Google recently released new structured data properties — Category and Sale Duration — for merchant listings. These additions allow online stores to surface more accurate product information directly in search results.

What Changed

Instead of relying on generic product markup, merchants can now specify a product’s exact category and the start/end dates of a sale. This helps Google understand the context of a promotion and display it more prominently.

Why It Matters for Business Owners in Cyprus and the EU

  • Better visibility for time-limited offers: If you run a seasonal discount on your eshop, adding Sale Duration lets Google show your deal as “Sale ends in 3 days” — a clear call-to-action that can boost click-through rates.
  • Local compliance with GDPR: Structured data does not expose personal data, so it’s safe to implement under EU privacy rules. No extra consent banners are needed for this markup.
  • Multi-language support: You can apply the same schema to EN, RU, and EL product pages. Google will serve the correct language version based on the user’s locale — critical for a Cyprus-based store serving tourists, expats, and locals.

Implementation Tips

Add the properties to your Product schema (JSON-LD or microdata). Example for a Cypriot olive oil store:
{ "@type": "Product", "category": "Extra Virgin Olive Oil", "offers": { "@type": "Offer", "price": "12.50", "priceValidUntil": "2025-06-30" } }

Cost and Timeframe

  • If you manage your own site: 1–2 hours to update schema for key products.
  • If using a platform like Shopify or WooCommerce: plugins like Yoast SEO or Rank Math now support sale duration fields. Setup takes 15 minutes.
  • If we (62px) handle it: typical cost is €200–400 for a full audit and implementation across 100+ products, including QA on Google Search Console.

Start testing with your best-selling items. Monitor impressions in the “Product snippets” report in Search Console. Early adopters often see a 10–20% lift in CTR for products with sale markup.

This update was reported by Roger Montti on Search Engine Journal on May 15, 2025. The original post is titled Google’s New Merchant Listing Structured Data Improves SEO.