What is a Product Feed?

Why are product feeds important in e-commerce?

Product feeds play a vital role in getting data from your online store to be listed on global marketplaces.

Each channel has specific requirements for how they want your product feed to look and how it should be structured. For example, Google specifies that each product must have an accompanying GTIN, while Miinto outlines that no brands may be included in product titles.

For digital marketers, product feeds are important as they are the line between a successful online campaign and a waste of online spending. For them, it's not just a matter of making sure the product feeds has all the requirements the sales channels require. For effective results, product feeds should be about more than just getting product data from one place to another.

Shopping channels use the data in your product feeds as a sign of the overall quality of your campaigns. Based on the content, feed completeness and relevant keywords, channels will decide whether or not your products should get displayed for a specific search query by one of your shoppers.

Learn more

The clue is in the name here! It's up to you (or a costly third-party developer) to build and constantly manage product data using a spreadsheet that you have to update manually using Excel or Google Sheets etc. Every single time you make a change to that initial spreadsheet, it's up to you to re-import the file in a csv or txt format to each and every channel on which you're selling.

If this sounds time-consuming and long-winded that's because it is! Only consider this if you have a very small spreadsheet and a lot of time (or budget!) to spare.

Learn more

These use a connection between the host of your online store and the channel you want to sell on. Some ecommerce hosts like Shopify, Bigcommerce and 3dcart all have different versions of these API available in their app stores.

The good thing about this is that it's quick and easy. The bad thing is the total lack of any kind of customization and optimization of your product data. It will be sent to those channels exactly as it appears on your online store. As we looked at above, that isn't always the best case when channels have their own specific recommendations and preferences for how they want your product feed to look and be structured.

Learn more

Unless you are a first-time seller who has only recently created an online store, using automated product feeds is the best option.

Having the process automated saves digital marketers hours of time, meaning they can focus on other tasks and be safe in the knowledge that their feeds will be updated and optimized for each channel they're selling on.

The best technique to use when weighing up which product feed management tool to use is to look at the scalability of the product. If it lets you in at entry level for a low price and a basic package for optimizing feeds, as well as the features and support to allow you to scale up, then it's the tool for you.

Check out our Tool Comparison where we contrasted some of the key features of the available tools.

Who does automated product feeds work best for?

Merchants with multiple SKUs

If you only have 20 products, you probably don't need to use product feed automation tools. As eCommerce businesses grow and begin to stock more products, the need for a tool that simplifies and saves time becomes more relevant.

Merchants with Product catalogs which frequently change

As mentioned above, it's crucial to give eCommerce channels up-to-date information. Any changes to your pricing, inventory, sizes etc need to be registered and exported quickly, which is where a tool that can automate the whole process will come in handy!

Merchants who Want to Sell on More Channels

Perhaps the most crucial use of automating product feed management is when it comes to multi-channel sales strategies.

Remember, the product feed you have isn't optimized for any channel, just your online store. So the demands of Google, Fruugo, Facebook and Amazon and going to vary greatly and it's up to you, the retailer, to meet those demands.

So this is where feed management tools come in, with pre-made templates that tailor a single feed import to each and every channel - without changing your original product data from the online store.

A product feed management tool is the best option when it comes to managing and optimizing your product feeds for any number of channel exports.

Our Products

Our Solutions →

About WakeupData

Resources →

Latest from the Blog:

Our Products

Our Solutions →

About WakeupData

Resources →

Latest from the Blog:

What is a Product Feed?

Product feeds

Why are product feeds important in e-commerce?

What are the benefits of an optimized product feed for digital marketers?

Better Quality Scores

Accuracy of your data

Effective Product Data

What options are available to merchants wanting to start selling on multiple channels?

Who does automated product feeds work best for?

Merchants with multiple SKUs

Merchants with Product catalogs which frequently change

Merchants who Want to Sell on More Channels

About WakeupData

Apply for a 30 day free trial

WakeupData