Best Product Feed Management Software & Tools

Product Feed Management Tools – Highly Efficient Product Data Management with Product Feed Programs

Product Feed Management Tools allow you to send product data largely automated to selected marketplaces, price comparison sites and/or affiliate networks. With such Product Feed Management programs, item data can be easily adjusted centrally and products can be efficiently presented on the internet. They provide a significantly increased reach with comparatively little effort.

These are popular Product Feed Management Tools:

• ChannelPilot
• Channable
• Productsup
• PIA Feed Dynamix
• Lengow
• DataFeedWatch
• ChannelAdvisor
• CatalogExpress
• Salsify
• Mirasvit Advanced Product Feeds

These are the basic features of Product Feed Management Tools:

• They offer a central platform for enriching and updating product information across all sales channels.
• They enable the creation of tailored product feeds according to specific strategies and requirements, which are tailored to specific sales channels.
• They are a central place for evaluating product performance, monitoring sales, promotions, and other campaigns.

What exactly are Product Feed Management Programs?

Those who want to offer products or services not only through their own online shop, but also or exclusively on various marketplaces and offer comparison portals, cannot avoid the use of so-called data feeds.

These transmit central product or item information - for example colors, dimensions, photos/videos, shipping information, etc. – to the individual channels. Each of the distribution channels has different requirements for appropriate information. It can be quite time-consuming to individually tailor the product range and each extension to these specifications.

Product Feed Management Tools remedy this. They enable the creation of the very different feeds quickly and relatively uncomplicatedly, manage them clearly or automatically transmit them to the appropriate locations.

Who needs Product Feed Management Tools?

Any company that sells goods or services online on a larger scale and does not only want to use its own online shop as a channel, but also marketplaces such as Check24, Amazon, idealo, or eBay, should thoroughly inform themselves about the possibilities of Product Feed Management Tools.

The larger the product range and the more channels focused on distribution, the more sensible it is to use a Product Feed Management program. Because usually there is a huge amount of data sets. Retailers are usually more salespeople than IT professionals. As a result, a large number of items, product data, and guidelines can quickly result in an overload in terms of organization and labor and ultimately a significant inefficiency in distribution. In addition, some channels charge fees if data is not complete. Product feed programs are very helpful in averting such negative impacts.

What are the individual benefits of Feed Management Tools?

Some advantages have already been determined directly or indirectly in the previous sections - but here are the central advantages in clear terms.

Data Quality

With the help of Product Feed Management programs, feeds can be created that are perfectly adapted to the respective platform – and this is done quickly with a few clicks using prefabricated masks. A detailed knowledge of the specifications of the individual platforms is not necessary, as the tools practically do not allow any other alignment than the one allowed in the respective channel. The data sets are checked for completeness and quality.

Time Saving

As already indicated before, feeds can be created quickly and uncomplicatedly with a few clicks using Product Feed Management Tools. This obviously saves a lot of time. In addition, all feed-specific work – as will be described in more detail in the following paragraph – can be controlled in a time-saving way from a central location. But also the elimination of always tedious examination of the respective channel guidelines makes the work go much faster. The resources freed up in this way can flow into day-to-day business and, not least, into further improvement of the data records.

Synchronization

Product Feed Management Tools automatically synchronize the feed data records. As soon as a product is sold in a channel, the stock level in the system of the different online sales locations changes without further intervention. This means that the data is adjusted in both the own online shop and all other websites. The same applies to other information, such as shipping details, changes to general product information, or when products are taken out.

Automation

Product Feed Management Programs not only allow data to be played out quickly and in a generally uncomplicated manner, they also keep it up to date on all integrated channels by the software.

Analysis

Product feed programs usually come with additional functions that allow you to analyze the success of your own activities and make corresponding optimizations. If such functions are not integrated, they can usually be linked via plugins or interfaces. The following key figures, for example, should be analyzed:

• Revenue per channel or overall
• Prices at the competition
• Conversion Rate
• Best-selling or weakest products

Market Advantages

Anyone who wants to sell products in the most effective way possible must assert themselves in the market. One of the undisputed keys to success is good visibility of your own offers. Only when items are increasingly perceived by customers can high sales also be recorded. Complete and high-quality data feeds are the basic prerequisite that your own products are even considered for a prominent presentation in the used channels. If important information is missing, marketplaces or comparison portals may even completely block items.

In addition, optimal labeling of your own products increases customer satisfaction right from the start. This makes returns less likely. Ultimately, a positive image of the respective brand is created and long-term, strong business relationships are favored.

What should you look for in Product Feed Management programs?

Product Feed Management Tools can take on/facilitate a variety of tasks and offer numerous functions for this. Which of these are needed and which perhaps less is to be decided individually in the respective business context. However, the following factors should always be taken into account.

Costs and Pricing Models

For a Product Feed Management Program, you can expect to pay anything from a few euros a month to sums around 1,000 euros. The thing is: an expensive tool doesn't necessarily have to be the better choice. It is important to ask yourself which features are really needed and to determine how much sales are made with online sales per month and which pricing model brings the best cost-benefit effect here.

Product Feed Management Tools are supposed to economize the work – to achieve this, they of course have to be really profitable. In this context, the following is also very important: If a product feed program only takes up a fraction of the calculated personnel costs for manual processing, this is already a good indication of its profitability.

With most Product Feed Management Tools, various pricing models are available. Some providers only provide annual contracts, with others the contract can be adjusted every month. The latter is of course more advantageous in terms of flexibility. Corresponding options usually also mean higher costs.

Usability

No matter how well equipped a Product Feed Management Tool is, it is "worthless" if it does not offer good usability. Corresponding programs must be easy to use and ideally self-explanatory. After all, they are supposed to make work more efficient and not cause additional effort. Ideally, there is an intuitive user interface. You should be able to find your way around without having to search for functionalities for a long time. For more complex functions, specific descriptions should be available within the program. Furthermore, it is very advantageous if there is the possibility to test a demo version. Then it is always possible to clarify most precisely whether the Product Feed Management Program really meets your own requirements. In connection with usability, the quality of the support is of course also important – but more on this below.

Channels

In most cases, it is already clear before the purchase of a Product Feed Management Tool in which channels items are to be offered. Therefore, the tool of choice should of course be able to serve these. Information about compatibility can usually be found directly on the website of the respective developer. Some providers also enable the individual inclusion of desired channels. Contact is usually required for this.

Features

Some functions are less necessary, others are essential. In most cases, it is very important that your own online shop can be easily connected to the Product Feed Management Tool. Not all providers support all shop systems, that is, Adobe Commerce Cloud, Shopify, Prestashop, etc. Furthermore, it is very advantageous if the data feeds can be uploaded in the formats CSV, XML or others, and formats from different sources can be combined.

Furthermore, the following functions should be available for optimizing data feeds:

• Automatic product categorization
• Easy, fast transmission to the channels
• Personalized feeds
• Creation of own rules for the tool's procedures

In this context, it is also very useful if there is an order synchronization between the external channels and your own online shop. This means that orders are forwarded in real time from a marketplace, for example Amazon, to the web shop and ideally processed automatically there. This saves a lot of time, as orders do not have to be called up or further processed separately and manually.

Analytics functions or interfaces should also not be missing. Data forms an important basis for competition-determining further developments of your own e-commerce activities. Analysis features should be integrated directly into the tool in their most relevant forms or can be connected via an interface.

Given the undoubtedly enormous number of competitors in many e-commerce contexts today, it is particularly important to stand out from the crowd and draw attention to your own products. The latter can be achieved most effectively through the use of Google Ads. If the Product Feed Management Program of choice has a tool for organizing such ads, this can mean an additional increase in efficiency.

Support

The quality of customer service is particularly important for complex Product Feed Management Tools. Newcomers also generally benefit from good support. This should not incur any additional costs, be reachable during your own business hours, and ideally know the German language. Furthermore, it is very advantageous if providers answer the most important questions about the tool already on the website, so that you don't have to make personal contact for every little thing. Video tutorials for more complicated procedures or further possibilities are optimal. In general, help should be available quickly in all respects. Of course, no e-commerce player can afford lengthy research or even failures.