TL;DR
- Percentage multipliers for customer lifecycle goals leave beta in Search, Shopping, PMax and Demand Gen, in Google Ads and SA360, rolling out in October 2026.
- Ads Product Liaison Ginny Marvin's X thread of 22 Oct 2026 put the multiplier range at 1.1x to 5x; Google's own example is a 1.2x (20%) boost.
- Re-engagement, Loyalty and Retention Only modes roll out for PMax, Search and Shopping; only Retention Only drops normal reach.
- New since RA's 17 Oct podcast report: multipliers out of beta, High Value Mode in Shopping, Retention Only Mode and a written Google announcement.
Google announced on 22 October 2026 three updates to customer lifecycle goals in Google Ads: New Customer High Value Mode is extending to Shopping campaigns, Customer Retention Goals with three modes (Re-engagement, Loyalty and Retention Only) are rolling out for Performance Max, Search and Shopping, and percentage multipliers are leaving beta for Search, Shopping, Performance Max and Demand Gen in both Google Ads and Search Ads 360. Google said all three are rolling out this month.
The updates were published in an article on Google's Accelerate with Google site, titled "Three updates to customer lifecycle goals to help you win the holiday season", and were repeated the same day in a thread on X by Ginny Marvin, Google's Ads Product Liaison. Google framed them as more precise ways to tell campaigns how to acquire and re-engage customers during the holiday shopping period.
What is new on 22 October, and what Relevant Audience already reported
Part of this story is not new. On 17 October, Relevant Audience reported on the 15 October 2026 episode of Google's Ads Decoded podcast, in which Google Ads product manager Tal Akabas gave a spoken status update on lifecycle features. That post focused on what he said about learning periods, and it also recorded his comments on promotion mode, a reporting-only mode for new customer acquisition, a re-engagement-only mode in Performance Max and loyalty mode.
Set against that earlier coverage, the 22 October announcement adds the following:
- A written, first-party Google announcement of the retention goals, replacing a verbal podcast status update.
- Percentage multipliers moving out of beta for customer lifecycle goals, across Search, Shopping, Performance Max and Demand Gen, in Google Ads and Search Ads 360. The podcast post did not cover multipliers.
- New Customer High Value Mode extending to Shopping campaigns. Google said it previously launched for Search and Performance Max.
- Retention Only Mode, named and described by Google as campaigns fully dedicated to retention that reach only the customer segments the advertiser specifies.
The following points were already in the 17 October post and are only confirmed, not newly announced: loyalty mode was described on the podcast as generally available in Performance Max and Shopping, and a re-engagement-only mode was described as launching that week in Performance Max, with Search and Shopping to follow before the holidays. Promotion mode and the reporting-only new customer mode are not mentioned in Google's 22 October article.
A note on mode names
This is Relevant Audience's reading, not a Google statement. The names in the podcast and in the written article do not line up neatly. On the podcast, Akabas used "win-back mode" for bidding higher on lapsed customers and "re-engagement-only mode" for a campaign that focuses its budget on a list of churned customers. In Google's 22 October article, Re-engagement Mode prioritises customers who have not ordered in a while while still serving the main target audience, and Retention Only Mode restricts a campaign to the specified customer segments. Google has not published a mapping between the old and new names, so advertisers should go by the labels in their own Google Ads interface and the definitions in the written article.
Percentage multipliers: bids that scale with cart size
Until now, the value adjustment for a new or returning customer was a flat amount added to the conversion value. Google's article explains the problem with that for retailers whose products vary in price: a flat boost "might not always give you the right balance". In her X thread on 22 October, Marvin gave the example that a static $20 incremental conversion value on a small $50 checkout might be too aggressive, but not aggressive enough on a large $1,000 cart.
Percentage multipliers let the adjustment scale with the size of the customer's cart. Google's example is a jewellery shop, Elea, that sets a 20% boost, written as 1.2x. Because the boost is proportional, the shop can bid just as aggressively for a $500 cart as for a $50 cart. According to Marvin's thread, as reported by PPC Land, the multipliers range from 1.1x to 5x and are rolling out globally this month.
Google lists percentage multipliers as rolling out this month for Search, Shopping, Performance Max and Demand Gen, in both Google Ads and Search Ads 360. Of the three updates, this is the only one that names Demand Gen and Search Ads 360.
What multipliers do to reporting: an analysis
This section is Relevant Audience's analysis. Customer lifecycle adjustments change the conversion value Smart Bidding works with, so a multiplier may also change the values that feed reported return on ad spend in accounts that use it. Teams that compare ROAS before and after switching from a flat amount to a multiplier should check whether the numbers moved for that reason rather than because sales changed. Google's article does not discuss reporting effects, and it does not say whether a target ROAS should be revised when multipliers are turned on. Those are questions to check in the account and with finance before peak season, not afterwards.
New Customer High Value Mode comes to Shopping
New Customer High Value Mode lets advertisers bid more for new customers who are likely to be worth more, while keeping their regular reach. Google said on 22 October that advertisers have used it in Search and Performance Max since its launch there, and that it is now extending to Shopping campaigns. Google's summary table describes it as bidding higher on prospects with a higher chance of spending more, with normal reach maintained. The article says High Value Mode is rolling out this month in Shopping campaigns.
For retailers who still run standard Shopping alongside Performance Max, this means High Value Mode is now offered in both campaign types.
Customer Retention Goals: three modes
Google said Customer Retention Goals are being made more broadly available "following successful betas", and that they are rolling out this month for Performance Max, Search and Shopping campaigns. Each mode covers a different part of the customer journey.
Re-engagement Mode
Re-engagement Mode is for winning back customers who have dropped off. Google says it lets campaigns prioritise customers who have not placed an order in a while, while still running ads for the advertiser's main target audience.
Loyalty Mode
Loyalty Mode is for members of a customer loyalty programme. Google says it lets advertisers show member-only pricing or specific messages to people who are already part of the brand's community.
Retention Only Mode
Retention Only Mode is for campaigns fully dedicated to retention. Google says these campaigns reach only the segments of the customer base that the advertiser specifies. Unlike the other modes, it does not keep normal reach.
Google's own summary of when to use each feature
Google's 22 October article ends with a table matching each goal to a feature. The version below keeps Google's descriptions and its marking of which features maintain normal reach.
| Feature | What Google says it does | Keeps normal reach |
|---|---|---|
| New Customer High Value Mode | Bids higher on prospects with a higher chance of spending more | Yes |
| Re-engagement Mode | Bids higher on customers who have not bought in a time period | Yes |
| Loyalty Mode | Sets custom messages and offers based on loyalty status | Yes |
| Retention Only Mode | Restricts targeting to existing high-value customers only | No |
| Percentage multipliers | Bids dynamically based on the potential order value | Yes |
What the source did not say
Google's article gives no exact launch date beyond "this month", and it does not list countries. The global rollout wording comes from Marvin's X thread and applies to percentage multipliers. The article does not set out data requirements for the retention modes, such as minimum list sizes or how Google identifies a returning or lapsed customer, and it does not say how the modes interact with each other inside one account. It also does not publish results from the betas it mentions. Advertisers should look for the settings in their own accounts during the rollout and read the Google Ads help pages on customer lifecycle goals for set-up requirements.
What to check in your account before peak season
This checklist is Relevant Audience's analysis of how to act on the announcement. It is not Google's wording.
- Confirm that new and existing customers are being identified correctly. Lifecycle goals depend on first-party customer data and conversion tracking, which Akabas also stressed on the 15 October podcast.
- If you use a flat new-customer value today, work out what that amount means as a share of your typical small and large baskets, and test a multiplier in one campaign first.
- Agree with finance how ROAS will be read once multipliers change conversion values, before targets are adjusted.
- Decide whether lapsed customers belong in a mode that keeps normal reach (Re-engagement) or in a dedicated campaign (Retention Only).
- If you run a loyalty programme, check that member lists are current and that member-only offers are ready for Loyalty Mode.
What this means for Thai marketers
For Thai retailers heading into 11.11, 12.12 and year-end sales, percentage multipliers are the most practical change. Where a catalogue spans a wide price range, from low-cost accessories to high-ticket electronics or beauty sets, that is exactly where a flat new-customer bonus is too much on small orders and too little on large ones. Google did not name Thailand, but the multiplier rollout was described as global. Retention modes are worth planning for brands with loyalty programmes, with one local condition: any customer list uploaded for these modes has to be collected and used in line with Thailand's Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA). Teams that want help setting up lifecycle goals can read about Relevant Audience's Google Ads management, retailers may find the ecommerce marketing service relevant, and accurate conversion values start with a sound GA4 setup.
FAQ: Google Ads customer lifecycle goals update
What did Google announce on 22 October 2026?
Google announced that percentage multipliers for customer lifecycle goals are leaving beta, that New Customer High Value Mode is extending to Shopping, and that three Customer Retention modes are rolling out for Performance Max, Search and Shopping. Google said all three updates are rolling out this month.
What range can percentage multipliers use?
The multipliers range from 1.1x to 5x, according to Google Ads Product Liaison Ginny Marvin's X thread on 22 October as reported by PPC Land. Google's own article gives a 1.2x (20%) example and does not state the range.
Which campaign types get the retention modes?
Google says Customer Retention Goals are rolling out for Performance Max, Search and Shopping campaigns. Demand Gen is listed only for percentage multipliers.
Is this different from what Google said on the Ads Decoded podcast?
Yes, partly: the podcast of 15 October gave verbal status updates on re-engagement and loyalty modes, while the 22 October article is the formal announcement and adds percentage multipliers, High Value Mode in Shopping and Retention Only Mode. Mode names also differ between the two, and Google has not published a mapping.
Is it live in Thailand?
Google's article does not list countries, so availability in Thailand is not stated by the source. Marvin's thread said percentage multipliers are rolling out globally this month, so Thai accounts should check their bidding settings during the rollout.
Google has now put in writing what its product team described on the podcast, and added a percentage multiplier option for retailers with wide price ranges. If you want a second view on how lifecycle goals fit your holiday campaigns, Relevant Audience's Google Ads team can help.
