Successful ecommerce campaigns are no accident.
They require painstaking attention to detail, technical knowledge, and strategic implementation. And that's just on the campaign side.
When you add the burden of data feed management, product optimization, channel compliance, and error resolution... it's no wonder so many ecommerce managers opt to pay thousands of dollars to have someone else manage their product feeds.
Feed management, in particular, involves tight, scaling demands that are best handled by a dedicated specialist. Unfortunately, feed management is often priced out of reach for most online retailers. Using feed management services is usually a luxury reserved for big-budget merchants... until now.
But before we get into how we've made full-service feed management accessible to more sellers, let's take a look at the key role data feed management plays in ecommerce.
How feed management affects campaign success
First of all, what is data feed management?
Data feed management is the handling, modification, and delivery of product data from its source (online store, ERP, etc.) to channel (Google, Facebook, Amazon, etc.).
How is data feed management different from product feed optimization?
Data feed management is the all-encompassing caretaking of product data whereas product feed optimization is the precise implementation of specific attribute enhancements for the purpose of improving campaign metrics or KPIs. You could say product feed optimization is a piece of data feed management.
On one hand, if your data feed management process is solid and effective, using a catalog manager like GoDataFeed can be fairly straightforward.
On the other, if your data is inconsistent and you’re still experimenting with products, channel integration and optimization will be a challenge.
Below are the 5 pillars of ecommerce data feed management we use to ensure optimal campaign performance and channel compliance.
1. Data standardization
Effective multichannel marketing starts with good data.
Good data starts… somewhere.
Whether you’re importing from one or more data files, a Web store, or an API, that data usually needs some attention. It might even need a lot of attention.
Not to mention, it will also need to be mapped at the channel feed level. Additionally, how you handle product variations needs to be standardized if it already isn’t (see how Google handles product variations).
This is typically a 1-time process per feed plus minimal ongoing maintenance, but data standardization is a critical aspect of feed management that someone has to do.
2. Product data profile
i.e., Adding additional and/or missing attributes
The more complete your data, the better off your products will be.
That means caring about the full extended range of Google’s product attributes. Google’s attribute range covers the requirements of most other channels and more – filling in all gaps and striving for optimal product data.
More optional data adds more real-life context to the online representations of your products. It helps Google and other platforms better learn from and push your products. Google itself is continually testing different features that are innately tied to merchant data.
GoDataFeed makes appending supplemental data easy via merge files, but identifying data weaknesses is an invaluable skill on its own. Having a dedicated feed expert poring over your data on a weekly basis will ensure complete and high-quality data.
3. Optimization
Where do the details matter?
Look no further than your key attributes, specifically, your titles, descriptions, categorization, etc. That is, what your customers actually see on that channel.
Titles and descriptions won’t vary too much from channel to channel, but there are usually some important distinctions to be made. Not to mention the channel-specific best practices that only feed experts are entirely aware of.
Additionally, depending on how you manage your variants, there may also be some attribute optimization work to be done there.
Data optimizations can range from easy and broad to tedious and granular. Every data set has its own unique set of needs and those needs change from channel to channel and from category to category.
With GoDataFeed’s managed services you no longer have to worry about these variations. Our experts know how to navigate these ebbs and flows, and proactively manage your data accordingly.
4. Error resolution
Data issues happen. They’re part of the setup process, experimenting, growing with platforms, and part of expanding your business.
If you have anything from subpar to troubled product data, fixing it is another core challenge of feed management. Bad product data can present hurdles that can only be handled effectively by an expert with the right tools.
GoDataFeed empowers users with a powerful validation engine that reports warnings and errors before your products go live on any given channel. Our system even highlights products without issues that can use improvements and recommends applicable optimizations.
Our validation system is useful for anyone tasked with troubleshooting feeds, but in our experts’ hands... it’s game-changing.
Once a perfect feed is up and running, it shouldn’t run into issues that couldn’t have been foreseen. Things do change, however, especially as you modify your catalog and grow your business.
5. Feed health monitoring
Even when things are going well, you want someone keeping tabs on your products and feeds. Inventory technicalities, channel updates, or other unpredictable occurrences are always possible.
Daily monitoring is critical to ensure the accuracy of your feeds. GoDataFeed removes that burden by monitoring processes in the background and alerting you if something needs your attention. Our notification system plus relevant failsafes are enough to prevent disaster, but what happens after you’ve gotten that alert?
With GoDataFeed’s managed services, you won’t have to worry about fixing these errors yourself. Our team will identify and fix data quality issues for you. We proactively review your imports and active feeds, and make adjustments as needed.
Introducing Feed Management by GoDataFeed
Good product feeds don’t just happen, but GoDataFeed makes feed excellence achievable.
While we encourage and implore users to take advantage of all that GoDataFeed has to offer, sometimes you just want experts in control.
That’s where Managed Services come in. Our new full service feed management program caters to businesses looking to offload their data feed needs.
Our feed experts can launch your products across channels and maintain them as your business grows, freeing you to focus on core aspects of your business that only you can manage.
If you’d like to learn more about offloading feed management to our team of experts, reach out to us. Want to see GoDataFeed in action? Feel free to request a demo.
