Short answer. sale_price is the reduced price during a promotion, in the same amount-plus-currency format as price, with at most two decimals and lower than price, which you keep submitting; without sale_price_effective_date the sale applies immediately. The landing page must show both the regular and the sale price, and checkout the sale price alone.
| Attribute | sale_price |
|---|---|
| Requirement | Optional for each product. |
| Format |
|
Google’s rules for sale_price
- Continue to submit the full price in price when you submit sale_price.
- Submit sale_price_effective_date to say when the sale applies; otherwise the sale price is used immediately.
- Match the sale price shown on your landing page and at checkout.
- Display both the non-sale and the sale price on the landing page, and only the sale price at checkout.
Common mistakes, and the error each one becomes
- The reduced price written into price with sale_price empty, so the page shows two prices and the feed one. → Missing value [price]
- A scheduled sale sent as active before its start date.
- sale_price equal to or higher than price, which Google ignores.
Where the value comes from on a connected store
| Shopify | When a compare-at price is set, the current price becomes sale_price and the compare-at price becomes price. |
|---|---|
| WooCommerce | An active sale price, only inside the sale’s scheduled dates, with the regular price in price. |
The free feed check reads this attribute from any feed file and reports the defects above; every check is listed.
Questions merchants ask
Do I need sale_price_effective_date?
Only for a sale that starts or ends at a set time. Without it the sale price applies as soon as Google reads it and until you remove it.
What does Google show shoppers?
The sale price with the regular price struck through, when both are present and the sale price is lower.
Can the sale price be the same as the regular price?
It must be lower; an equal or higher value is not treated as a sale.
Sources
- Sale price [sale_price] — Google Merchant Center Help
- Price [price] — Google Merchant Center Help