Source: Search Engine Roundtable by barry@rustybrick.com (Barry Schwartz). Read the original article
TL;DR Summary of Google Merchant Center Now Supports Physical Goods Subscriptions
Google Merchant Center has **updated its policies** to allow the sale of **physical goods subscriptions** for eligible US merchants. This includes categories like **apparel, coffee, healthcare, pet supplies, and more**. Merchants must update product feeds with new **subscription cost attributes** to enable recurring sales. This change offers retailers **greater flexibility** and customers **more convenient shopping options**.
Optimixed’s Overview: Unlocking Recurring Revenue with Physical Goods Subscriptions in Google Merchant Center
Policy Expansion Enables Subscription Sales for Physical Products
Google has officially expanded its Merchant Center policies to permit sellers to offer physical goods on a subscription basis. This new capability is available to eligible Shopping ad merchants in the United States, opening up opportunities for a variety of product categories to leverage recurring revenue models.
Applicable Categories and Business Benefits
- Eligible categories include apparel and accessories, coffee, healthcare (excluding prescription drugs), home and garden, personal care, pet supplies, prepared foods, and toys.
- This update provides merchants with flexibility in business models and offers shoppers convenient, repeat purchase options.
Implementation Requirements for Merchants
- To utilize subscription sales, merchants must update their product feeds by adding the
subscription_costattribute along with subattributes such asperiod(week, month, year),period_length, andamount. - Currently, only one subscription price per landing page is supported, and sales or discounts on subscriptions are not yet available.
This policy enhancement reflects Google’s commitment to evolving e-commerce capabilities, allowing retailers to better serve customers with ongoing, convenient delivery of physical products.
