Google Merchant Center gives retailers several ways to show discounts, but they are not interchangeable. Choosing the wrong setup can create pricing mismatches, missed annotations, or confusing customer experiences. Here’s how to use each option correctly.
Three Ways to Discount Products in Google Merchant Center
1. Sale Pricing (sale_price)
Use sale pricing when the discounted price is available to every shopper and appears directly on the product detail page.
This is the right option for:
- Seasonal sales such as Black Friday, back-to-school, or holiday promotions
- Temporary markdowns across a category or product group
- Straightforward price cuts where the sale price replaces the standard price for all users
Google may show the original price with a strikethrough, the new sale price, and a sale annotation. In some cases, products may also qualify for a price drop annotation when Google detects a meaningful decrease from a recent, relatively stable price.
Important: The sale price must be lower than the base price, the original and sale prices should match the landing page, and the base price must have been active long enough to establish pricing history.
2. Merchant Promotions
Use Merchant Promotions when the discount is triggered by a coupon code, cart condition, free gift, or threshold offer.
This is the right option for:
- Promo code campaigns such as “SAVE20”
- Cart-based offers like “$25 off orders over $150”
- Conditional deals such as “Buy One, Get One 50% Off”
- Free gift or free shipping offers
Unlike sale_price, Merchant Promotions are usually redeemed in cart or checkout. Google typically displays these offers through a “Special Offer” link in Shopping ads or free listings.
Tip: use a dynamic custom label for products tied to active promotions. This lets marketing teams segment promotional items into dedicated Shopping campaigns with matching ad copy, assets, and budget controls.
3. Loyalty Pricing (loyalty_program)
Use Loyalty Pricing when the discount is exclusive to members of your loyalty program.
This is the right option for:
- Member-only pricing
- Loyalty acquisition campaigns
- Repeat customer incentives
- Audience-based pricing strategies
Google can show the member price directly on the ad or listing when the offer meets eligibility requirements. Retailers must already have an active loyalty program and should be prepared to support member verification through Google’s audience and customer match capabilities.
Loyalty Pricing is not a replacement for a public sale. It is best used when the goal is to grow loyalty enrollment, increase repeat purchase behavior, or differentiate benefits for known customers.
The Strategic Takeaway
Start with the shopper experience. If everyone gets the discount and the product page shows the lower price, use sale_price. If the discount depends on a code or cart rule, use Merchant Promotions. If the price is only for members, use Loyalty Pricing.
Clean setup matters. Pricing data, promotion logic, landing page content, and campaign labels all need to align. When they do not, retailers risk disapprovals, missed annotations, poor click-through rates, and wasted spend.
VersaFeed helps mid-market and enterprise retailers improve product feed quality, reduce channel errors, and scale performance across Google Shopping, retail media, and social commerce. Talk to our team about building a cleaner, more effective pricing and promotion feed strategy.