Info on Product Feeds

[ianm]

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Just found this in the Affiliate Chronicle page on TD.

Sounds like the system will have all the functionality that a number of us want.

Product feeds
As you all know by now, most sales and leads come from deep links, product links and text links rather than traditional branding banners. As a consequence we have urged all our advertisers to allow all their affiliated web sites a large degree of freedom when it comes to selecting the destination URLs for campaigns and programs that they are participating in. However, the time has come to take this one step further.

Advertisers´ product catalogues directly to your website
The development team at TradeDoubler has now completed the installation of an automated product feed functionality and our sales and marketing offices around Europe are busy implementing this with our advertisers.

Basically the advertiser will publish an XML file on their servers that the TradeDoubler system will pick up and download to our servers automatically, on a regular basis. The product catalogues will then be made available for publishers on www.tradedoubler.com. The publisher can then choose to have our system send them an XML file for a particular advertiser and/or certain products from many different advertisers, for instance all DVDs of "Buffy the vampire slayer".

The product information, such as price, availability etc will remain updated through the XML link to TradeDoubler and in turn to the advertiser. In addition you can chose exactly how you want these products to be displayed to your users, by applying a style sheet to your liking. We have prepared a number of typical style sheets, but you can also use your own design through a style sheet of your own.

Those of you that have JSP/ASP (or equivalent) capabilities will be given access to the entire product catalogue of an advertiser, sent to you as an XML file. We will apply this restriction as those that want to work with an entire product catalogue will be forced to have intermediate storage facility for the products, as the load on our system otherwise will be too great.

Improved product linking
Depending on your technical capabilities and your traffic levels there are many different ways in which you will profit from this functionality. For one, it will be very easy to create specific landing pages for bought traffic, as well as storefronts, product lists, shopping sections etc. Practically speaking, your will more easily be able to create specific product links, choosing from hundreds of different products from various advertisers, on your website with detailed and updated information as well as pictures regarding the item that you wish to push.

Through this functionality you will have wide range of possible destination URLs that will remain updated, a tool to display the information in an appropriate manner and in addition you will have statistics, which will allow you to follow up on products sold and commission earned, thereby facilitating and improving your opportunity to make the performance-marketing scheme more profitable for all parties.

It should be noted that this is a first release, in an area in which we aim to invest considerable resources; so all feedback is highly welcome! Please contact support.uk@tradedoubler.com if you have questions or if you want to give feedback.

Release date
The product feeds will be released to you at the latest on Wednesday the 15th of October. You will find it once logged on, under "Product search" in the main menu.

[drivetowin]

It sounds superb - if its as good as it sounds then a big big thumbs up to TD.

With what AF are doing as well it looks like it should be a bumper Xmas.

[uklejon]

Sends great!

But, can we download the full feed in CSV or Excell.


Carol

[uklejon]

I've got 2000, can't see a XML thingy on the list.

Must be a way of converting it though......i'll have a search.

Thanks Consultant......the thigs you learn....

Take Care

Carol

[Consultant]

can we download the full feed in CSV or Excell

If you can use excel data, you can use xml, ie. open the xml file from excel, save it as csv or xls, whatever you like.

Check your version of excel to see if it will allow you to open xml.

File > Open > Files of Type > xml

I believe versions 9(2000) and 10(XP) allow xml interpretation.

Ain't computers brilliant?

[drivetowin]

Well today should be the day for the product feeds to go live - come on guys I'm twitching in anticipation

[watcher]

So - where are they ?

[uklejon]

Good things come to those who wait!!!

These feeds should be great for sites that specialise in certain areas.....no loading up an entire datafeed just to use 10 products from it.

Where is it TD?

Take Care

Carol

[getvisible]

created a site off line to utilise what I think is on offer - but nothing to use yet - ooh I just need it now!

[drivetowin]

The silence on this from TD is deafening - maybe they are going to surprise us all this evening

[uklejon]

Originally posted by kbudden
The silence on this from TD is deafening - maybe they are going to surprise us all this evening

Or next week