Google Merchant Center

Google Merchant Center (GMC) is a free platform where retailers upload structured product data — titles, descriptions, prices, images, identifiers — that powers their presence across Google's commercial surfaces: Google Search, the Shopping tab, Google Maps, Google Images, Google Lens, YouTube, and (from November 2025) AI Mode (Google). The product data uploaded to GMC populates the Shopping Graph, Google's real-time product knowledge graph.

How it works

Retailers create a GMC account, connect their website, and submit product data via a Data Source (the current term for what was previously called a "feed" in Merchant Center Classic). Google ingests the data, validates it against policies and feed specifications, and makes approved products eligible across surfaces — both free listings and paid Shopping ads.

The platform is free to use. Free product listings do not require running paid campaigns; they appear at no cost on the Shopping tab, Search carousel, Maps, Images, Lens, and YouTube. (as-of 2026-09-10) — Source: https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/15625562 (current)

Data flow:

Retailer submits product data → GMC via Data Source (file upload, scheduled fetch, Google Sheets, or Merchant API (Google))
GMC validates and ingests → Shopping Graph (50B+ listings, refreshed 2B+ times/hour) (as-of 2026-09-10)
Shopping Graph powers: Shopping tab, Search, Maps, Images, Lens, YouTube, AI Mode (Google), AI Overviews, Gemini surfaces

Shopping Graph product count: Web source (productsup.com, citing blog.google, Nov 2025) reports "more than 50 billion product listings." The Google Shopping vault page cites "60B+ listings" from Google I/O 2026. Both are attributed to Google but at different dates — the 60B figure may reflect growth between Nov 2025 and May 2026.

Merchant Center Next — the new interface

Google migrated all accounts from Merchant Center Classic to Merchant Center Next (now simply called "Google Merchant Center") during 2024. As of January 1, 2026, Merchant Center Classic is no longer accessible; all accounts run exclusively on the new interface. (as-of 2026-01-01) — Source: Channable blog 2025-08-07; Moosend blog (accessed 2026-09-10)

Key changes in the new interface

Old term (Classic)	New term (Next)
Feed	Data Source
Supplemental feed	Supplemental source
Feed rules	Attribute rules
Products tab	Products tab (streamlined diagnostics)

New features introduced with Merchant Center Next (as-of 2025-08-07) — Source: Channable blog 2025-08-07:

Edit products directly in the UI without re-syncing the feed
Simplified diagnostics: Approved / Under Review / Limited / Not Approved (fewer historical details than Classic)
Unified Performance tab (Overview, Products, Competitive Visibility, Pricing, Demand, Store on Search and Maps, Non-product website results)
Click potential metric (High / Medium / Low) based on past traffic, product data, and demand
Direct integration with Product Studio (Google)
Automatic data extraction from merchant website (reduces manual feed upload requirement)

Channable guide (2025-08-07) is the primary reference for New Merchant Center feature detail. Some features may have evolved further since this date.

Data Sources (Feeds)

A product data source contains required and optional attributes. Google validates submitted data and flags issues in the Diagnostics section. Key feed management rules (as-of 2026-09-10):

Update frequency: feeds must be refreshed at least every 30 days; daily updates strongly recommended. Products submitted via Merchant API (Google) expire after 30 days unless re-inserted. — Source: fetchfunnel.com (accessed 2026-09-10)
Image minimum resolution: 500×500 pixels across all categories (increased from lower thresholds — effective April 2026). — Source: razibmarketing.com (accessed 2026-09-10); seroundtable.com (accessed 2026-09-10)
New attributes from April 2026: handling_cutoff_time (order processing deadline), minimum_order_value (minimum spend to ship), video_link (optional product video), loyalty_shipping (loyalty-tier shipping benefits). — Source: razibmarketing.com (accessed 2026-09-10)
Supplemental sources allow patching of missing attributes or overriding values at scale without modifying the primary source. Feed rules renamed to "attribute rules" in the new interface.
Both structured data (Product / Offer schema markup) on product pages AND a GMC data source maximise eligibility across Google surfaces. Google can also auto-collect from structured data. — Source: developers.google.com/search/docs/specialty/ecommerce/share-your-product-data-with-google (accessed 2026-09-10)

AI-driven feed verification (from April 2026)

Google's automated crawlers now cross-reference feed data against live page content for price, availability, titles, images, and policy copy. Inconsistencies that previously caused single-SKU disapprovals can now trigger account-level misrepresentation flags. — Source: judeluxe.com 2026-05-28

Out-of-stock rule (from March 2026): active "buy now" buttons on out-of-stock PDPs constitute misrepresentation, triggering account-level review and potential suspension. Disproportionately affects Shopify stores using default themes. — Source: judeluxe.com 2026-05-28

API access

Content API for Shopping — sunset

The original API for programmatic feed management was the Content API for Shopping. Google shut it down on August 18, 2026. From September 1, 2026, requests receive progressive errors; extended access is available on request. Merchants using file-based uploads (scheduled fetches, Google Sheets, manual) are unaffected. — Source: producthero.com 2026-01-20; developers.google.com/merchant/api/latest-updates (2026-09-01)

Merchant API v1 (current)

The Merchant API (Google) v1 reached General Availability in July 2025 and is the sole programmatic path going forward. Key capabilities include:

Products sub-API (data sources, product management, Conversational Attributes (Google))
Reporting and Insights sub-APIs
Order Tracking (May 2025), Issue Resolution (May 2025)
YouTube Shopping Affiliates v1alpha (May 2026)
Notifications for UCP checkout product status
pageSize maximum: 1,000 rows per API call (up from 250) — Source: developers.google.com/merchant/api/latest-updates 2025-05

Merchant API MCP server (alpha, May 2026): an official MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for Merchant API is available at https://merchantapi.googleapis.com/mcp, providing read-only and limited write access to Merchant Center data via OAuth 2.0. — Source: developers.google.com/merchant/api/guides/agentic-tools/merchant-data-mcp (2026-09-01)

AI and agentic commerce features

AI Mode integration (from November 2025)

Free product listings are eligible to appear in AI Mode (Google) recommendations — paid Shopping ads are not a prerequisite. AI Mode's recommendation algorithm prioritises products with comprehensive attributes, accurate pricing, and quality images. Product panels combine feed data, structured data, behavioural signals, visual embeddings, and review summaries, updating in real time. — Source: yotpo.com (accessed 2026-09-10); productsup.com 2025-11-23

Conversational Attributes (announced May 2026)

Six new optional feed attributes for AI surfaces: question_and_answer, document_link, related_product, item_group_title, variant_option, popularity_rank. Available in the Merchant API and the GMC UI. Enables merchants to update product descriptions for conversational search. — Source: developers.google.com/merchant/api/latest-updates (2026-05; page updated 2026-09-01)

AI Performance Insights (announced May 20, 2026)

A share-of-voice tool in Merchant Center showing a brand's visibility vs similar brands on AI surfaces (AI Mode, Gemini). Rolling out in Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, and US. — Source: blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/shopping/shopping-updates-google-marketing-live/ 2026-05-20

Ask Advisor (announced May 20, 2026 — coming soon)

An AI collaborator embedded inside Merchant Center; shares business-goal-specific insights, completes tasks, and connects across Google Ads and Google Analytics. — Source: blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/shopping/shopping-updates-google-marketing-live/ 2026-05-20

Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) integration

From January 2026, eligible US retailers can activate a Business Agent (Google) in Merchant Center — a brand-specific virtual sales associate accessible via AI Mode (Google). The Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) extends GMC beyond catalog publishing to full agentic checkout (product discovery → cart → payment via Google Pay). Updated March 19, 2026 with Cart, Catalog, and Identity Linking capabilities plus a simpler Merchant Center onboarding path. Expanding to Canada, Australia, then UK post-May 2026. — Source: blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/shopping/shopping-updates-google-marketing-live/ 2026-05-20; getpassionfruit.com (accessed 2026-09-10)

Product Studio

Product Studio (Google) is an AI-powered content creation tool integrated into Merchant Center Next. Capabilities include: custom backgrounds/scenes for product images, background removal, resolution upscaling, image animation, automated video generation from images and feed data, and (alpha) AI-generated product titles and descriptions. — Source: Channable blog 2025-08-07; mygoogle.fr (accessed 2026-09-10)

Shopping campaigns and Performance Max

As of early 2026, Standard Shopping campaigns can no longer be created for new advertisers; Performance Max (PMax) is the only format available for new Shopping campaign creation. (as-of 2026-09-10) — Source: Moosend blog (accessed 2026-09-10); smarter-ecommerce.com (accessed 2026-09-10)

[!unverified] "Performance Max campaigns with video have an 18% higher conversion rate than those without." — Source: mygoogle.fr (accessed 2026-09-10). This figure appears in a third-party blog only; no primary Google source was found to confirm it in this research pass.

PMax accounted for 68% of Google Shopping spend in Q3 2025 (Tinuiti Digital Ads Benchmark Q3 2025, gated) and 62% in Q4 2025 (per the Google Shopping vault page). Both are consistent directionally but from different quarters; the most recent available figure should be used.

Merchant Center for Agencies

A management interface with sections for All client accounts, Agency overview, Diagnostics, and Optimizations. Reached General Availability in the US and Canada on 2026-03-11, then worldwide on 2026-05-17. — Source: support.google.com/merchants/announcements/6192467 (as-of 2026-05-17)

Terms of Service update — June 15, 2026

Effective June 15, 2026, GMC's Terms of Service was updated with three substantive changes: (1) clarified content submission language covering all Google surfaces including AI Overviews and future products; (2) forward-looking data processing clause for not-yet-launched products (legal scaffolding for Gemini Shopping, agentic checkout, UCP); (3) formal codification of the marketing content usage feature. Continued use after June 15, 2026 constitutes acceptance. — Source: judeluxe.com 2026-05-28

Marketing content usage: Google subscribes to a merchant's public newsletter sign-up or the allowlist address googleshopping@google.com and indexes marketing emails. Indexed content can surface on Shopping tab, Search, Maps, AI Overviews, and future Gemini surfaces. Enabled by default for all accounts. Initially rolled out globally May 3, 2025; brought into binding legal terms with the June 2026 ToS. — Source: judeluxe.com 2026-05-28, citing support.google.com/merchants/answer/15760498

Enhanced return policy requirements (from June 2026): policies must explicitly address digital goods, subscription cancellations, and restocking fees. — Source: judeluxe.com 2026-05-28

Identity verification (from January 15, 2026)

Google expanded identity verification requirements to all merchants in the EU, UK, US, Canada, and Australia. Accounts that do not complete verification within 30 days of the request face product disapproval. May require government-issued ID and/or official business registration documents. — Source: syedsaadullah.com (accessed 2026-09-10); judeluxe.com 2026-05-28

Buy on Google — discontinued

Google's native checkout / marketplace programme Buy on Google was discontinued on September 26, 2023, citing low adoption. Name history: Shopping Actions (2018) → Buy on Google (December 2020) → discontinued. — Source: zenventory.com (accessed 2026-09-10)

Loyalty programme features

Merchants can personalise member-only pricing and shipping benefits across both free and paid listings. InventoryLoyaltyProgram resource added to the Merchant API for loyalty consolidation (discounts, cashback, loyalty points) in January 2026. Feature launched August–September 2025. — Source: developers.google.com/merchant/api/latest-updates; blog.google/products/ads-commerce/new-loyalty-offerings-retailers/

Shopping policies consolidation (September 2026)

Google announced it will consolidate Shopping Ads policies and free listings policies into a single set of Shopping policies in September 2026 — for clarity only; no substantive policy changes. — Source: support.google.com/merchants/announcements/6192467 (as-of 2026-09)

Key timeline

Date	Event
2018	Shopping Actions launched
Dec 2020	Renamed Buy on Google
May 2023	Merchant Center Next announced at Google Marketing Live
Sep 26, 2023	Buy on Google discontinued
2024	Global rollout of Merchant Center Next to all users
May 3, 2025	Marketing content usage rolled out globally
Jul 2025	Merchant API (Google) v1 GA released; replaces Content API
Aug–Sep 2025	Loyalty member-only pricing and shipping launched
Nov 2025	AI Mode integration: free listings eligible for AI Mode surfaces
Jan 1, 2026	Merchant Center Classic discontinued; all accounts on new GMC
Jan 11, 2026	UCP announced at NRF 2026
Jan 15, 2026	Identity verification expanded to EU/UK/US/Canada/Australia
Mar 2026	Out-of-stock misrepresentation rule goes live
Mar 19, 2026	UCP updated: Cart, Catalog, Identity Linking + Merchant Center onboarding
Apr 2026	New feed attributes live; 500×500px image minimum; AI-driven feed verification
May 20, 2026	Google Marketing Live 2026: AI Performance Insights, Ask Advisor, Conversational Attributes, AI Max for Shopping, Universal Cart
Jun 15, 2026	ToS update effective (marketing content usage, AI verification, return policy)
Aug 18, 2026	Content API for Shopping shut down
Sep 2026	Shopping policies consolidation (clarity only)

Key terms

Term	Meaning
Data Source	Current GMC term for what was previously called a "feed"
Attribute rules	Current GMC term for what were previously "feed rules"
Supplemental source	Supplemental feed that patches or overrides the primary data source
Click potential	GMC performance signal (High/Medium/Low) predicting click likelihood
Marketing content usage	Default-on GMC feature allowing Google to index merchant email newsletters
Content API	Legacy GMC API (sunset Aug 18, 2026)
Merchant API (Google)	Current API (v1 GA from July 2025)
Product Studio (Google)	AI-powered image/video creation tool inside GMC
Ask Advisor (Google)	Upcoming AI agent inside GMC spanning Ads + Analytics
Conversational Attributes (Google)	6 new optional feed fields for AI Mode / Gemini surfaces
Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP)	Google's protocol for agentic checkout via GMC
Business Agent (Google)	Brand virtual sales associate activatable via GMC

What practitioners report

All "feed" terminology has been replaced by "data source" terminology platform-wide; feed rules became "attribute rules" following the Merchant Center Next rollout. — Source: YouTube metadata (GMC Next overview videos, 2024–2026)
Feed quality is consistently framed as "the foundation of success" with Google Ads; optimisation priorities include title structure, GTIN accuracy, descriptions, and custom labels. — Source: YouTube metadata (multiple practitioner tutorials, 2025–2026)
GTIN accuracy is disproportionately important; incorrect GTINs can trigger account-level warnings, not just product disapprovals. — Source: industry context corroborating YouTube video metadata
2026 tutorials now include "getting products to show in AI Overviews and ChatGPT" as a feed optimisation goal — a new surface beyond Google Shopping tab. — Source: YouTube metadata (youtube.com/watch?v=vLHht4MhqV8, Feb 2026)

Frontier links

Shopping Graph · Product Studio (Google) · Ask Advisor (Google) · AI Max for Shopping · Merchant API (Google) · Business Agent (Google) · Conversational Attributes (Google) · Universal Cart (Google) · Agent Payments Protocol (AP2) · Content Knowledge Graph