Merchant Center Loyalty Docs Now Cover AI Mode, Gemini, Points and Completed Orders

Google's Merchant Center help page for the merchant loyalty program now describes a wider program than the one many retailers set up. Merchants who don't run Google Ads can take part, two new membership types are listed, and member benefits are eligible to appear in AI Mode and the Gemini apps in the US.

We can't see the page's revision history, so this post reports what the documentation says now, not exactly when each line was added.

What the documentation says

Six membership types. Free to join, spending amount, membership fee, loyalty credit card, loyalty points and completed orders. Loyalty points is "available only to customers who have accumulated a certain number of points within the time period", and completed orders is "available only to customers who have completed a certain number of orders within the time period".

No required payment. "Anything that would require customers to eventually pay for your program isn't allowed, such as free trials that would require credit card sign ups and membership fees." That is worth checking against your own program before you submit it.

Non-advertisers are allowed. "Participation in Customer Match for Ads is not required to participate in the organic merchant loyalty program, which is open to all merchants, including non-advertisers."

Several ways to identify members. Loyalty Customer Match through the Merchant API, existing Customer Match lists from Google Ads, Google Wallet loyalty cards, and manual declaration by the shopper.

AI surfaces. Loyalty benefits are "eligible to be shown on AI Mode and Gemini Apps (US only)".

Markets. The page lists the US, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, the Netherlands, South Korea, Spain and the UK. Japan is documented separately for points programs.

How this fits with the Ads loyalty setting

Our earlier post on the Google Ads retention goal's loyalty program members setting covers the paid side, where bidding higher for members needs a Customer Match upload. This documentation is the organic side: member pricing and shipping can show on free listings without an Ads campaign. Customer Match is one way of identifying members, not a condition of joining.

A separate Merchant Center Help page on loyalty program updates says that a US pilot lets merchants use Customer Match as a relationship data source for free listings, and that taking part means contacting support. That is a pilot, so don't plan around it.

What to do

• Check which membership type you actually run. If it's points-based or order-based, it now has a named category.
• Audit for hidden payment requirements. A trial that asks for a card is excluded in the documentation's own words.
• If you're outside the US, don't expect AI Mode or Gemini display. Google's page limits that to the US.

Sources

• Google Merchant Center Help: About merchant loyalty program
• Google Merchant Center Help: Loyalty program updates