Creative content news in GMC Next

Google Merchant Center is no longer just about products and feeds. Over the past few months, it has been evolving into a full-fledged hub for creating and managing creative content that directly impacts the performance of Shopping and Performance Max campaigns.

The latest updates in the Creative content section clearly show the direction Google is heading in:

Source: Search Engine Land

Let’s take a look at two key updates that together form a powerful combination for anyone looking to improve the performance of Shopping and P.Max campaigns.

Until recently, Product Studio was primarily perceived as a tool for generating product images. Google has now expanded it with new AI-powered features that address very practical challenges e-commerce businesses face – often on a daily basis – such as a lack of high-quality assets, missing video content, or inconsistent visuals across the product feed.

Source: Search Engine Land

One of the most interesting additions is the ability to animate static product images. From a single photo, AI can generate a short video suitable for various ad formats such as Performance Max, YouTube, or visually driven Shopping campaigns.

Google automatically suggests a text prompt that can be further edited, meaning no prior experience with video production is required. The result is multiple video variations that can be quickly tested in campaigns – without a production team and without a filming budget.

E-shops often work with supplier-provided images that come with different backgrounds and varying quality. The ability to quickly isolate a product on a clean background helps unify the visual style of the feed and improves product readability in Shopping results.

Older or lower-quality images no longer have to be a limitation. The new Increase resolution feature uses AI to enhance image resolution, improve sharpness, and adapt visuals to modern Google Ads requirements.

For e-shops with large product catalogs, this is an effective way to refresh existing assets without the need to create new product photography.

Overall, Product Studio significantly shortens the time between an idea and a finished creative. It enables faster testing, more frequent visual updates, and better preparation for increasingly important and popular video formats.

The second major update focuses on video as a format. The Video Assets section, now available globally in Merchant Center Next, addresses one fundamental issue that can be simply described as: videos were everywhere, but nowhere in one place.

Source: PPC News Feed

Video Assets automatically aggregates videos from:

Instead of manually uploading and managing files, e-shops and agencies now have a single central location where they can see available videos, their duration, source, and potential use cases.

A major added value comes from AI-powered recommendations that help explain how a specific video can contribute to better campaign performance. Google can also identify products featured in videos and suggest linking them to the product feed. This effectively turns videos into fully shoppable content, guiding customers seamlessly from viewing to purchase.

Importantly, control remains with the advertiser. Suggested products can be approved, modified, or rejected-an essential feature especially for agencies managing multiple accounts.

When Merchant Center is linked to Google Ads, all available videos are automatically synced to the asset library. This significantly simplifies the creation of Performance Max campaigns, where video is becoming an increasingly important element.

Beyond paid campaigns, Google also supports organic video usage. Video content can appear in free product listings or on the brand profile in Google Search, helping build brand presence beyond paid formats.

These updates make the most sense when viewed together. For e-shops and agencies that want to remain competitive, working with creative content is becoming just as important as feed optimization or bidding strategies.

And when combined with a CSS partner like Shopping in EU, these new capabilities can help businesses get even more out of Google Shopping campaigns – more efficiently, faster, and with better results.