Between the popularity of ecommerce and the rise of mobile commerce, having a proper shopping feed is more important than ever. And, when managed effectively, your product feed is a seed that can grow into a mighty ecommerce tree.
Metaphors aside, if you want your products to get noticed in online marketplaces, shopping ads can’t be beat. Whether you want to try our Google Shopping, Microsoft Shopping Ads for Bing, Amazon Advertising, or all three, we know the tried-and-true best practices that’ll make your brand stand out on any ecommerce platform.
What Is Shopping Feed Management?
Shopping feed management (AKA feed management or product feed management) is the process of optimizing and maintaining product data feeds for online advertising platforms, particularly for ecommerce businesses.
These data feeds are typically used for advertising in shopping channels like Google Shopping, Bing Shopping, and various social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the key aspects
of online shopping feed management:
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Product data optimization
This is the core of shopping feed management. Product data optimization includes ensuring that product titles, product descriptions, prices, and images are accurate, up to date, and meet the requirements of the advertising platform. This optimization improves the visibility and relevance of your products in search results.
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Feed format and structure
Shopping feeds are generally required to adhere to specific formats and structures as per the platform’s guidelines. A shopping feed manager ensures that the feed is correctly formatted, includes all necessary attributes, and is error-free.
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Data enrichment
Additional attributes, such as product category, brand, availability, and more, can enhance the visibility and targeting options for your products. Shopping feed managers may enrich the data to improve an ad campaign’s effectiveness.
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Inventory management
Keeping the feed updated to reflect changes in your product inventory is a crucial component of feed management. This includes adding new products, removing discontinued ones, and updating prices and availability in real time.
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Feed submission
Once the feed is optimized and updated, it needs to be submitted to all the different channels. Shopping feed managers are responsible for scheduling and monitoring these submissions to ensure the data remains current.
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Performance monitoring
Continuous monitoring of campaign performance, including click-through rates, conversions, and return on ad spend (ROAS) is essential. Shopping feed managers analyze these metrics to make data-driven decisions and identify areas for improvement.
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Competitive analysis
Understanding how your products compare to your competitors’ in terms of pricing, availability, product content, and positioning can inform your advertising strategy. Shopping feed managers may conduct a competitive analysis to identify opportunities and threats.
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Product feed optimization tools
There are various tools and software platforms available to assist in shopping feed management. They can automate tasks like data optimization, feed submission, and performance tracking on platforms like Shopify and Magento. Feedonomics is a good example of a popular product feed management tool.
Shopping feed management solutions have a lot of moving parts, but that doesn’t mean it has to be complicated.
When done effectively, it can significantly impact the success of your digital marketing campaigns by improving the visibility and relevance of your products.
Take our client Swimsuits Direct for example:
This quality swimsuit brand was looking for a results-driven SEM agency to help meet their ecommerce sales and achieve their return on investment (ROI) goals, which included:
- Increasing year-over-year revenue by 100%
- Maintaining at least 400% return on ad spend.
That’s where HawkSEM came in.
Our expert Hawks crafted a tailor-made plan that included shopping campaign product segmentation, continuous bid management to account for seasonally changing product demand, dynamic search ad segmentation, and various remarketing campaigns.
While partnering with HawkSEM, Swimsuits Direct was able to:
- 109% Increase year-over-year SEM revenue by more than 109%
- 80% Increase month-over-month ROAS by 80%
- 20% Increased their Google Shopping conversion rate by nearly 20%
Benefits of Shopping Feed Management
When it comes to growing your business, it takes lots of time, love, and care (a lot like nurturing a seed to grow). But every seed needs something a little different to thrive, and the same goes for online retailers.
Every seed also needs these three things: food, water, and sunlight. Here are some of the benefits we consider to be the food, water, and sunlight of shopping feed management (AKA, the benefits).
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Improved visibility
Shopping feed management ensures that your product listings are well-optimized and highly visible in search results and product listings. This increased visibility can lead to more clicks and exposure to potential customers.
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Increased click-through rates (CTR) and conversions
Optimized product feeds are more likely to attract clicks, and presenting accurate product info that matches user intent can lead to higher conversion rates. Talk about a win-win!
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Enhanced relevance
Effective feed management ensures that your product data matches search queries and user intent, making your ads more relevant to potential customers. Relevant ads are more likely to convert into sales.
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Better Quality Score
Platforms like Google Ads assign Quality Scores to ads based on factors like relevance and landing page experience. Well-managed product feeds can contribute to higher quality scores, potentially reducing your cost per click (CPC).
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Maximized ROI
Effective feed management includes bid optimization and budget allocation strategies. This will help you get the most value from your ad budget, getting you a higher ROI.
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Dynamic updates
Outsourcing to an agency means you’ll have a dedicated team keeping your product feed up-to-date and accurate.
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Data-driven insights
By continually monitoring and analyzing performance metrics, feed management provides valuable insights into which products and strategies are working best, allowing for data-driven decision-making and ongoing optimization.
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Saves time and resources
Outsourcing feed management to experts allows you to focus on other aspects of your e-commerce business while ensuring that your advertising campaigns are professionally managed.
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Customization and targeting
Feed management can be tailored to specific target audiences, geographic regions, or other criteria, ensuring that your ads reach the right people at the right time.
When is It Time to Hire an Agency to Help With Shopping Feed Management?
It can be tricky to tell when it’s time to bring in an agency partner to help with something like shopping feed management, but never fear: that’s what this page is here for.
Hiring an agency can be a strategic decision for your online store, and knowing when to do it depends on several factors:
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Limited internal expertise
This one is easy. If you don’t already have members on your team with the necessary experience to optimize product feeds effectively, an agency can help with that.
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Lack of time and resources
Managing product feeds can be time-consuming. If your internal team is already stretched thin, outsourcing this task can free up valuable time and resources for other business initiatives.
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Inconsistent performance
Current shopping ads and product listings not delivering the expected clicks, conversions, or ROI? Then it might be time to bring in some expert management. An agency can audit your current strategy and make improvements.
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Complex inventory or catalog
As your product catalog grows, managing product feeds becomes more challenging (and time-consuming). If your inventory includes numerous products with lots of attributes, pricing structures, and promotional schedules, an agency can help streamline this process.
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Ad platform changes
Platforms often switch up their algorithms, policies, and features, so adapting your feed accordingly can be a full-time job. Agencies are typically more attuned to sales channel updates and can ensure your feed is compliant (and competitive).
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When it’s time to scale
Managing shopping feeds becomes more complex when you scale your advertising efforts across multiple platforms or regions. An agency can help you expand both strategically and efficiently.
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Desire for data-driven optimization
If you want to take a more data-driven approach but lack the tools or expertise to do so, an agency can be beneficial. At HawkSEM, we’re big data nerds.
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Account growth and diversification
As your ecommerce business grows and you explore other advertising channels, an agency can help manage and synchronize your feed across various platforms.
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Frequent feed updates
If your inventory experiences frequent changes in product availability, pricing, or additions, keeping your feed updated can be challenging. An agency can handle these updates efficiently, ultimately setting you up for success.
Shopping Feed Management Deliverables
Defining clear deliverables and expectations is the key to a successful partnership with any SEM agency. But what do those deliverables look like for shopping feed management? These are some to keep in mind when searching for your perfect agency partner.
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Proficiency in keyword research & optimization
Your agency partner should be well-versed in conducting ongoing keyword research to identify relevant search terms for your products. They should also have experience optimizing things like product titles, descriptions, and attributes effectively.
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Bid management
An SEM agency should have processes in place to develop and implement bidding strategies to optimize ad spend and maximize ROI. This includes adjusting bids for individual products based on performance data.
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Campaign setup & structure
Ask to see examples of successful shopping ad campaigns they’ve created. Look for things like:
- How they structure campaigns (based on categories, brands, or other relevant criteria)
- How they implement campaign settings such as location targeting, ad scheduling, and budget allocation
- How they approach seasonal and promotional campaign adjustment and maintenance
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Performance tracking & reporting
Your agency partner should be monitoring key performance metrics like CTR, conversion rates, ROI, and ROAS. They should also be providing regular reports and adjusting strategies based on performance data to improve campaign effectiveness.
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Competitive analysis
This involves analyzing what your competitors are doing by way of product listings and pricing. Agencies can use this analysis to inform your strategy and identify opportunities for improvement.
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Policy compliance
This may sound like a given, but it’s a big one. An agency partner should ensure that product listings adhere to the policies and guidelines of any advertising platforms you use. They should also be monitoring for policy changes and making any necessary adjustments.
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Data feed management troubleshooting capabilities
Your agency partner should be your go-to when it comes to identifying and resolving issues or errors in your data feed. Another piece of this is ensuring all required attributes are present and formatted correctly.
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ROI analysis and recommendations
An agency is there to help you, and as such, analysis and recommendations is a key deliverable to keep in mind. This includes insights for improving the overall ROAS from shopping ads and exploring opportunities for expanding or refining your efforts
It’s essential to discuss these deliverables and ensure they align with your specific business goals and objectives.
Additionally, consider the agency’s track record, experience with your industry, and the tools and technology they use to manage and optimize shopping feeds effectively.
Here’s an example of deliverables HawkSEM can help with:
- Choosing the right product data input method
- Optimizing merchant settings
- Setting up ecommerce search ad campaigns
- In-depth keyword research
- Updating product feeds
- Title and description testing
- Implementing high-quality images
- Customized strategy to help you reach the right people at the right time.
Power Up Your Shopping Feed Management
You deserve an agency that can deliver results like these
Results Are Everything
HawkSEM in 90 seconds
What Makes Us Stand Out
We’re marketing scientists at heart. Our team is made up of senior-level marketing managers who are well-versed in all things digital marketing (and how to add a human touch).
As a result, each client gets a dedicated team of professionals with intimate knowledge of your business’s needs.
Our proprietary technology, ConversionIQ, helps streamline this personalized process. This tool is built to provide actionable insights, full-funnel attribution, and high-quality conversions that continuously improve your bottom line.
Plus, here are a few other things we think you’ll love:
HawkSEM is a Google Premier Partner
This distinction means that Google recognizes us in the top 3% of participating companies based on factors such as annual ad spend, product diversification, and client growth.
And while digital marketing involves plenty of technology and tools, we always focus on the human touch, giving our clients the hands-on experience they deserve (for proof, look no further than our 98% retention rate.) At the end of the day, we know the most effective marketing centers on people and connections, not just search engine results.
Contracts? Don’t Know Her
That means no-hassle flat fees, month-to-month pricing, and no obligation to continue if you’re unhappy with your results.
Free Consultation
We’re passionate about significantly improving your digital marketing results. Along with shopping feed management, we offer a full suite of PPC and SEM services to help you reach your business goals.
Sound good? We’d love to chat.
Meet The Team
We make things happen …but don’t take our word for it:
CSUN
Patch of Land
Google Partner
Google Premier Agency
The Bottom Line
Effective shopping feed management takes a skilled team of professionals to get the results you want. And when done right, it can be a real game changer for CTR, ROI, and lots of other fancy marketing acronyms.
But when it comes to shopping feed management, not just any ol’ agency will do.
For a successful partnership, you need to be aligned on deliverables and expectations. And once you know what you’re looking for, you can find the perfect agency partner to suit your needs.
Curious about how HawkSEM can help your ecommerce business grow?
FAQs About Shopping Feed Management
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What is shopping feed management?
Shopping feed management is the process of optimizing and maintaining product data feeds for online advertising platforms like Google Shopping and Bing Shopping.
It involves ensuring that product information, such as titles, descriptions, prices, and images, is accurate and well-structured for maximum visibility and relevance in search results.
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Why is Shopping feed management important for ecommerce businesses?
Shopping feed management is crucial because it directly impacts the visibility and performance of your products in online advertising campaigns.
Well-optimized product feeds lead to better ad placements, higher click-through rates, and increased conversions, ultimately driving more sales and revenue.
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How much does shopping feed management cost?
Cost can range from $1,500 – $5,000+ per month. Shopping feed management can vary widely depending on several factors, including the complexity of your ecommerce operations, the size of your product catalog, and the scope of the advertising campaigns.
To get an accurate cost estimate, it’s advisable to request quotes or proposals from shopping feed management agencies. Some agencies (like us!) offer free consultations.
Be sure to outline your requirements and goals to receive tailored pricing information.
Request a Free Consultation
No BS, just results. Average clients see a 4.5x ROI
- Dramatically improve ROI
- Outperform the competition
- Increase conversion volume
- Better track ROI
- Reduce cost per acquisition
- Improve lead quality