The Truth About Zombie SKUs

Do you notice only a handful of your products getting visibility on shopping, even though you have significantly more in your feed? If so, you’re not alone. Many e-commerce businesses see their PPC Shopping campaigns dominated by just a few bestsellers, while the rest of their catalogue never gets a chance to appear. This is typically caused by Zombie SKUs.

You may be thinking, ‘what are Zombie SKUs?’

They are products that sit in your Google Merchant Centre product feed, but receive no impressions, no clicks, and no visibility. They’re alive in your catalogue but invisible to Google, effectively making them “dead” products.

At Talking Stick Digital, we’ve helped clients uncover these hidden SKUs during audits, and it’s often the missing piece of their growth puzzle.

Why Do Zombie SKUs Exist?

Google’s ad system is designed to prioritise what’s already working. When certain products prove they can drive clicks and sales, the algorithm naturally funnels more budget and visibility their way. On the surface, that seems logical, but it also means your catalogue can become unbalanced. A handful of products keep getting all the attention, while the rest are quietly pushed aside.

The downside? Products that don’t immediately pick up traction are sidelined, no matter how much potential they have. Your bestselling items get even more visibility, while the rest of your product feed gathers dust.

This means:

• New products often struggle to ever break through.
• Seasonal or niche products get ignored until it’s too late.
• Products sit unsold even though they’re live and available.

Zombie SKUs aren’t necessarily bad products, they’re just overlooked.

Why Should You Care About Them?

You may fall into the trap of brushing Zombie SKUs off, thinking: “If Google ignores them, they must not be worth showing.”

But that’s not always true. Here’s why they matter:

• Hidden revenue – There could be profitable products in your range that Google just hasn’t tested properly.
• Diversification – If you rely only on your top sellers, you’re vulnerable when competition ramps up or seasons change.
• Better customer choice – The more varied products you show, the more likely you’ll attract new customers with different tastes or budgets.

In short, ignoring Zombie SKUs means leaving sales and revenue on the table.

How We Tackle Zombie SKUs at Talking Stick Digital

We’ve seen plenty of “quick fix” guides telling businesses to just throw all their dead SKUs into a separate campaign. But in practice, it’s not that simple. Isolating products without a strategy often leads to wasted spend and messy data.

Here’s the structured approach we take instead:

1. Audit Your Feed First

Many Zombie SKUs exist because of feed issues: weak titles, poor imagery, or even hidden disapprovals in Google Merchant Centre. We clean and optimise these before anything else.

2. Identify True Zombies

Not every low-performing product is a zombie. We define clear criteria, like zero impressions over the last 30 days, to separate products that need attention from those that just sell slowly.

3. Test in a Controlled Way

Rather than blindly launching a “Zombie Campaign,” we test batches of products with tailored strategies. This might mean loosening ROAS targets, trialling different creative assets, or temporarily increasing bids.

4. Promote the Winners, Pause the Rest

When a product starts to gain traction, we move it back into main campaigns to scale. If it still doesn’t work after testing, we pause it rather than burning budget.

5. Look Beyond Ads

Sometimes the issue isn’t with Google at all. If a product is consistently invisible, we also look at pricing, competitor positioning, and on-site conversion experience.

This approach balances risk and reward, giving neglected SKUs a chance without compromising overall account performance.

Should You Always Try to Revive Zombie SKUs?

Not every product is worth saving. Sometimes they’re genuinely uncompetitive, overpriced, or simply don’t have demand.

The key is to know which SKUs are worth investing in and which ones you should gracefully retire. The real danger isn’t in having Zombie SKUs, it’s in not knowing they exist.

Ready to Uncover Your Zombie SKUs?

If you’re running Google Ads with a large catalogue, chances are you’ve got products hiding in plain sight.

At Talking Stick Digital, we focus on spotting these issues early and building strategies to fix them. Our audits often reveal missed opportunities that can drive meaningful growth without increasing overall spend.

Book your free marketing audit today, and let’s find out if your “dead” SKUs are secretly holding untapped revenue.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if I have Zombie SKUs in my account?

You can spot them by checking product-level reports in Google Ads or Merchant Centre. Look for SKUs with zero impressions or clicks over the last 30 days. These are your “invisible” products, even though they’re live in your feed.

Can Zombie SKUs actually be revived?

Yes, many can. Often, it’s down to weak feed data (titles, images, attributes) or a lack of testing. With the right adjustments, like optimising the feed, testing controlled campaigns, or tweaking bids, we’ve seen Zombie SKUs come back to life and start generating sales.

Should every Zombie SKU be fixed?

Not necessarily. Some products may be genuinely uncompetitive, seasonal, or have very low demand. The key is separating “hidden opportunities” from true dead weight. That way, you focus efforts on products with real potential while excluding the ones that will only waste spend.