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Channel Operators 101

Channel Operators 101

Channel Operators in ShoppingFeeder are customization features that allow merchants to adjust their product data (e.g. product title, description, price, etc.) for each individual feed on their chosen marketing channels, like Google Shopping, Microsoft Ads, TikTok Ads, and Facebook Marketplace.

Accurate product data enables more efficiency, productivity, and customer satisfaction. Furthermore, because product feed quality is rare, accurate product data is a unique selling point and provides better marketing opportunities.

What do Channel Operators Do?

Channel operators create and manage online sales strategies for a company’s products across multiple channels such as marketplaces, social media, and the company’s website. They establish broad rules to improve product listings, including optimized titles and competitive pricing, while maintaining the integrity of the company’s product data. The goal of channel operators is to increase product visibility and accessibility for potential customers on the chosen sales channels.

Benefits of using Channel Operators for your product data feed

  • Increased accuracy in product data
  • Better compliance with specific requirements of each channel
  • Streamlined data management process
  • Customized product information for each feed
  • Improved overall efficiency in product data management

How to use Channel Operators

To access the Channel Operators, go to Feed Management > Channel Management and select the Field Operator Gear icon for the desired channel.

Your operation is what the broad rule does and consists of the field, modifier, and value:

Data Fields

These are the various product data fields or attributes that merchants can modify using Channel Operators in ShoppingFeeder

  • id: Unique identifier for a product
  • brand: Brand name of the product
  • manufacturer: Manufacturer of the product
  • title: Product title or name
  • raw_description: Unprocessed product description
  • description: Processed product description
  • raw_short_description: Unprocessed short product description
  • short_description: Processed short product description
  • sku: Stock Keeping Unit, a unique identifier for the product assigned by the merchant
  • gtin: Global Trade Item Number, a unique identifier for a product used in retail
  • mpn: Manufacturer Part Number, a unique identifier for a product assigned by the manufacturer
  • weight: Weight of the product
  • condition: Physical condition of the product (e.g. new, used, refurbished)
  • currency: Currency in which the price of the product is expressed
  • price: Price of the product
  • sale_price: Sale price of the product
  • tax: Tax applied to the product
  • delivery_cost: Cost of delivering the product
  • availablility: Availability of the product for sale (e.g. in stock, out of stock)
  • quantity: Quantity of the product available for sale
  • url: URL for the product page on the merchant’s website
  • shipping_class: Shipping class for the product, determining shipping costs and options.

Modifiers

There are different operations (modifiers) to choose from such as multiplying, replacing, appending, etc. The merchant can select the field to be modified (e.g. product title, price, description, etc.) and the type of modification to make. For example, a merchant can multiply the product price by 1.17 to add VAT or replace a certain text in the product description.

For example, the operation applies 17% VAT to Nike Shoes

“Select Modifier” refers to the type of modification you want to make to the selected field. Modifiers include:

  • multiply – to multiply value by your input 
  • equal – change value to equal your input value 
  • uppercase_words – to make a string sentence case 
  • String – This uses letters, words, and phrases throughout your product feed
  • standard_replace – replace with a value you enter 
  • regex_replace* – replace the value with an expression. e.g. look for something that is a four-letter (*advanced use)
  • template – append fields to the initial field 

The rule involves the conditions in which the operation is done for the products. Additionally, rules can be applied to make these changes only for specific products. For example, the merchant can specify that only products within a certain weight range have a certain shipping class.

For example, products between 200kg and 999kg fall under a certain shipping class

Examples of what you can do with Channel Operators:

  • Append your brand name to your product titles

  • Remove Promotional text from your product descriptions

With Channel Operators, your options are endless. Channel Operators are a great way to ensure product data accuracy, quickly and efficiently.

Be sure to double-check your product data feed file once you’ve completed customization. All you need to do is click the magnifying glass under “Options” in each marketing channel.

Conclusion

Channel Operators in ShoppingFeeder allow merchants to customize their product data for each individual feed on their chosen marketing channels, improving accuracy and compliance with channel requirements. Channel Operators provide various operations (modifiers) to modify data fields such as product title, price, description, etc. Channel Operators also offer the ability to set conditions and apply changes only to specific products. The end result is a streamlined data management process, improved efficiency and better marketing opportunities.

Further reading:

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