Product Feed Definition
A product feed (also called a data feed or product data feed) is a structured file that lists a business's products and their details, such as titles, prices, images, and stock levels, in a format another platform can read automatically. Marketplaces, price comparison sites, and advertising platforms such as Google Merchant Center use product feeds to display a company's products without anyone entering them by hand.
What does a product feed include?
Each entry in the feed is one product, and each field describes one detail about it. Typical fields include a unique ID (often the SKU, the internal stock code), title, description, price, availability, brand, image link, product page link, and a product identifier such as a GTIN (the number behind a barcode). Clothing, electronics, and other categories often need extra fields such as size, color, or technical specifications.
What formats are used?
Common formats are spreadsheets (CSV or TSV files) and XML, a structured text format designed for software to read. Some channels receive data directly through an API instead of a file. Each channel sets its own rules: required fields, field names, accepted values, and category lists all vary. As a result, businesses usually need a separate version of the feed for each channel they sell on.
How is a product feed kept up to date?
Most feeds are refreshed on a schedule, such as daily or several times a day. The channel either downloads the latest version from a fixed web address or receives updates as they happen. An outdated feed causes real problems. Wrong prices or stock levels can get listings rejected or lead to orders for products that are no longer available.
How do feeds relate to PIM?
Creating and maintaining a separate feed for every channel by hand quickly becomes unmanageable, which is why businesses use feed management tools to adapt and schedule them. A Product Information Management (PIM) system usually sits at the start of this process. It holds the complete, approved product data, so every feed is generated from the same accurate source.
