Google targets in-store pickup. Are you ready?

Do you offer “Buy Online, Pick Up in Store” in your e-shop? If the answer is yes and you advertise on Google Shopping, pay close attention.

A deadline is approaching that could make your local campaigns more expensive or, in the worst-case scenario, get your products removed from advertising entirely. Customers love in-store pickup because it’s fast and often cheaper. However, Google has noticed a major issue: shoppers often discover only at the checkout stage that they have to pay extra for pickup or that their purchase hasn’t met the minimum order value.

Because of this, Google is taking action. What started as a subtle update is becoming a strict requirement.

Starting September 30, 2026, new requirements for Google Merchant Center will come into effect.

If you have customers in the UK, Switzerland, or EEA countries (European Economic Area, including Slovakia and practically the entire EU) and you apply a pickup fee or require a minimum order value on your website, you will be obligated to include this data in your product feed.

This change applies to Local Inventory Ads (LIA) and Free Local Listings. Simply put: if your e-shop charges a fee for pickup, you can no longer keep it hidden until the checkout page.

The changes revolve around two specific data attributes that you may need to implement into your XML or text feed:

This attribute tells Google exactly how much the customer will pay to pick up the item in person. It can be a fixed amount (e.g., €2.00), but the feed also supports setting a threshold above which pickup is free.

Warning: Avoid this common mistake – do not confuse this with standard home delivery shipping costs! This is a specific fee exclusively for the “in-store pickup” service.

If your e-shop has a rule that customers can only pick up items in-store if they spend at least €15, Google now wants to know this in advance and show it directly in the ad.

Crucial Technical Detail: If you send this attribute at the specific product level, it will automatically override any global shipping settings you have defined at the Merchant Center account level.

At first glance, it might look like just another bureaucratic headache for your feed specialist. However, from a PPC performance perspective, it’s a win.

Google is pushing for users to know the total cost of a purchase before they even click the ad. If a customer is looking for a cheap product and clicks your ad, only to find out in the cart that they don’t meet the purchase limit, they leave immediately. You’ve just paid for a wasted click. By disclosing these rules in the feed, you filter out irrelevant clicks and gain higher-quality traffic with a better chance of conversion.

Autumn 2026 might seem far away, but don’t leave this to the last minute. If you fail to provide these attributes, Google will start rejecting products where there is a discrepancy between the ad and the website.

1. Perform a Website Audit:
   Do you have any hidden fees or minimum purchase amounts for in-store pickup that only appear during payment? You must align these. The data you send to Google in the feed must match exactly what the customer sees on your site.
2. Check Low-Cost Products:
   Items with low margins or low prices are at the highest risk of hitting minimum order limits. Ensure these attributes are correctly mapped to them.
3. Prepare for the API Transition:
   If your e-shop communicates with Google programmatically via an older interface, keep in mind that the old Content API for Shopping will be permanently shut down in August 2026. It is essential that your system is fully migrated to the new Merchant API by this date; otherwise, you won’t be able to send these new attributes.

Inform your agency or e-commerce team about this change today. This isn’t just another field in a feed; it’s about ensuring your website’s offer says exactly what your Google ad promises.