Product feed: what it is and how to upload it to affiliate program

A product feed is a file containing information about the products in your website's catalog. Product feeds are only used in affiliate programs of the Online stores category.

Publishers use product feeds that you provide to create price comparison services, online stores, affiliate stores, and email newsletters with product descriptions and images.

With own or ready-to-use parsers and plugins, they render the information as they need it and upload it to their ad spaces—forming their own product catalogs.

In the Admitad system, feeds are updated every 6 hours.

Benefits of product feeds

Product feeds:

Help publishers timely update product info—e.g. price, availability, specs, etc.—on their platforms.
Streamline routine and make the program more appealing.

Creating and uploading product feeds

To upload a feed to the program, you need to do the following:

Create a product feed file containing data you need.
Share the product feed link with an Admitad employee.

It's Admitad's responsibility to upload and configure feeds.

If necessary, you can add several feeds to your programs: in different languages, with different product categories, for different price categories, or in different formats (YML, CSV, etc.). In this case, a dedicated file should be created for every feed.

The feed link will be specified in the Product feeds field in the program's General settings.

Preparing a product feed file

Please follow these recommendations when preparing a product feed:

Always specify links to product pages without UTM tags.
After the feed is uploaded, Admitad parameters will be automatically added to product links. If the links already contain tags, this may lead to conflicts and/or compromise publishers' affiliate links.
Upload images with the best possible resolution.
This will make your products look more appealing on any device. Publishers will change image sizes if necessary.
The minimum resolution is 250x250.
If possible, add all products from your catalog to the feed.
The larger your feed, the more effective your ads.

Admitad supports the following product feed formats:

YML (Yandex Market Language)
Google Merchant
CSV (Comma-Separated Values)

Click on a format name to see extended requirements.

To make sure a YML feed is successfully uploaded to Admitad and processed correctly by the system, your file must meet the following requirements:

YML format standard requirements
Admitad's additional requirements

YML format standard requirements

The standard requirements for YML files are described in Yandex.Market Help:

Admitad's YML format requirements

After the YML file is created, you need to check and refine it to ensure conformity with the Admitad's requirements.

Main file requirements
Markup requirements
Required elements
Additional elements supported by Admitad
YML file example

Main requirements

Make sure your YML file meets the requirements below.

Product ID matches product_id in the order info.
File encoding: UTF-8 or Windows-1251.
The following should not be used in the file:

Non-printable characters with ASCII codes from 0 to 31 (excluding symbols with codes 9, 10, and 13 which are horizontal tabulation, line feed, and carriage return, respectively)
Emojis and other Unicode special characters

Characters in the text are replaced with equivalent codes:
Character in text Code for YML file
"
"
&
&
<
<
>
>
'
'
Only periods are used to separate integer from fractional parts (correct: 2.56; incorrect: 2,56).
The file's MIME type should be application/xml.
Feeds with other MIME types (e.g., text/xml or text/html) will not be uploaded to Admitad.

Markup specifics

The following markup requirements should be met.

You can use the attribute available in the tag <offer> to indicate product availability (in stock or on request).
Example: <offer available="true">;
or <offer available="false">.
If possible, group products into categories so such grouping corresponds to grouping on your website.
Every product must belong to category, thus the element <categoryId> must only contain one value.
If there are nested categories for some products, you need to add the attribute parentId for elemetns <categoryId> and specify the ID of the parent category in it. With that, in <categoryId> you need to specify the number of the category that characterizes the product the best. You don't need to specify parentId in the product description.
Example:
<categories>
<category id="1">Books</category>
<category id="2" parentId="1">Detective</category>
<category id="3" parentId="1">Action</category>
If you don't use ReTag, exclude product duplicates and merge identical products with similar features (e.g., by color and/or dimensions) using <param name="Size">x, y, z</param> и <param name="Color">x, y, z</param> (see Example).
If you use ReTag, every product in the feed must have a unique ID matching the corresponding product's ID on the website. Otherwise, the upload will fail. There may be duplicates in the exported file.

Required elements

Make sure the YML file contains all the elements required by Admitad.

The elements in the file may be arranged in any order.

Element	Description
<url>	Product page URL. URL should only contain tags related to the product description.
<price>	Product price.
<picture>	URL of the page with the product photo. To place several pictures add each of them via the <picture> element, but don't use the array <pictures>.
<categoryId>	Product category ID (integer, up to 18 characters long). A product must only belong to one category.
<currencyId>	Product currency ID in ISO 4217 format (RUB, USD, UAH, KZT). You can specify the general currency <currencyId>for the entire file. With that, the element is deployed within <shop> before the tag <offers>.
<name>	Product name.
<vendor>	Product vendor.
<description>	Product description.

Additional elements supported by Admitad

If necessary, you can add some extra elements to provide publishers with more product details.

Admitad can only process the elements below.

Element	Description
<oldprice>	Old price (before a deal or sale). Examples: <old_price>, <price_old>.
<typePrefix>	Product group or category.
<model>	Model.
<vendorCode>	Product code, vendor code.
<param>	Product specs.
<store>	Availability at a retail store.
<pickup>	Reservation and pickup availability.
<delivery>	Delivery availability.
<local_delivery_cost>	Local delivery price.
<sales_notes>	Minimum order amount, minimum batch, advance payment, deals, discounts, and sales.
<adult>	Sex product.
<barcode>	Barcode provided by the vendor.

YML file example

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="windows-1251"?>

<!DOCTYPE yml_catalog SYSTEM "shops.dtd">

<yml_catalog date="2016-11-21 11:01">

  <shop>

  <name>CompanyName</name>

  <company>CompanyName</company>

  <url>http://yourweb.ru</url>

  <categories>

    <category id="6">Jeans</category>

    <category id="7">T-shorts</category>

    <category id="27">Shoes</category>

    <category id="25">Bags</category>

  </categories>

  <offers>

    <offer id="12346" available="true" bid="21">

    <url>http://www.levi.com/RU/ru_RU/men-jeans/p/005011594</url>

    <price>6300</price>

    <oldprice>7300</oldprice>

    <currencyId>RUB</currencyId>

    <categoryId>6</categoryId>

    <picture>http://lsco.scene7.com/is/image/lsco/Levi/

    clothing/005011594-2013-spring-front-pdp.jpg</picture>

    <picture>http://lsco.scene7.com/is/image/lsco/Levi/

    clothing/005011594-2013-spring-back-pdp.jpg</picture>

    <picture>http://lsco.scene7.com/is/image/lsco/Levi/

    clothing/005011594-2013-spring-side-pdp.jpg</picture>

    <picture>http://lsco.scene7.com/is/image/lsco/Levi/

    clothing/005011594-2013-spring-detail1-pdp.jpg</picture>

    <store>true</store>

    <pickup>true</pickup>

    <delivery>true</delivery>

    <local_delivery_cost>300</local_delivery_cost>

    <name>Jeans</name>

    <model>501 Original</model>

    <vendor>Levi's</vendor> 

    <vendorCode>005011594</vendorCode> 

    <typePrefix>Levi's jeans</typePrefix> 

    <sales_notes>Spring sale!</sales_notes>

    <description>The unquestionable artifact of American culture that was the beginning, 

    501® Original Fit. Straight cut, slightly tapered at the bottom. 
Signature button-front fly. Made of raw selvage denim, 
 these jeans are manufactured according to the original technology on old-style machines, 
 known for its smooth edges, fine detailing, and sturdy structure recognized 
 as a manifestation of the individuality that is further intensified 
while wearing. Tested and trusted, original and simple, 

    the one and only.</description> 

    <param name="Color">blue, light blue, dark blue, black</param> 

    <param name="Size">36, 40, 44, 48</param> 

    </offer> 

  </offers> 

</shop> 

</yml_catalog>

To make sure a Google Merchant feed is successfully uploaded to Admitad Partner Network and processed correctly by the system, your file must meet the following requirements:

Google Merchant standard requirements
Admitad Partner Network's additional requirements

Google Merchant standard requirements

You can find the standard requirements for such feeds in Google Merchant's Product data specification.

Admitad's Google Merchant requirements

After the Google Merchant file is created, you need to check and refine it to ensure conformity with the Admitad's requirements.

Markup specifics
Required attributes
Additional attributes supported by Admitad
Google Merchant file example

Markup specifics

The following markup requirements should be met.

Product info must be contained in attributes <item> or <entry>. The handler calls the feed and gets product info from these tags.
If the attributes <size>, <gender>, or <color> are in the product feed, they should be passed in the tag <param> (see Example).
The attributes in the file could be specified without the prefix "g:". The file will be processed correctly anyway.

Required attributes

Make sure the Google Merchant file contains all the elements required by Admitad.

Attribute	Description
<title>	Product name.
<link>	Product page URL.
<g:id>	Product ID.
<g:image_link>	Product photo.
<g:price>	Product price with currency in ISO 4217 format (RUB, UAH, USD, KZT).
<google_product_category>	Product category ID. Example: <product_type>

Additional attributes supported by Admitad

If necessary, you can add some extra attributes to provide publishers with more product details.

Admitad can only process the attributes below.

Attribute	Description
<g:availability>	Availability.
<g:description>	Product description.
<g:brand>	Product brand.
<param>	Product parameters.

Google Merchant file example

<item>

   <link>https://test.by/smartwatch/apple-watch-series-6-gps-40mm-red-red-sport-band-m00a3</link>

   <title>Apple Watch Series 6 GPS, 40mm, Red, Red Sport Band</title>

   <g:description>Storage: 32 GB, NFC: YES, Dimensions: 40 mm,

   Series: Apple watch series 6 gps, Manufacturer: Apple, State: Used</g:description>

   <g:price>939.00 BYN</g:price>

   <g:brand>apple</g:brand>

   <g:image_link>https://test.by/storage/models/M00A3GK-A/large/j/200916180030597210.jpg</g:image_link>

   <g:id>M00A3</g:id>

   <g:availability>in stock</g:availability>

   <g:condition>used</g:condition>

   <g:identifier_exists>yes</g:identifier_exists>

   <param name="Memory">32 GB</param>

   <param name="NFC">Yes</param>

   <param name="Size">40 mm</param>

   <param name="Series">Apple watch series 6 gps</param>

   <param name="Vendor">Apple</param>

   <param name="Condition">Used</param>

 </item>

To make sure a CSV feed is successfully uploaded to Admitad and processed correctly by the system, your file must:

Meet Admitad requirements
Contain required parameters

If necessary, you can add some extra parameters to provide publishers with more product details.

Admitad requirements

Make sure your CSV file meets the requirements below.

Only one of divider types can be used between data files in the CSV file:

The character you selected as a divider can't be used for other purposes.
If you selected comma ( , ) as a divider, there should be no commas in the product description.

You should pass every product's info in a separate row.
With that, all the rows must have the same number of values (parameter).
This is why if one of the products doesn't have the parameter value, it should be specified as "". Example: "vitamins","","adult".
You don't have to use "" to specify parameters in the CSV file.

Parameter names of the feed you want to upload to Admitad can be any, since our specialists process the file and transfer it to the system manually.

Required parameters

Make sure the CSV file contains all the elements required by Admitad.

Some parameter names can differ from those below.

For example, the product page URL can be passed in url, link, or url_address.

Parameters	Description
category_name	Product category name.
offer_id	Product ID.
url	Product page URL.
price	Product price.
currencyId	Currency ID in ISO 4217 format (RUB, USD, UAH, KZT)

Additional parameters supported by Admitad

If necessary, you can add some extra parameters to provide publishers with more product details.

Admitad can only process the extra parameters below.

Some parameter names can differ from those below.

For instance, a link to the product photo can be passed via the picture, photo, or image parameter.

Though parameters name, picture, and description are additional parameters for CSV feeds, it's recommended to add them to the feed. This will make your feed more appealing and boost your sales. Users are more encouraged to buy products having an image and description.

Parameter	Description
name	Product name.
picture	Link to product image.
description	Product description.
oldprice	Product price excluding discounts and promotions.
vendor	Product vendor.
available	Availability.

CSV file example

Parameter names can be any, this is why the fields in the example may differ from the parameters specified in the tables below.

"id","title","description","google product category","product type","link","image

  link","condition","availability","price","currencyId","sale price","sale price effective

  date","gtin","brand","mpn","item group id","gender","age

  group","color","size","shipping","shipping weight" // product feed field names

      

  "129914","Sunshine Nutrition Vitamin C Energy Apple Chewable Tablets 14's x 24","Sunshine

  Nutrition Vitamin C Energy Apple Chewable Tablets 14's x 24","0","Vitamin C",

  "https://www.testtest.com/product/sunshine-nutrition-vitamin-c-energy-apple-chewable-tablets-14-s-x-24",

  "https://test-cdn.testtest.com/archieved-images/media/catalog/product/v/i/vit-c-apple.jpg","new",

  "in stock","216","AED","","2022-02-22T10:58:55+04:00/2022-02-24T10:58:55+04:00",

  "","SUNSHINE","","","","adult","","","","" // product 1 info

      

  "125711","Loreal Infaillible Primer Pore

  Refining","Loreal Infaillible Primer Pore Refining","0","0",

  "https://www.testtest.com/product/lor-infaillible-primer-pore-refining",

  "https://test-cdn.testtest.com/archieved-images/media/catalog/product","new",

  "in stock","65","AED","21","2022-02-22T10:58:55+04:00/2022-02-24T10:58:55+04:00",

  "","LOREAL MAKEUP","","","","adult","","","","" // product 2 info

Character in text	Code for YML file
"	"
&	&
<	<
>	>
'	'