In 2019, retailers’ product data feed is expected to become the core of a successful paid marketing activity. A feed, which in basic terminology consists of a list of products and their defined attributes, must reflect a systematic and detailed product management approach in order to provide the best results.

The quality of the feed dictates the success of Shopping Ads on Google and Bing, along with Marketplace listings on Amazon and eBay, and consequently, many sellers are rethinking how best to optimise their data in order to best reach their customers.

 

Speaking your customer’s language

As the way we shop continues to evolve, retailers must be savvy about various touchpoints in a customer’s journey to keep up with ever-changing landscape and persistent competition. So much can now be achieved at the touch of a button - from ordering a taxi to booking a reservation at your favourite restaurant – and technology is continually evolving to make our lives (and shopping habits) easier.

Retailers must not only think of their data feed but also the way in which consumers search. Learning to speak your customers’ language is a useful tactic to keep ahead of the competition.

Although Google has consistently dominated the digital space, over recent years other partner networks have provided retailers with an opportunity to give their products further visibility. Bing, Amazon, Facebook and more all require their own unique feed attributes which are critical to retailers’ campaign performance. Missing information reduces impression volume, which in turn can translate to a loss in revenue. The importance of a well optimised, rich data feed is now more important than ever to ensure customers are reached on multiple platforms at a variety of touchpoints during their purchasing journey.

 

Common product data feed mistakes

Through years of experience our product data experts have identified a number of common mistakes that can jeopardise the success of a retailer’s feed. These include:

  • Missing/incorrect Unique Product Identifiers (UPIs) i.e. GTINs, MPNs & Brand
  • Pricing issues, including lack of updates and incorrect pricing
  • Stock availability issues, including incorrect updates live ads
  • Poor title structure
  • Poorly structured ‘product type’/Google Product Category categorisation
  • Low-resolution images
  • Missing or short descriptions
  • Duplicate information across multiple products

These issues are all easily resolvable and can have a drastic impact on sales and revenue.

 

How to best optimise your product feed

Feed optimisation and enrichment is important so that the best feed is provided to your partners, meaning better ads and improved click-through-rates, conversion rates and ROI.

Feed optimisation is complex, but there are a few key recommendations that can improve performance:

  • Title
    • Use the title attribute to clearly identify the product you’re selling. The title is one of the most prominent parts of your ad. A specific and accurate title will help partners show your product to the right users. Make sure your title describes the product on your landing page and defines your product. Review the search terms report (search query report - SQR) to see what your current customers are searching for and clicking on within the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) to get to your site.
  • Description
    • Use the description attribute to tell users about your product. List product features, technical specifications and visual attributes. A detailed description will help the partners show your product to the right users. List the most important details in the first 500 characters and write for your audience and their search intent.
  • Image
    • Ensure your images match up to the correct product, are high resolution and provide additional product information where necessary (e.g. use, size, etc.) When it comes to industries like fashion or interiors, customers care for the specific details and will want to see the image from multiple angles.

Be sure to look out for our short downloadable guide on feed optimisation tips coming soon on the Productcaster site.

 

Choosing the right data feed management platform

Data without the correct management can be detrimental to a business. Both time and revenue can be lost dealing with overwhelming amounts of feed data, which can seem like an impossible task without the correct support and guidance.

When choosing your feed manager platform, choose one which allows you to:

  • Prioritise and amend at scale, meaning you can be more efficient with both your time and budget.
  • Publish to multiple channels that suit your audience.
  • Easily navigate with little IT or coding knowledge.
  • Measure your performance effectively so you can make accurate decisions about how to adjust your strategy.
  • Distribute data in the optimum format for multiple partner channels.

To find out more about some of the best ways to optimise your feed and maximise your performance, get in touch with a member of our team today at feedmanager@productcaster.com