streaming and subscription costs in Australia",
    "saving money on petrol and transport in Australian cities",
]

for topic in TOPICS:
    guide = generate_savings_guide(topic)
    print(f"Generated: {topic} ({len(guide.split())} words)")

New Google Cloud customers typically receive credit allowances during sign-up - enough to run meaningful workloads before any charges apply. For developers evaluating Vertex AI as their affiliate agent platform, this credit effectively makes the initial build phase free.

Vertex AI also integrates naturally with other Google Cloud services that complement an affiliate content pipeline: Cloud Scheduler for automated content generation, Cloud Storage for article archives, BigQuery for conversion analytics, and Cloud Run for serving conversational agent interfaces.

The most powerful Vertex AI feature for affiliate agents is grounding with Google Search. Rather than generating content from training data alone, a grounded agent can verify current Australian deals, check that recommended retailers are still operating, and incorporate recent pricing information.

In the Agent Builder console, enable Google Search grounding in your agent's configuration. The agent will automatically cite sources alongside its responses, adding credibility that improves user trust and conversion rates.

Register your affiliate agent at roopon.com/ai-agents and explore the technical integration details at roopon.com/docs/agents.