Shopping ads for virtual products.

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sunhasheatwave

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I'm in the digital goods space where we run google ads but one thing we aren't able to do is shopping ads. We were able to get them to briefly work and they had a pretty insane ROI however they got removed.

Other marketplaces like gameflip are able to get the ads to stick along with 1 store.

Anyone got any info on how to get shopping ads to work for digital products?

Thanks+
 
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What sort of digital products are you selling? BH products? Do you cloak your ads? Because running ads without cloaking is almost impossible if you're advertising black hat products.
 
sunhasheatwave said:
Anyone got any info on how to get shopping ads to work for digital products?
Click to expand...
Google Shopping ads are primarily for physical goods, with many digital products mainly disallowed. Marketplaces like Gameflip succeed by possibly using alternative ad formats
 
Disguise digital goods as real products =) Specify a physical product (a disk with a training course, or something like that) as an option and an online purchase as the main one. No one is going to buy a disk with internet access right now.

And don't forget the return and shipping pages.
 
To run Shopping Ads for digital goods, you need to comply with Google’s policies by using GTIN-exempt listings and clearly labeling products as digital, often via whitelisted accounts or approved marketplaces.
 
Carefully audit your Merchant Center account, fix policy and feed issues
Diversifying ad formats can help
 
Getting shopping ads to stick for digital goods usually needs a stealthy setup with physical elements added—otherwise they’ll get flagged fast.
 
Google Shopping doesn’t really allow digital goods, so most who run them either mask the offer as physical or use a workaround through a reseller setup. It’s risky, but that’s why only a few manage to stick.
 
cool idea, not sure if they take digital products though...
 
Google Shopping for digital products is tricky; the safest way is linking a verified e-commerce store with clear product delivery, or use marketplaces like Gameflip that are already approved for digital goods.
 
Honestly, Google just doesn’t allow shopping ads for most digital products, so I stick to search and display campaigns instead.
 
Google bans digital goods in Shopping, so unless you cloak it as physical delivery you won’t get them to stick long-term.
 
sunhasheatwave said:
I'm in the digital goods space where we run google ads but one thing we aren't able to do is shopping ads. We were able to get them to briefly work and they had a pretty insane ROI however they got removed.

Other marketplaces like gameflip are able to get the ads to stick along with 1 store.

Anyone got any info on how to get shopping ads to work for digital products?

Thanks+
Click to expand...
Yeah, Google Shopping has strict policies they generally don’t allow digital goods or non-physical items in Shopping ads. That’s why they often get taken down after a short while.
Platforms like Gameflip can run them because they’re classified differently or have special merchant agreements with Google.
For now, the best option is to stick with Search, Display, or Performance Max campaigns that focus on digital conversions instead of Shopping feeds. Out of curiosity, what type of digital goods are you promoting? That might help figure out safer ad options.
 
sunhasheatwave said:
I'm in the digital goods space where we run google ads but one thing we aren't able to do is shopping ads. We were able to get them to briefly work and they had a pretty insane ROI however they got removed.

Other marketplaces like gameflip are able to get the ads to stick along with 1 store.

Anyone got any info on how to get shopping ads to work for digital products?

Thanks+
Click to expand...
Google Shopping ads don’t formally allow digital goods — they’re meant for corporeal, shippable products. That’s why your listings were removed.

Podiums like Gameflip work because they’re whitelisted marketplaces or classify items as gift cards / redeemable codes under approved categories.
 
Digital-only products aren’t permitted on Google Shopping, so some vendors attempt various workarounds — but these carry substantial risk and rarely lead to long-term growth.
 
You can’t reliably run Shopping Ads for digital products. They’ll always get flagged for policy violations. Use Search, PMax (without feed), Display, or YouTube instead.
 
Google Shopping doesn’t allow digital-only products, so your listings get removed. Marketplaces like Gameflip qualify by offering a physical component or by using non-Shopping ad formats. To run Shopping ads legally, you must ship a real physical item (card, booklet, USB, etc.) tied to the digital product.
 
Digital products typically get flagged in Shopping Ads, so they’re not a reliable channel. Use Search, PMax without a feed, Display, or YouTube as safer alternatives.
 
You could try verifying your site thoroughly, using structured data for products, and targeting regions/categories that allow digital goods—compliance issues usually block shopping ads.
 
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