Gmail could soon get a new ad format that will make the Promotions tab feel like a marketplace. Google is already testing interactive ads with a product carousel right in your inbox.
Gmail could soon get a new ad format that will make the Promotions tab feel like a marketplace. Google is already testing interactive ads with a product carousel right in your inbox.
According to TechRadar, the company is testing a new advertising model that allows brands to display products directly in the Gmail «Promotions» tab. Users see banners with the brand name, product image, price, rating and labels, such as «Free shipping». When clicked, a full-fledged gallery with several items opens, in effect, a mini-store right in the email.
This format combines the capabilities of Google’s Demand Gen advertising platform with Google Shopping’s visual solutions. The first brands to try the new format were iRobot and Wybot, whose products appeared in some users' inboxes during testing.
Google has long been trying to integrate shopping features into its services, including Google Search, YouTube, and the Discover feed. If the Gmail experiment proves effective, it could be scaled up to other platforms in the Google ecosystem.
From a business perspective, the new format opens up additional channels for customer engagement directly in the mail. At the same time, it may cause a negative reaction from users who are already struggling with information overload and do not want to see even more advertising in their personal inboxes.
As a reminder, Gmail already separates promotional emails in the Promotions tab, so placing visually appealing banners in this section is a logical step from the perspective of native user experience. However, the final decision on the full implementation of the new format will depend on the results of testing.
We previously wrote about how in the second quarter of 2025, Google removed nearly 11,000 YouTube channels and other accounts that were spreading propaganda for China, Russia, and other countries.
