How to Create a Product Feed that Actually Converts

• A product feed is a file containing detailed information related to all the products sold by an online retailer. Usually including product titles, descriptions, images and prices, product feeds are supplied to platforms such as Google Ads to populate adverts. 

• To effectively manage your product feed, you should ensure all product information is up to date, all images are properly optimised for each platform, and all product titles and descriptions match user search intent. 
• Product feed management tools, such as FeedManager, can be used to automate the optimisation of product feeds including scheduling product information updates, and can provide valuable insights into campaign performance.

As we count down towards a sparkling November, online retailers will be hoping that their campaigns are about to go off with a bang – but for that to happen, they must get the basics right.  

The peak period around Black Friday opens the floodgates for online shopping as every retailer tries to reach new audiences with the biggest deals and the best prices. This means it’s not enough to get your products in front of consumers; you also need a product feed that can effectively convert leads.  

But what is a product feed? And how can you optimise yours to increase conversions? Join us as we explore the important role that your product feed plays in the busiest time of the year for online retailers. 

What is a Product Feed?

Simply put, a product feed is a file which contains a list of products and product information which can be supplied to multiple channels to advertise and sell goods. Product feeds are an example of a data feed, streams of structured data that are delivered from a source (e.g. a retailer) to an online platform, such as Google Merchant Centre or an affiliate partner.  

What Should You Include in Your Product Feed?

You should make sure to include all relevant information related to each product in your product feed, ensuring it’s detailed whilst remaining concise. These are some of the attributes which platforms may require when providing your product feed: 

• Title: The name of the product, including key attributes such as colour, brand, or size. 

• Image: A high-quality, relevant image optimised for platform requirements. 

• Price: An up-to-date price and correct currency code, clearly visible to customers. 

• ID: A clear product ID helps platforms distinguish between products. 

• Description: A unique, detailed description highlighting key selling points. 

• Shipping: Include clear shipping prices and delivery times for each product. 

• Availability: State whether a product is in stock, out of stock, or available for preorder to avoid directing customers to empty landing pages.  

• Google_Product_Category:  A Google product category avoids Google’s automatic categorisation and ensures your product’s title and description are accurately displayed. 

• GTIN:  A Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) ensure accurate product information is displayed across shopping platforms and helps shoppers find the exact make and model they’re searching for 

Why is an Optimised Product Feed Vital for Peak?

Around 70% of retailers make most of their sales during November and December, often described as the peak for online retailers thanks to major retail events such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday.  

As consumers continue to use longer search terms and shop around more before purchasing, even during the fast-paced sale days of the festive period, it’s important that your product feed is optimised to help your products appeal to new and returning customers. 

It’s also important to remember that peak brings around the highest average CPC costs of the year. This means you’ll want to make sure you’re achieving the highest ROI possible by increasing conversions and revenue.  

By partnering with a Google premium CSS partner such as Productcaster, you can save up to 20% off your ad spend. And with an optimised product feed, you can unlock even greater savings. 

Our Top Tips for Converting Customers During Peak

So, if an optimised product feed is vital for converting customers, and we’re approaching a period when more customers than ever will be seeing your products, how can you maximise conversions this peak? The answer is more straightforward than you might think.  

Lead with the Most Important Information

The most important, eye-catching product information should be front and centre for customers to see – and that starts with your title. Most platforms only display the first 150 characters of a product title so a well-structured title which leads with the key attributes will not only increase keyword visibility but also improve conversions across your channels.  

Competitive Pricing is Key

When everyone is fighting to get their products in front of customers, pricing can make or break sales. You can use Google Merchant Centre to optimise pricing by monitoring competitor pricing to ensure your products are comparatively priced. The right price can make all the difference when it comes to swaying customers, especially when competition is high.  

Optimise Images to Grab your Audience

The product image is usually the first thing a customer will see in shopping ads, so a clear, professional image will make sure your products are looking their best. It’s never been easier to utilise optimised images across your product feed as Google Merchant Center now utilises AI technology to automatically enhance images, ensuring they’re displayed correctly across all platforms.   

To find out more, check out our guide covering the best AI tools for optimising your product feed.  

Push your Selling Points

Over peak, customers will be confronted with thousands of products so it can be hard for yours to stand out. By considering the pain points and needs of customers, you can position your product as the answer to their problems. 

Research shows that merchant who advertised with ‘free and fast shipping’ saw an average increase in conversion rates of 2%.  Pushing your product’s unique selling points in the product description will engage audiences and build trust.  

What is a Feed Management Tool?

With peak right around the corner, you may feel like your product feed needs a lot of work – that’s where product feed management software and tools can help.  

A feed management tool is the best way to keep your product feed in line. Manually updating product information across platforms can be a time-consuming process, especially during peak when online retailers are at their busiest.  

Feed management tools, such as FeedManager, can automate many of the practices which help to drive conversions. From automatically enhancing titles, descriptions and attributes, to providing actionable insights on your campaigns, feed management tools help to transform your feed from a list of products to a vital tool in your online advertising.  

One of the main ways that a feed management tool will save you time is by allowing merchants to output their product feed to over 50+ partners such as Google, Meta, or Amazon at the touch of a button. When fast and convenient product listings are required, a feed management tool is essential.  

Control Your Product Feed and Boost Conversions with Productcaster

By following our expert tips, and with a bit of help from the latest tools, you’ll have yourself a product feed which not only powers performance but increases conversions across your digital presence.  

If you want to learn more about getting your online retail business ready for Black Friday and beyond, check out our latest article covering the best practices and insights from Google to power your peak performance.  

Or, if you’re ready to start boosting your online campaigns today while increasing your ROI, get in touch with the Productcaster team at info@productcaster.com and learn how FeedManager and the full suite of Productcaster tools, can help maximise your performance this peak.