Seeking advice: Risks of duplicating product IDs for feed optimization

Hello everyone,

I recently joined a new team and have been reviewing our Google Shopping strategy. I would appreciate your perspective on a specific approach a colleague is using for scale-up testing.

The strategy involves segmenting products into “regular” and “scaling” groups.

For top-performing items, my colleague duplicates the product (using a new SKU but the same GTIN) and alters the title structure—moving the main keyword to the front—to capture different search intent. This duplication method is also used for A/B testing titles and primary images.

While the Merchant Center account has been stable for years, I am concerned about the long-term viability of this practice, specifically regarding:

• Policy Violations: The risk of GMC suspension due to “False Representation” or "Duplicate Listings" policies.
• Internal Competition: The potential for cannibalization, where duplicated IDs compete against the original in the same auctions.

Have any of you successfully navigated this, or do you view this as a significant liability? I look forward to hearing your experiences.