Promotions is an add-on feature available in Merchant Center for Shopping ads and free listings. This article explains the benefits of using promotions and how they work.
On this page
- Benefits
- Eligibility requirements
- How to create a promotion
- Promotions Preview
- Promotion criteria
- Policies
- Automated promotions data source
Benefits
Promotions allow you to showcase your local and online offers across different Google properties, like Google Search, the Shopping tab, Google Chrome, Google Wallet, Safari browser and other marketing methods. Learn more about marketing methods here.
When you add promotions to products that you sell on Google, shoppers will see a 'special offer' link (for example, 15% off or free delivery). This can increase the appeal of the products that you show and encourage more shoppers to buy.
The deals page on Search
In the US, Google also has a deals page on Search that shows on-sale products from merchants across the web. When you create promotions that are eligible to be shown on Search, your products will appear on the deals page. No additional action is needed from you.
Shoppers can access the deals page by searching 'shop deals'. They can look for deals in specific categories by searching 'shop electronic deals', for example.
Eligibility requirements
To be eligible for the promotions add-on, you must meet the criteria below:
- You have offers in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, Spain, the UK or the US.
- You aren’t connected to a marketplace, an online platform that provides a place for multiple individual merchants to sell their products.
- You have an active Merchant Center account, with at least one active product and one claimed URL.
If you're currently ineligible for promotions, you may still need to meet one or more of the eligibility requirements. Contact us for help enrolling in promotions.
Activate the promotions add-on
The promotions add-on may be automatically activated to eligible accounts. If you're eligible but the add-on wasn't activated automatically, follow these steps to activate promotions manually:
In your Merchant Center account, click the Settings and tools icon
.
Select Add-ons.
Locate the 'Promotions' add-on card under the 'Discover' tab.
Click Activate.
The promotions add-on will now be activated for your account. You may skip these steps if the add-on is automatically enabled.
How to create a promotion
If the add-on is enabled, 'Promotions' will appear in the navigation bar of your Merchant Center Next account. To create a new promotion:
Go to Promotions in your Merchant Center account.
Under the 'All promotions' tab, click Add promotion.
From here, you can add promotions in three ways:
- Add each promotion individually with the promotion builder tool.
- Submit a promotions data source.
- Upload promotions via the Content API.
Promotion approval process
Before your promotion can show on Google, it will go through a policy review and SKU review to ensure that it meets all Editorial requirements and Promotions policies.
This process is typically completed within 12–24 hours of the promotion's effective start time (the time that your promotion becomes active on your site). Learn more about the Promotion approval process and find answers to FAQ about Promotion status.
Promotions Preview
Promotions Preview in Merchant Center gives you a sneak peek of how your promotion will look before they go live. This feature helps create more effective promotions by enabling you to preview in real time.
Promotions Preview is available within the promotion builder tool and is used as a reference only. While creating your promotion, the current version only shows a preview for Google Search. However, your promotion will appear on all the relevant Google channels. To create promotions and check their preview:
Go to Promotions in your Merchant Center account.
Under the 'All promotions' tab, click Add promotion and then select Create promotion.
On the 'New promotion' page, follow the instructions to provide country and language, how you want to show the promotion on Google, promotion category, promotion type and promotion details.
Click Next.
On the 'Add promotion assets' page, add products, promotion title and ID, promotion code (optional), event (optional) and event URL (optional).
- Note: Check the preview panel on the right side of the page. As you add more information while creating your promotion, Preview may update assets, titles and formats to reflect your promotion.
Click Submit.
Note: At present, the preview panel is only enabled by selective 'per cent off' or 'amount off' shopper incentives that do not impose any additional conditions. This may change in the future as Preview capabilities are expanded.
Promotion criteria
To use promotions, they must meet the following criteria:
- Be redeemable at checkout or by the time of purchase
- Expire within 6 months (183 days) of the date that the promotion starts
- Comply with promotions policies and Editorial requirements
- Adhere to the account's limit on the total number of active promotions
You also need to create promotion types that are usable for anyone who shops on Google.
Promotion types allowed
You can use the following promotion types:
| Promotion | Type | Additional information |
|---|---|---|
| Discounts | £ off or % off | Discounts must be at least £5 or 5% off |
| x% off, maximum discount £y | N/A | |
| £x off £50+, £y off £100 or £z off £150 | Tiered discounts allowed | |
| x% to y% off | Floor discounts (like minimum amount or per cent saved) must be stated | |
| Buy one get one free or buy one get 2nd x% off | N/A | |
| £x cash back or £x cash rebates | Must be reflected in basket or checkout | |
| Free gifts | Free item | Must clearly describe the free gift and any associated restrictions or conditions (e.g. if a purchase is required), and the item can't be samples or trials |
| £x gift card on purchase | The title must clearly state the gift card value, and the gift card must be from your own store | |
| Delivery | Free delivery |
Must have valid redemption code Exception: No redemption code necessary when combined with another permissible promotion (for example, free delivery + 10% off) |
Promotion types not allowed
You can't use the following promotion types:
| Promotion | Type | Additional information |
|---|---|---|
| Vague discounts | Up to y% off or 'as much as x saved' | Floor discount must be stated |
| x% cash back or reward points back |
Cash back in per cent and reward points aren't allowed. Exception: If combined with a permissible promotion |
|
| Overly restrictive | All promotions are restricted to a subset of shoppers (for example, military discounts, birthdays, PayPal users and others) | N/A |
| Other | Discounts must not already be reflected on the product landing page | N/A |
| Delivery discounts without a redemption code and not combined with a permissible promotion | N/A | |
| Promotions exceeding a duration of six months | N/A |
Policies
Google’s policies provide important guidance for retailers participating in promotions. To ensure that you understand the expectations, review the editorial requirements and promotions policies. Google disapproves promotions that don't comply with these requirements and policies.
Automated promotions data source
The automated promotions data source helps you automatically share your live promotions with Google without manually creating them in your Merchant Center account.
Google will extract eligible live promotions from your products’ web pages (also referred to as the product detail page) to automatically showcase them on free listings and Shopping ads on Google.
Learn how to manage automated promotions.