Data Feed Specification Document
In order to successfully list
your products in the Become.com product catalog you will need to create a merchant account and a
means of delivering your data feed. The information below is a guide to
preparing your feed; please adhere to these specifications in order to have
your products list correctly and optimize returns.
Update:
Products that are submitted in a data feed without a category assignment may be
classified as “uncategorized”. Products
that are incorrectly categorized or mapped as “uncategorized” will be charged a
CPC rate if $0.75.
1.) Feed Format:
· Become.com accepts data feed files in the following formats:
o Tab-delimited text (.txt): Each row represents a product, and product information is listed by column. Each tab represents a new column of product information (ex: UPC [TAB] SKU [TAB], etc)
§ A sample feed in tab-delimited text is available here: www.become.com/merchant/BecomeSampleFeed.txt
o Comma Separated Value (CSV): Similar to tab-delimited, but uses commas to separate columns of information instead of tabs (ex: UPC, SKU, etc).
o XML (Extensible Markup Language): Using XML syntax to define the tags (product information); can be used to translate already structured information from one form to another. See below for more information.
· Files may be zipped
· The first line of CSV and tab-delimited feeds must be a header row, containing all the Field Titles (UPC, Product URL, Manufacturer, etc). See chart below for required and recommended information.
· The following are considered errors and will result in unlisted products:
o Carriage returns, line breaks, HTML or tabs (when they are not used as a column delimiter for your feed like .txt)
2.) Feed Delivery & Updates:
· The feed may be uploaded to Become.com’s FTP server or we can download it from an FTP or web server of your choice.
o You can choose an option within the merchant dashboard: “Account > Update Information > Datafeed”
· The file name must remain consistent throughout updates to avoid potential processing issues.
· New feeds typically require a 24 hour turnaround time to process and go live. Any subsequent updates should be reflected on the site within the day.
· Contact your account manager if your feed format has changed or if products need to be re-categorized; doing otherwise may prolong processing time.
3.) XML Feeds:
· XML feeds must adhere to requirements for .txt and CSV feed files and in addition:
o XML must be validated
o Encoding method must be included in the XML declaration line
o Files must be accessible using Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher
o HTML tags cannot be included within the text or description
o Data does not have to be specifically ordered and tags do not need to be specifically named.
4.)
Required
Fields
Please note that the absence of required fields may result in incorrect product listings or failure to list entirely. In order to optimize your campaign, please provide as much information for your listings as is available.
|
Status |
Field |
Notes |
Example |
|
|
Required |
Unique IDs |
Each listing
must have one or more of the following unique identifiers: |
|
|
|
ISBN: A 10 or 13 digit unique identifier associated with
books. Omit dashes |
5374463892 |
|||
|
|
ASIN: A 10 digit alphanumeric Amazon stock number for
this product |
|
||
|
|
UPC: A UPC (Universal Product Code) is a 12 digit unique
identifier that lets us match your products to existing ones in our catalog;
this allows us to correctly list your products on the site and optimize your
exposure. |
968712498223 |
||
|
|
Mft Part: The manufacturer part number is used together with
the manufacturer to accurately identify the product and match it with our
existing database (similar to UPC). |
SC-750A |
||
|
|
Manufacturer: The manufacturer name or brand of the product. This
is used in conjunction with the manufacturer part number. |
Apple |
||
|
Product URL |
This URL must
take the user directly to the product page on your site for the advertised
item. Tracking URLs are acceptable, though we also offer tracking information
through the merchant dashboard (please sign into your account for more
information). URLs must begin with http:// |
http://www.yoursite.com/productSC-750A |
||
|
Product Title |
The product name
should be clear and concise. Maximum length is 80 characters. No HTML and no
promotional text is permitted. |
Hanes Cotton
Polo Shirt - Navy |
||
|
Not acceptable: Free Shipping! Hanes Cotton Polo Shirt
- Periwinkle |
||||
|
Price |
|
|
||
|
|
|
|||
|
The current
price the item is being sold for. Do not include a dollar sign ($) or
USD |
29.95 |
|||
|
Recommended |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
Product Descriptions |
A short
description of the product, maximum 250 characters. It is highly recommended,
since good descriptions will optimize your products' exposure on the site. |
This 100% cotton
polo from Hanes is a great shirt for all occasions. Faded for a more
comfortable look. |
||
|
Category |
It is highly
recommended that you categorize your products as close to our taxonomy to
ensure the most accurate results. |
Home &
Garden > Kitchen > Cookware |
||
|
Image URL |
Minimum
recommended picture size is 100x100 pixels. We accept both .GIF and .JPG
formats. We do not allow any embedded information in the picture, such as
merchant phone number or logo |
http://www.yoursite.com/image123.jpg |
||
|
Promotional Text |
Free Shipping
for Orders Over $20 |
|||
|
Condition |
New, Used,
Refurbished. If it's not provided, the products are assumed to be new. |
Refurbished |
||
|
Stock Status |
Denotes if a
product is available or not |
In Stock / Out
of Stock |
||
|
Optional |
Shipping Price |
The cost of
shipping anywhere in the Continental US. Use '0' or 'free' to denote free
shipping. Do not use a dollar sign ($). |
7.99 |
|
|
Shipping Weight |
The weight, in
pounds, of the product. Numerical values only, do not include
"lbs" |
1.5 |
||
|
Bid Price |
This is the CPC
you would like to be charged for the item. Bids can be entered by category in
the dashboard, but bids provided in the feed will override those entered
through the dashboard. If no bid is entered your product will list at the
category minimum rate. |
0.35 |
||
|
Keywords |
Brief, relevant
keywords or search terms for the specific item (separated by ";").
Helps us optimize your listings' exposure. |
rims; wheels;
car rims |
||
|
Attributes |
Add a collection
of attributes (height, width, gigabyte, voltage) not available in the title
or description of the product |
32" lcd tv |
||
|
MSRP |
Manufacturer
Suggested Retail Price. |
199.95 |