Merchant Center Programs Explained: Promotions, Product Ratings, Loyalty, Local Inventory and Pricing Insights

Once products are approved, Merchant Center’s add-ons can make listings more competitive: promotions, product ratings, loyalty benefits and local inventory. Its Analytics section adds pricing benchmarks and lists of popular products.

Each has its own eligibility rules. This guide explains what each does, who qualifies and what to watch for.

Promotions

• Activate the Promotions add-on, then create promotions with the promotion builder, a promotions data source, the Merchant API or a supported partner.
• Supported incentives include amount off, percent off, free gift, free shipping (not for local inventory ads), discount ranges and cashback, with conditions like minimum spend.
• Keep terms, dates and codes identical to your site, and available to all customers.
• Sale prices are a separate attribute from promotions (sale prices).

Product ratings vs seller ratings

Product ratings are stars for an individual product; seller ratings describe your business as a whole. Google says aggregated product reviews can appear on free listings regardless of participation, but stars on Shopping ads require the Product Ratings program.

• Submit reviews through a supported reviews aggregator or a product reviews data source in Merchant Center.
• Include identifiers such as GTIN or brand plus MPN so reviews match products.
• You need at least 50 reviews across your products, uploaded at least monthly.
• Use a standalone account or sub-account, not a multi-client account.
• Google reviews the data source; reviews typically go live 2 to 4 weeks after approval.
• Collect reviews within the rules (FTC reviews rule).

Loyalty programs

The loyalty add-on is for merchants with an existing loyalty program. You can show benefits such as member prices, points and free shipping in free listings, Shopping ads and local inventory ads across Search, the Shopping tab and Wallet; Google says loyalty benefits can also show in AI Mode and Gemini apps in the US. There’s no fee. It’s available in markets including the US, UK, Canada, Germany, Australia and the Netherlands.

Local inventory and free local listings

• For retailers with physical stores; available in many countries including the US, UK, Canada, Germany, Australia and the Netherlands.
• Shopping ads policies apply, except the online checkout and shipping requirements, since purchase or pickup happens in store.
• Link your Business Profile and submit local inventory (store availability and price) accurately and often.
• Out-of-date stock is the most common problem (out-of-stock products).

Pricing and popular products insights

• The Pricing tab in Analytics compares your prices with benchmark prices and can suggest sale prices for products that could benefit.
• The Popular products tab shows popular products and brands on Google and whether you carry them in stock.
• Both are also available via the Merchant API and BigQuery for history over time.
• Use them to inform merchandising and pricing; they don’t guarantee performance.
• Review performance reports alongside (performance reporting).

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Merchant Center Help: Create a promotion
• Merchant Center Help: Product Ratings eligibility
• Merchant Center Help: About merchant loyalty program
• Merchant Center Help: Local inventory ads and free local product listings policies
• Merchant Center Help: About Pricing in Merchant Center Analytics
• Merchant Center Help: About Popular products in Merchant Center Analytics

Last reviewed October 19, 2026.