Product feed
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A product feed or product data feed is a file made up of a list of products and attributes of those products organized so that each product can be displayed, advertised or compared in a unique way.
Product feeds supply the content that is presented on many kinds of e-commerce websites such as
Applications
[4] While product feeds differ in content and structure, the goal remains the same – deliver high-quality (fresh, relevant, accurate, comprehensive) information so that shoppers can make a buying decision.[5]
Product data feeds are often delivered between manufacturers, distributors and retailers,[6] and are also used within a variety of online marketing channels that help shoppers locate and understand the product they wish to purchase and drive the traffic to the retailers' website. These marketing channels include:
- Price comparison websites – Feeds are the product descriptive content needed to run sites that compare pricing (price comparison websites), attributes (mostly in vertical search portals) and availability.[7]
- Paid search affiliates– PPC campaigns use API's that receive a range of attributes within product feeds to determine campaign keywords and bidding.
- Affiliate networks – affiliate networks funnel products though their platforms from merchants to affiliates.
- Marketplaces – receive product feeds from their merchants (eBay and Amazon for example).[8]
- Social Networks - can accept product feeds from merchants to list products (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest for example).[9]
Feed formats
- After announcing the importance of quality product data feeds,[10] Google has updated its feed requirements.[11]
- Other product listing sites use proprietary formats that are either plain text or XML format.
- Emerging RDF format: Semantic web standards such as RDF are taking root. It is expected product feed will soon adopt this new web standard.
References
- ^ "Data feeds overview". Google Merchant Center Help.
- ^ "Products Feed Specification". Google Merchant Center Help.
- ^ "Product Content Cloud". Edgenet. Archived from the original on 2013-08-06.
- ^ "CTX Feed Pro". WEBAPPICK. 2016-10-18. Retrieved 2022-12-14.
- ^ "Provide high-quality data". Google Merchant Center Help.
- ^ "Spex Access - Product Data Management for Manufacturers".
- ^ "Data Feed Requirements". PriceGrabber.com. Archived from the original on 2016-07-28.
- ^ Culpin, Ben (14 June 2019). "Ecommerce channels - Which is the right choice for you?".
- ^ "Product Feeds | List of Product Data Feeds". www.productfeeds.org. Retrieved 2017-03-08.
- ^ "Successful Strategies in Increasing Product Sales with Google Shopping". Marketingflows.com. April 28, 2013. Archived from the original on June 8, 2013. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
- ^ "Updated Google Shopping feed specification".