Unlock the Power of Google Shopping Loyalty Programs

What changed?

On August 26, 2025, Google introduced expanded loyalty offerings, allowing retailers to display member-only pricing and shipping benefits on both Shopping ads and free listings. Google has also introduced a new Loyalty goal in Google Ads, enabling you to allocate budgets and bids to your highest-value customers. In Google’s example, Sephora saw a 20% lift in CTR on personalized loyalty annotations for signed-in members (treat this as directional, not a guarantee).

Your Shopping results can now highlight perks for members, such as special prices, points, or free shipping, to encourage repeat purchases and sign-ups.

Where it shows & who can see it

• Surfaces: Shopping ads and free listings across Search, the Shopping tab, and Google Wallet.
• What people see:
  • Unknown shoppers may see “member price” alongside regular price (varies by country/beta).
  • Known members (matched to your lists) can see member shipping/price tailored to their status. US merchants can use Customer Match; there’s also a pilot to power free listings with it.

Who can use it (countries)

Google’s main help page lists the US, UK, Germany, France, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, and Australia. However, Japan is also supported (Google forgot to update the main article). Google provides Japan-specific “point program” pages, and industry coverage has documented Japan’s inclusion.

Bottom line: If you sell in Japan, you can surface a points-style loyalty program on free listings.

What kinds of programs are supported

You can showcase:

• Free-to-join programs
• Spending-based tiers
• Paid membership tiers
• Merchant credit card tiers
  You can also highlight perks such as member pricing, redeemable points, and free/same-day shipping.

Important display rules (member pricing):

• Google only displays member pricing in ads when the discount is 5% or more, or when the quantity is five units or more of the local currency (compared to the regular or sale price).
• National loyalty pricing only (no regional pricing).
• If you’re running an unconditional site-wide promo, that promo takes precedence over member pricing in ads.

Is this right for my store? (quick gut-check)

• Great fit: products with repeat purchases (beauty, supplements, consumables), or strong membership communities.
• Not a fit: one-off or multi-year purchase cycles (e.g., big appliances), unless you have a clever perk strategy that genuinely adds value between purchases.
• You need an existing loyalty program (you’re not “building” the program inside Google, you’re showcasing benefits there).

How to enable

10–20 minutes if you’ve already decided your tiers and perks.

1. Open Merchant Center → click the Settings (gear) → Add-ons.
2. Under the Discover tab, find Loyalty programs → Add.

3. Loyalty program overview:
   • Name, loyalty program name (no spaces; underscores allowed), description, sign-up URL (with UTM tags recommended).

4. Add tiers (start with the lowest barrier tier first; labels can’t be edited later).
   • Add benefits (member pricing, points, shipping, or “other” perks). Submit at least one benefit per tier.

5. Submit for review (Google typically reviews within ~48 hours).
6. Show benefits on specific products (optional):
   • Use the loyalty_program group attribute in your feed.
   • For member pricing, include the sub-attribute price inside loyalty_program.
   • For member shipping, create a member shipping policy and, if needed, tag items with shipping_label.
   • For points, you can override the default accrual with loyalty_points.
7. (US) Known members targeting:
   • Set up Customer Match lists so known members see their shipping/price perks in ads; there’s also a pilot to power free listings with Customer Match.

How to enable (Japan: Point Program on Free Listings)

If you list products in Japan, you can enable a point program that shows redeemable points across Search, Wallet, and Maps.

Steps (Japan):

1. Open Merchant Center → click the Settings (gear) → Add-ons.
2. Enter logo, name, program_label, description, URL.
3. Create membership ranks (free/spend/credit card/annual fee) and choose Point benefits (define accrual, set tax basis).
4. Select any 3rd-party point operators/pay partners you use.
5. Submit for approval (Google indicates up to ~72 hours for review).

Step-by-step: your first 30-minute setup

Prep (10 min)

• Decide your lowest tier name/label and at least one perk (e.g., “Free 3-day shipping for members”).
• Check your site: the perk must be clearly described on your website (Google reviews for consistency).

Merchant Center (10–15 min)

• Enable the Loyalty programs add-on and fill in program details + tiers.
• Add one benefit per tier (member price, shipping, points, or other). If using member pricing, ensure your discount meets ≥5% or ≥5 currency units.

(Optional) Feed edits (5–10 min)

• For item-level control, annotate with the loyalty_program group attribute (price, loyalty_points, shipping_label as needed).

How the new Loyalty goal in Google Ads fits in

After your loyalty perks are visible, use the Loyalty goal to optimize budgets and bids toward high-value shoppers (for example, members or likely members), think of it as telling Google Ads, “spend more where the lifetime value is higher.”

Measuring success

Use the Loyalty program performance report in Merchant Center to see how loyalty annotations affect visibility and engagement, then iterate on perks and tiers.

Go to Google Merchant Center > Analytics > Products > Loyalty programs or click here https://merchants.google.com/mc/reporting/performance/products?dashboardId=77

Common mistakes (and how to avoid them)

• Discount too small: If member pricing is below the threshold, it won’t show in ads. Aim ≥ 5% or ≥ 5 currency units.
• Running a site-wide promo: Unconditional promos override member pricing in ads, plan your calendar to avoid cannibalizing your loyalty message.
• Local-only pricing: Only national member pricing is supported.
• No website proof: Benefits you submit must match what’s on your site; Google reviews for consistency.

Quick FAQ

Do I need a loyalty platform?
You need to already have a loyalty program (points, member shipping, member pricing, etc.). Merchant Center is where you declare benefits so Google can display them.

Can I do tiers?
Yes, free, spend-based, paid membership, and card tiers are supported. Add at least one benefit per tier.

How long is review?
Global loyalty programs: ~48 hours typical; Japan point programs: up to ~72 hours.

Do I need feed changes?
Not always. Basic setup is in Merchant Center. Use feed attributes (loyalty_program) only when you need product-level control over price/points/shipping.

🙋Questions or Need Help?
Do you have a question or need specialist support? Get in touch! I’m happy to help you optimize your Google Shopping listings for the best performance.