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Product feed

| Article: 3 min read | Catalog and marketplaces

A product feed is a file or data stream with the full list of your products (name, price, availability, photo, link) that a store passes to Google, marketplaces and price comparison sites so they can show and sell its products.

In plain words

Instead of entering each product by hand on each platform, the store exports the catalog as one file (XML, YML, a spreadsheet) or through an API. The platform reads this file on a schedule and updates prices, stock and descriptions on its side.

Google uses this data to match products to search queries and for ads and free listings. Accurate data helps avoid disapprovals and display failures (Google Merchant Center).

A feed for Google Merchant Center

For every product Google always requires: an identifier (id), title, description, link to the product page, link to the image, availability and price. The rest is conditional: brand, GTIN or MPN, color, size, `item_group_id` for variants (Google).

What to know:

  • The data must match the site. The price, currency and availability in the feed must match the product page, the schema.org markup and the cart. Mismatches can lead to disapproved products (Google).
  • Do not change the `id`. It is unique to the product, up to 50 characters, best of all the SKU; it stays the same across updates (Google).
  • Price is a number with an ISO 4217 currency code, for example `1500.00 UAH` (Google).
  • GTIN: give it only when you are sure of it; a wrong one can lead to the product being disapproved (Google).
  • Update frequency. Google fetches a file from a link once every 24 hours, but you can upload a new one at any time (Google). So if prices or stock change often, plan updates accordingly.

Ways to send data to Merchant Center: automatically from site pages through markup, a platform integration, a file, Google Sheets, an API (Google).

A feed for Rozetka

Rozetka accepts an XML (YML) price list. According to its documentation, among other things:

  • the encoding is UTF-8 only, with a static link to the file;
  • an `offer` must contain price, currency, category, photo, manufacturer, name, description, parameters and stock (`stock_quantity`);
  • a product's `id` cannot be changed once it appears on the marketplace, and it contains only Latin letters and digits;
  • 1 to 15 photos, the first is the main one, HTTPS links, up to 10 MB per file;
  • variations (color, size and so on) are sent as separate `offer` entries with unique `id` values (Rozetka, price list requirements).

The requirements change, so check the current version of the page before setting up.

A feed for Prom

Prom also supports importing products from a file. Check Prom's current requirements in the help section of your account.

Common mistakes

  • The feed is out of date: the price changed on the site but not in Google. The product is disapproved or the customer sees a different price.
  • The `id` is changed on every export, and the platform treats these as new products.
  • Low-quality photos. Google says that from 31 January 2027 it will require images of at least 500×500 pixels (Google).
  • One feed for all channels with no regard for each one's requirements.
  • Not checking the error reports in Merchant Center or the marketplace account.

FAQ

What is a product feed? A file with data on all of a store's products that Google and marketplaces read automatically.

What format should a feed be in? For Google, a text file, XML or an API; for Rozetka, XML (YML) per its specification.

How often should I update the feed? Often enough that price and availability do not lag behind the site. Google fetches a file from a link once a day.

Why does Google disapprove products from a feed? Most often because of data that does not match the page (price, availability), missing required attributes or a wrong GTIN.

Sources

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