Introduction
Switching your Google Merchant Center to Shoparize is very straightforward. This guide covers the full process: what you do first, where the request appears, what to check before approving, how the timing works depending on your current CSS, what changes afterwards, and how to reverse it if you ever want to.
Step 2: Watch for Google’s notification
Admin users of the Merchant Center account receive an email from Google about the switch request, and a notification appears in the Merchant Center notification panel.
Step 3: Find the request in your Merchant Center
In GMC, navigate to Settings (gear icon) > General account options. The pending request appears there with a Review request button. The notification email also contains a direct link to the same place.
Step 4: Run the pre-approval checklist
- Admin rights. Only an admin user of the Merchant Center account can approve the switch.
- Google Ads link. Confirm your Google Ads account is linked under your linked accounts settings. The CSS switch does not touch this link; this check simply records your starting position so any later issue is easy to isolate.
- Billing independence. Shoparize bills for the CSS service separately. Your Google Ads billing for actual ad spend stays exactly as it is.
Step 5: Approve the request
Click Review request, review the prompt and click Approve. That is the entire action on your side. For a screenshot walkthrough of this step, see: How can I approve a Merchant Center switch request?
How the timing works
- Switching from Google CSS: the switch completes right after approval. The “By Shoparize” label under your Shopping ads appears within 24 hours.
- Switching from another CSS partner: Google applies a grace period of up to 14 days after approval. During the grace period you can still cancel the switch and stay with your current CSS; after it, the switch is final. Your current CSS can choose to waive or shorten the grace period. Your Shopping ads continue running as usual throughout, and the switch completes automatically when the period ends.
After the switch: what changes and what stays the same
What changes:
- Your Shopping ads display “By Shoparize” instead of the previous CSS name.
- You gain the CSS bidding benefit: a 20% saving on CPC costs at the same bidding power. This is a structural benefit Google provides to merchants working with any Premium CSS Partner.
What stays the same:
- Your product feeds and update schedules remain untouched.
- Your Google Ads campaign structures, budgets, bid strategies and historical data are unaffected. Nothing in the switch touches your campaigns.
- Existing users keep their access: Merchant Center users remain on the account during an account switch.
- Existing product approvals and disapprovals carry over unchanged.
Is the switch reversible?
There is no lock-in. Moving to a different CSS partner later works exactly like the switch described here: the new CSS initiates a request and you approve it, with the same 14-day grace period during which you can still change your mind. Moving back to Google Shopping CSS runs through your current CSS or Google support rather than through a request you approve yourself. In every scenario your campaigns, feeds, users and account history stay with your Merchant Center; the CSS association is the only thing that changes.
