Promotion Types and When to Use Them
Google Merchant Center supports five promotion types. Each has different requirements for how the discount is structured and applied at checkout.
| Type | What It Shows | Best For | Complexity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amount off | "$X off" badge | Flash sales, fixed-dollar discounts | Low |
| Percent off | "X% off" badge | Sitewide or category sales | Low |
| Free gift | "Free gift with purchase" | Product bundling, upsell | Medium |
| Free shipping | "Free shipping" badge | Threshold-based free shipping | Low |
| Coupon code | "Use code [X] for Y% off" | Email campaigns, retargeting | Medium |
Choosing the Right Type
The promotion type you choose determines the compliance requirements. Percent-off and amount-off promotions are the simplest — the discount must be automatically applied at checkout without any additional steps. Coupon code promotions allow for a code-based redemption flow, which gives you more flexibility but requires clear disclosure of the code in the promotion text.
Research generally shows that dollar-amount discounts ("$20 off") outperform percentage discounts ("15% off") for higher-priced products, because "$20 off" has clearer perceived value. Percentage discounts perform better for lower-priced items where the dollar amount seems small. For a $200 product, "$20 off" typically outperforms "10% off" even though they're identical.
How Approval Works (and Why It Takes Time)
Promotions go through a two-phase approval process before they appear on Shopping ads:
Phase 1: Automated Review (1-3 hours)
Google's automated systems check promotion data for obvious violations — prohibited promotion types, invalid date ranges, missing required fields.
Phase 2: Manual Review (1-3 business days)
A Google reviewer checks that the promotion is genuinely reflected in the checkout experience. They verify that the discount applies correctly, that the promotional terms are disclosed, and that the promotion isn't misleading.
Live or Rejected
After both phases pass, the promotion goes live and the badge appears on applicable Shopping ads. If rejected, you receive a disapproval reason.
Speeding Up Approval
There's no guaranteed way to get faster approval, but these practices reduce the risk of delays from rejections and re-submissions:
- Submit promotions at least 5 business days before the start date — don't submit the day before Black Friday
- Ensure the promotion is already live on your website before submitting (reviewers will check)
- Write the
promotion_descriptionexactly as the discount appears at checkout — no approximations - For coupon codes: make sure the code works from a fresh session (incognito browser test) before submitting
A common mistake is submitting the promotion as soon as it's created in GMC, before the discount is enabled in your store. If a reviewer checks the promotion on your site and the discount doesn't work, your promotion is rejected. Enable the promotion in your store first, then submit to GMC.
Stacking Multiple Promotions
Stacking means running multiple promotions simultaneously on the same products. This is allowed, but it creates compliance complexity because each promotion badge shown in the Shopping ad must match what's applied at checkout.
When Stacking Is Safe
Stacking is safe when:
- Each promotion is independently applied at checkout (not dependent on each other)
- The total discount the customer receives is accurately represented
- Your website clearly shows both promotions applying
Example: You have a 10% sitewide sale AND a free shipping promotion for orders over $50. Both can run simultaneously. A customer buying a $60 item sees "10% off" and "Free shipping" and receives both at checkout. Clean and compliant.
When Stacking Causes Problems
Stacking creates compliance risk when:
- Two promotions are mutually exclusive (only one applies) but Google shows both badges
- A percentage discount and a coupon code can't both be applied, but both are active
- The combined discount shown in Shopping exceeds what's actually applied
The safest approach when running stacked promotions: test checkout with every applicable combination before your promotions go live.
Scheduling Promotions for Sales Events
For planned sales events (Black Friday, Cyber Monday, summer sales), the scheduling discipline is critical. Here's the recommended timeline:
| Days Before Event | Action |
|---|---|
| 14+ days | Create promotion in GMC with start/end dates. Enable the promotion on your site if possible (or have a test version ready). Submit for review. |
| 7 days | Confirm promotion approval status. If still pending, contact GMC support. Don't wait. |
| 3 days | Test the full checkout flow from click-through. Verify the promotion applies correctly for all product types in scope. |
| 1 day | Final checkout verification. Confirm start time (timezone — GMC uses UTC). |
| Event day | Monitor for disapprovals. Watch GMC diagnostics for any promotion-related flags. |
| After event | Deactivate promotion immediately when sale ends. Don't let it expire naturally if possible — expired promotions can briefly show and mislead customers. |
Timezone Handling
GMC uses UTC for promotion scheduling. A sale that starts at midnight Eastern Time is 5am UTC (EST) or 4am UTC (EDT). Double-check your start and end times are set in UTC, or you'll either start the promotion hours early or miss the peak window.
Why Promotions Get Disapproved
Google publishes the official reasons for promotion disapprovals. These are the most common ones we see:
1. Discount Doesn't Apply at Checkout
The discount shown in the promotion (e.g., "20% off") doesn't apply when a reviewer adds the product to cart and proceeds to checkout. This is the #1 disapproval reason. Causes include: promotion not yet active on the site, discount only applying to members/logged-in users, discount requires a minimum order that wasn't met, or the promotion code was entered incorrectly in GMC.
2. Promotion Text Doesn't Match Reality
The promotion_description says "Free shipping on all orders" but your store has free shipping only on orders over $50. The text must accurately describe the promotion as a customer would experience it, including any conditions.
3. Promotion Applies to Ineligible Products
You run a promotion for "all products" but some products are excluded (final sale, specific brands). Google reviewers test on products that should be covered and find the discount doesn't apply. Either exclude ineligible products from the promotion's product applicability settings, or adjust the promotion description to state exceptions.
4. Expired Promotions Still Running
A previous promotion wasn't properly closed, and it continues to show even though the discount is no longer active. This can cause both a promotion disapproval AND a misrepresentation flag on your account if enough customers click through and find the discount is gone. Always actively close promotions when they end.
Promotion Misrepresentation Traps
The most serious risk with promotions isn't a disapproval — it's triggering a misrepresentation flag on your account. This can suspend all your products, not just the promoted ones.
Inflated "Original" Prices
Setting a high "was" price that was never actually the selling price in order to make a discount look larger is a misrepresentation violation. The original price in your price attribute must have been the genuine selling price before the promotion. Some stores artificially inflate their base price specifically to create a larger-looking discount — Google explicitly forbids this.
Countdown Timers with Extensions
A "sale ends in 24 hours" countdown that resets every time it expires is a misrepresentation trigger. If the sale actually ends at the stated time, countdown timers are fine. If it's a permanent or rolling discount, don't use urgency language.
Coupon Codes That Don't Expire
Promoting a "limited time" coupon code that actually works indefinitely is misleading. This is common with affiliate-distributed codes — they create an urgency in the promotion that isn't real. If your promotion has a code, set an end date and honor it.
When a customer clicks a Shopping ad with a "20% off" badge but arrives at checkout and finds the price is the same (promotion not applied), this is the definition of misrepresentation in Google's eyes. A pattern of this — even if each instance is a technical glitch rather than intent — will trigger account-level action. Monitor your promotion execution on every sale day.
Feed-Based vs UI-Based Promotions
There are two ways to create promotions in GMC: through the GMC interface directly, or through your product feed using the promotion_id attribute linked to a separate promotions feed. Each has different use cases.
UI-Based Promotions
Created directly in GMC under Marketing → Promotions. Best for:
- Simple promotions covering all or most products
- Promotions you need to set up quickly
- Stores with smaller catalogs
Feed-Based Promotions
Created via a promotions feed (separate from your product feed) and linked to products via promotion_id. Best for:
- Complex product-level promotions (different discounts for different products)
- Promotions managed by your feed platform (DataFeedWatch, etc.)
- Large catalogs where manual product selection would be impractical
The promotion_id in your product feed connects each product to the relevant promotion. If a promotion doesn't apply to certain products, simply omit those products from the feed that links to that promotion_id.
For any promotion activity, run the GMCUnbanned free scan after promotions go live to confirm your account health isn't being affected by price or checkout inconsistencies.