Channel Operators 101

Tools, apps and e-commerce websites

January 30, 2023

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.