Merchant promotions
Merchant promotions are special offers, such as a discount, free shipping or a gift, that a store sets up in Merchant Center to show next to its products.
How it works
The store sends promotions to Merchant Center as a separate promotions data source next to its product feed. Each promotion has an ID, a title of up to 60 characters and dates, and it comes with or without a code. It also sets which products it covers: all of them, those picked by filters, or those whose product data carries its promotion_id.
One promotion runs for at most 183 days. Google reviews every promotion before showing it. The store also needs a Google Ads account for Shopping campaigns and enrolment in the Promotions program.
Shoppers see a special offer link, such as “15% off”, next to the product on Google Search, the Shopping tab and Chrome. The discount itself comes off at checkout.
The May 2026 version of Google’s help lists 13 countries where promotions show: Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Spain, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States. Czechia, Slovakia, Poland and Ukraine are not on the list. Our guide covers alternatives to Merchant promotions for Czech, Slovak and Ukrainian stores.
Example
Example store, not client data.
The tableware shop sells in Germany and Czechia. It sets up “15% off dinner sets” with the code DINNER15, runs it from 20 to 30 November and uses a filter to limit it to dinner sets. A set still costs 600 in the feed; at checkout the code takes off 90, and the shopper pays 510. The offer link can appear in Germany, but not in Czechia.
Not to be confused with
| Term | Where it is set up | What the shopper gets |
|---|---|---|
| Promotion asset | Google Ads: account, campaign or ad group | An offer line in the ad text |
| Sale price | The feed attribute sale_price | A lower price of the product itself |
| Automated discounts | A Merchant Center feature | A lower price Google sets, never below the store’s minimum |
Right and wrong readings
- Wrong: “Free shipping needs no code, so the promotion can go without one.” Right: Google requires a code that shoppers can apply for every shipping promotion. Without one, Google treats the shipping offer as a service the store normally offers.
Sources
- Promotions data specification — attributes, 183-day limit, review, shipping codes, the 13 countries. Checked 2 October 2026 (archived copy of 10 May 2026).
- Overview of Promotions sub-API (Merchant API) — offer link, prerequisites, discount at checkout. Checked 2 October 2026.