Catalog Feed

February 9, 2026

Written by

Marpipe Team

average reading time: 2 minutes

A catalog feed is the file/API that lists SKUs and attributes for ad platforms. Learn structure and best practices.

MArpipe Team

February 9, 2026

Brief Definition

A catalog feed is a structured file or API that lists your products and their attributes for ad platforms.

Understanding Catalog Feeds

Catalog feeds include required fields like id, title, price, availability, and image_link that platforms need to serve catalog ads. Optional fields like brand, ratings, sale_price, and custom_labels improve performance by adding context that influences targeting and creative rendering. Clean, complete feeds reduce disapprovals and unlock better placement eligibility. Enriched feeds enable dynamic templates to pull the right data for each SKU, improving relevance and CTR.

Feed structure matters as much as content. Use stable IDs that never recycle, maintain accurate pricing and availability, and refresh feeds daily or faster during promotions. Validate feeds regularly to catch errors, broken images, and policy violations before they cause disapprovals. Segment inventory with custom labels and product sets to enable precise targeting and reporting. Feed quality compounds—small improvements in completeness and accuracy lift performance across thousands of variants.

Why Catalog Feeds matter

Catalog feeds matter because they are required to run catalog ads and directly influence ad eligibility, relevance, and performance. Rich attributes improve matching and CTR by giving platforms more context to work with. Clean feeds power dynamic rendering across placements, enabling scale without manual work.

• Eligibility: Required to run catalog ads.
• Relevance: Rich attributes improve matching and CTR.
• Scale: Power dynamic rendering across platforms.

How Marpipe Helps

• The Challenge: Managing catalog feeds across multiple platforms requires ongoing validation, enrichment, and error checking. Missing attributes, broken images, and policy violations lead to disapprovals and wasted spend. Manually maintaining feed quality and refreshing data becomes unsustainable as catalog size grows.
• Marpipe's Solution: Marpipe's feed management tools validate your catalog feed, catch errors before they cause disapprovals, and enrich attributes automatically. The platform integrates with your ecommerce store to keep pricing, availability, and product data in sync. Custom labels and product sets help you segment inventory without manual CSV editing. Feed health dashboards highlight issues before they impact performance.
• Proof Points: Brands using Marpipe's feed management see 95%+ feed approval rates and reduce time spent on feed maintenance by 80%. Automated enrichment adds missing attributes that improve targeting and creative quality.
• CTA: Explore Feed Management and see how Marpipe keeps your catalog feed healthy and enriched.

Key Takeaways

• A catalog feed is a structured file (XML, CSV, JSON) containing product data for dynamic ads.
• Keep feeds accurate, complete, and enriched with titles, images, prices, and availability.
• Use custom labels and product sets to segment inventory for better targeting and reporting.
• Feed quality directly affects ad approval, relevance, and performance.

Get a free catalog consultation

Jonathan Boozer

Catalog Expert

FAQ

01

Should I use CSV or API for my catalog feed?

Both work—use API for real-time updates and dynamic inventory; use CSV for simplicity and easier troubleshooting.

02

Why are items disapproved in my catalog feed?

Items are disapproved due to missing required fields, policy violations, broken images, or mismatched price/availability between feed and site.

03

How often should I update my catalog feed?

Update your catalog feed daily at minimum; increase to hourly or real-time during promotions or when inventory changes frequently.

04

What are custom labels in a catalog feed?

Custom labels are optional feed fields you define to segment products by margin, performance, seasonality, or other criteria for targeting and reporting.

05

Can I run catalog ads without a catalog feed?

No—catalog ads require a structured catalog feed that lists products and attributes; the feed is mandatory for dynamic rendering.