Google Shopping price drops and promotions for Black Friday

On Google Shopping, shoppers judge your Black Friday price through several signals: price tracking alerts, price insights that label a price low, typical or high, automatic "price drop" badges, crossed-out sale prices and promotion offers. Only the last two come from you, through sale_price and Merchant Center promotions. The others are calculated by Google from your price history and from other sellers, so the only way to earn them is a genuine price cut on accurate product data.

This guide explains each signal from the merchant's side and how to use them for Black Friday on November 27, 2026. For the full preparation timeline, see our Black Friday Google Ads checklist.

What do shoppers see about your price on Google?

Sources: price tracking, price insights, Shopping Insights on Chrome, price drop annotations, sale price annotations and the promotions specification (Google help pages).

Why does price tracking matter for merchants at Black Friday?

Because the shoppers who track a product already want it. Google lets them set a target price for a specific product, size or color, and sends a push notification and an email when the price falls below it. A real Black Friday cut on a tracked product reaches those shoppers without any ad spend.

The same tools also expose fake discounts. Price insights show how a price moved in recent months, and Shopping Insights in Chrome shows a 90-day history. A "was" price raised just before the sale, then discounted, is visible to anyone who opens the chart, and it can also break the reference price rules covered in our checklist.

One detail for US stores: the 30-day low shown by price insights is based on the total price, "including discounts and shipping" (Google). A product discount combined with a higher shipping charge may not count as a drop at all.

How do you earn the price drop badge and the crossed-out price?

The price drop badge

You can't submit it. Google may add it when you lower a price below the average price you listed over the previous 60 days, and only for a significant reduction on a price that had been mostly stable (Google Merchant Center Help). Frequent small price changes before Black Friday make that average harder to beat. In Merchant Center, you can filter your products by "Has price drop badge" to see which ones have it.

The crossed-out sale price

This one you request, by keeping the regular price in price and adding sale_price. Google then checks the rules on its sale price annotations page: a discount greater than 5% and less than 90%, both prices on your product page, and enough days at the regular price (for US Shopping ads, 5 of the past 30 days or 15 of the past 200; for the UK, 30 of the past 200). Even then, the annotation isn't guaranteed.

Our checklist covers the reference price rules in detail, including how an earlier discount can change the price you're allowed to show as "was".

Should you use a sale price or a promotion?

Use a sale price for a straight price cut on specific products, and a Merchant Center promotion for an offer with a condition, such as a code, a minimum spend or a free gift. Google says sale prices shouldn't be submitted as promotions. Promotions show in 13 countries, including the US and the UK, and can run for up to 183 days (promotions data specification). Submit them at least 24 hours before they start, and plan bidding for the sale days with our guide to Google Ads seasonality adjustments.

How do you check whether your Black Friday price is competitive?

Use the Pricing tab under Analytics in Merchant Center (Google Merchant Center Help). It compares your price with a benchmark, which Google defines as "the average price that typically leads to more successful ad auctions", built from all retailers selling the same product with the same GTIN in Shopping ads and free listings.

• Price gap: the percentage difference between your price and the benchmark. A product priced well above the benchmark is the first place a Black Friday discount changes how competitive you look.
• Sale price suggestions: Google may suggest prices for some products, if you report purchase conversions.
• Requirement: benchmarks need a valid GTIN on the product.

Pricing data tells you where a discount would help. Performance data tells you whether the product deserves the budget. Clarmix's product labelizer labels each SKU daily as Profitable, High Potential, Low Potential, Costly, Zero Conversion or Zombies from clicks, target ROAS and cost per conversion, and sends the labels to Merchant Center as custom labels, so you can put your Black Friday discounts and budget on the products that already convert.

Which mistakes cost you these signals?

• Raising the regular price before the sale. It shows in price history, and it can make the reference price invalid.
• A price on the site that doesn't match the feed. Google regularly checks sale prices against your website. Products with mismatches can lose the annotation or be disapproved; see why Merchant Center accounts get suspended.
• "Black Friday" in product titles. Google's title specification says "Don't include promotional text". Put the discount in sale_price or a promotion, and use titles for product details, as in our guide to enriching product titles.
• Raising shipping while cutting the price. For US price insights, the total price counts.
• Many small price changes in October. They lower the 60-day average that a price drop badge is measured against.

Can you opt out of Shopping Insights in Chrome?

Yes, in the US. Shopping Insights is turned on automatically for eligible merchants and uses the product data you send to Merchant Center. A Merchant Center administrator can request an opt-out through Google's form, which Google processes within 5 business days (Google Merchant Center Help). Most stores running genuine discounts have no reason to: the feature points shoppers to low prices.

Frequently asked questions

Can I pay for the price drop badge?

No. Google adds it automatically when a price falls significantly below its 60-day average. You can only influence it through the price itself.

Do shoppers outside the US see price insights?

Price insights and Shopping Insights in Chrome are US features. Price tracking alerts also work in Canada, Australia, Japan and India.

Why doesn't my Black Friday discount show as a crossed-out price?

Usually because the discount is outside the 5% to 90% range, the regular price wasn't charged long enough, or your product page doesn't show both prices. Google also doesn't guarantee the annotation when everything is in place.

Should I lower prices before Black Friday to test demand?

Be careful: every price you charge enters your price history. A test discount in October can lower the reference price you're allowed to show and the average a price drop badge is measured against.

Sources

• Track prices on Google (Google Shopping Help)
• Get price insights (Google Help)
• About Shopping Insights notifications on Chrome (Google Merchant Center Help)
• About price drop annotations (Google Merchant Center Help)
• About sale price annotations (Google Merchant Center Help)
• Promotions data specification (Google Merchant Center Help)
• Pricing insights and benchmarks (Google Merchant Center Help)
• Title specification (Google Merchant Center Help)