Store XML feeds: accurate product data for every sales channel

The same product needs different representations across channels. We create exports that follow each destination’s requirements and make rejections and discrepancies visible.

Start with a clean catalogue and stable identifiers. Each destination gets its own mapping for categories, attributes and mandatory fields. Do not reshape the entire commercial catalogue merely to satisfy one feed. A price-comparison service, advertising catalogue and marketplace serve different purposes. Product export does not replace order or fulfilment integration. Shared source data can support them all while channel-specific rules remain independent and reviewable.

Define which price is sent, how promotions are represented and what delivery information is required. Prices must agree with the corresponding product page and store terms. Supplier availability, physical stock and preorders must not collapse into a generic available flag. Each channel receives supported availability indicators and lead times. Where a destination has limited options, select a valid conservative mapping rather than promising a delivery time the business cannot meet.

Check how sizes, colours, parent products and separate references are represented. A product family should not appear as unrelated duplicates. Records missing required facts enter a report and may be temporarily excluded. Avoid invented GTINs and randomly chosen categories. Data quality matters before merely producing syntactically valid XML. Images also need stable accessible URLs, while descriptions require appropriate encoding and escaping for the destination format.

Generate the feed on an agreed schedule and publish the completed version atomically. Recipients should not read a half-written file. Retain the latest valid output, generation time and product count. Check whether the channel receives and processes the data: successful file generation does not imply acceptance. Sudden changes in record counts or processing errors require alerts, with clear responsibility for correcting catalogue data or destination mappings.

Test price changes, stock depletion, new variants, product withdrawal and inaccessible images. Compare samples in the export, store and destination. The team sees rejected records, reasons and the last successful update. Connecting a new channel starts with its current specification and the access granted to the merchant account. Initial rollouts should use a limited product sample before expanding, so category rules and identifiers can be verified without affecting the complete catalogue.