Google Shopping: in-store pickup rules become mandatory on September 30, 2026

From September 30, 2026, Google Merchant Center requires two new data points for products offered with in-store pickup: pickup cost and minimum order value. Belgium, like every country in the European Economic Area, is covered. Here is what changes and how to prepare.

1. What actually changes on September 30

Google Merchant Center feeds your Shopping ads (Local Inventory Ads) and your free local listings with product data. From September 30, 2026, if your website charges a pickup fee or requires a minimum order value for in-store pickup, that information must appear in your product feed through two new attributes: pickup_cost and minimum_order_value. The requirement is conditional: it only applies if your website actually enforces these rules. A retailer offering free pickup with no minimum has nothing to add.

2. Belgium is directly affected

The scope covers the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and every country in the European Economic Area, including Belgium. Any Belgian business selling online with an in-store pickup option, and running Shopping ads or free local listings on Google, needs to check its setup before the deadline.

3. Two attributes not to confuse

Pickup cost (pickup_cost) is the fee charged to reserve or buy a product online before collecting it in store. Minimum order value (minimum_order_value) is the minimum total required to complete an order under this option. The two are distinct: a product can cost 12 euros while the order must reach 25 euros in total. One point of caution: the value submitted in the feed must exactly match what is shown on your website. A mismatch between the feed and the product page risks disapproval.

4. What happens if nothing is fixed

Google explicitly states that missing or inaccurate data can put product eligibility at risk. In practice: disapprovals, products dropped from local Shopping ads, or free listings suspended. For a retailer investing in Google Ads, a disapproval right in the middle of year-end prep (Black Friday, Cyber Monday) can cut off part of the traffic at the worst possible time.

The AI lens, humans first

Auditing a catalogue with hundreds of items, spotting mismatches between the product feed and the website, and preparing the values to correct: AI clearly speeds up this large-scale verification work. But confirming the exact business rule, which fee, for which product, under which conditions, and arbitrating edge cases remains a human call. That is our stance: humans first, AI in support.