Note: This experience is only available to allowlisted US merchants. Contact the support team or speak to your account representative to request participation.
First-order promotion (new customer promotion) can help you attract new customers. It is eligible to be shown to everyone on Shopping ads. By utilising new customer acquisition goal in Google Ads campaigns, Google will show the first-order promotions in a highlighted UI when we determine a shopper as a new customer for your business. Learn more about new customer acquisition goals.
Supported promotion types for new customers include either a % or $ discount. First-order promotions that include additional conditions such as a minimum required spend are not supported at this time.
Note:
- First-order promotion is only eligible to show on Shopping ads. Free listing is not supported.
- When multiple promotions apply to the same product, Google displays the most effective promotions. Therefore, the first-order promotion may not always be the one shown to the customer.
On this page
- Where to submit first-order promotions?
- What Google Ads configuration do I need to enable?
- Related links
Where to submit first-order promotion?
You can submit first-order promotion via promotions data source, promotion builder tool or merchant API. The promotion title should clearly communicate that the promotion is for first order only.
Option 1: Create a promotion data source
Create a promotion data source using the guidelines given below. You may review the promotions data specification to check the list of all of the attributes that you can provide in your promotions data source.
- Give as much information about the deal as possible, check supported deal type and read about Google's promotion policy guidelines for editorial considerations.
- Ensure that product mapping is accurate.
- Ensure that
shopping_adsis added as a destination for this promotion as first-order promotion is only eligible to show on ads.
Add this additional attribute:
| Attribute | Value |
[audience] |
'new_users' or 'new_customers' |
-
Ensure that the
coupon_value_typeis 'money_off' or 'percent_off' and there should be no other conditions; for example,minimum_purchase_amountormax_discount_amount.
Submit the data source.
- Wait for policy approval. This can take up to 24 hours.
- Once the
start_timeindicated in the feed has been reached, Google will evaluate the applicability of the deals on the associated items and approve your promotion to be live on your Shopping ads. This can take up to 24 hours.
Option 2: Create using promotion builder tool
Log in to your Merchant Center and create a new promotion.
- Check the guide here on Get started with promotions.
- Ensure that you only select 'Show in ads'.
Specify the shopper incentive in 'Percentage off' or 'Amount off'. Do not set a minimum purchase amount or max discount amount.
Select First order in Eligibility requirements under Promotion conditions.
In 'Audiences', select Show to a preferred audience and click on Add an audience. Select New customers.
Track approval status on the Promotions homepage.
Option 3: Create in merchant API
Merchants can submit the new user promotion if they use merchant API (beta).
In the Merchant API (beta), the merchant can specify 'audience' in the promotion object. The merchant can add 'audience' as 'new_users' via 'customAttributes':
| Attribute | Value |
[audience] |
'new_users' |
Example:
{
'customAttributes': [
{
'name': 'audience',
'value': 'new_users'
}
],
Once the attribute is set in the request, the merchant can create the promotion by using the accounts.promotions.insert method in the merchant API.
What Google Ads configuration do I need to enable?
Set up Performance Max or Standard Shopping campaigns with the new customer acquisition goal. Implementation details can be found in this activation instructions article. Once the new customer acquisition goal is configured and the first-order promotion is approved in Google Merchant Center, new user promos will begin serving to new customers in Shopping ads within 24 hours.
If you already have a Performance Max or Standard Shopping campaign with the new customer acquisition goal, no further action is required. Approved promotions from your Google Merchant Center will be automatically applied within your campaigns.