At Google Marketing Live in May 2026, Google announced AI Max for Shopping as the successor campaign type to Performance Max for e-commerce advertisers. For online retailers competing on the Polish market and advertising through Google.pl, this transition requires specific preparation given the characteristics of Polish e-commerce search behavior.
What AI Max for Shopping Means for Polish Market E-Commerce
AI Max for Shopping is Google's new AI-driven campaign type for product advertising. It replaces Performance Max as the primary shopping campaign format.
Key differences relevant to Polish market advertisers:
Shopping-surface inventory focus. Performance Max allocated budget across all Google inventory. AI Max for Shopping concentrates budget on shopping surfaces: Google Shopping tab, product listings in search results, and purchase-intent YouTube placements. Polish retailers who used Performance Max for Display network reach will need separate campaigns for those placements.
Polish-language feed data drives creative. AI Max for Shopping generates ad creative from your Merchant Center product feed. For Polish market campaigns, this means your product titles, descriptions, and attributes in Polish must be complete and keyword-rich. Google.pl product searches in Polish have specific vocabulary patterns -- ensuring your feed uses the terms Polish users actually search is now more important than under Performance Max.
Product-level ROAS optimization. AI Max for Shopping applies more granular product-level bidding than Performance Max. For Polish e-commerce accounts with product catalogs in categories with varying ROAS (electronics, fashion, home goods), this product-level optimization can improve efficiency.
Reduced asset group complexity. Performance Max required creating asset groups with multiple creative types. AI Max for Shopping reduces this requirement, relying primarily on feed data.
Polish E-Commerce Specifics
Polish-language product searches on Google.pl have distinct patterns. Common purchase-intent formulas in Polish include "kup" (buy), "zamow" (order), "cena" (price), "gdzie kupic" (where to buy), and category-specific terms. Your Merchant Center feed titles should include these terms where they naturally fit the product description.
Google.pl Shopping results for competitive Polish categories (electronics, clothing, home appliances) show high auction competition. AI Max for Shopping's product-level bidding improvements are particularly relevant for Polish retailers competing in these high-CPL categories.
Steps for Polish Market E-Commerce Sites
1. Audit Merchant Center feed quality for Polish market. Check: Polish product titles include primary search terms, descriptions complete and accurate in Polish, images meet Google quality standards, GTIN codes present for all applicable products.
2. Document Performance Max baseline for Google.pl campaigns. Export 90 days of performance data filtered to Poland: ROAS, conversion rate, cost per conversion. This baseline enables post-migration performance evaluation.
3. Separate non-shopping objectives. If Performance Max campaigns run for brand awareness or Display reach on Google.pl, create separate Display campaigns for those objectives before migrating.
4. Plan migration timing. Avoid peak Polish shopping seasons (pre-Christmas in November-December, spring sale periods). September-October 2026 is the ideal migration window.
5. Set conservative ROAS targets. Reduce target ROAS by 10-15% for the first 4-6 weeks to allow the bidding algorithm to learn without triggering budget pauses.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is AI Max for Shopping available for Polish market Google Ads accounts?
Google rolls out AI Max for Shopping globally. Polish market accounts will receive the upgrade prompt in Performance Max campaigns. Check for an upgrade notification in the Google Ads interface or test by creating a new campaign.
Do I need Polish-language asset groups for AI Max for Shopping?
AI Max for Shopping relies primarily on product feed data rather than manually created asset groups. Ensure your Merchant Center feed has strong Polish-language product titles and descriptions -- these drive creative generation more than separately uploaded assets.
How does AI Max for Shopping affect free Shopping listings on Google.pl?
Free Shopping listings through Google Merchant Center are separate from paid campaigns and are not affected. AI Max for Shopping only governs paid inventory.
Can I run AI Max for Shopping and my existing Performance Max campaigns simultaneously?
Yes, during a transition period. This allows performance comparison before fully committing. Monitor for budget competition between the two campaign types on the same product inventory.
What happens to my Polish market Performance Max campaign data after migration?
Historical data remains accessible in Google Ads reports. The new AI Max for Shopping campaign uses historical bidding signals from the Performance Max campaign. Report data is not deleted.
