> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.impact.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.impact.com/brand/what-would-you-like-to-learn-about/platform-features/product-catalogs/product-catalog-best-practices.md). # Product Catalog Best Practices An accurate, up-to-date, and visible product catalog helps your brand maximize sales, build strong partnerships, and avoid costly errors like duplicates or outdated data that could lead to lost opportunities. To support this, your goal should be to create and maintain an excellent product catalog. This article covers the key do’s and don’ts to keep your catalog accurate, current, and visible to partners, helping you prevent mistakes that could impact your business. ## Product catalog do's Below is a list of best practices you should follow to create high-quality product catalogs, with guidance tailored to key fields and functional areas. These recommendations will help ensure your catalog data is accurate, complete, and optimized for visibility and performance on Marketplace surfaces like the Product Marketplace and Mobile App.
Complete all critical fields accurately To have your products appear in areas where partners can see and interact with them, your catalog must include accurate and complete data in the required fields. See [Product Catalog Field Requirements](/brand/what-would-you-like-to-learn-about/platform-features/product-catalogs/product-catalog-field-requirements.md) for the full list of fields. Any products missing these fields may be excluded from Marketplace surfaces like the Product Marketplace and Mobile App. The `Manufacturer` field is especially important, since it holds the product's brand and powers the *Top Product Brands* filter partners use on the Product Marketplace.
Handle variants and avoid duplicates * List each product variant (size, color, etc.) as a separate line with its own unique ID, image, and price. * Use `Parent SKU` (indicating which parent product a variant belongs to) and `Is Parent` (marking whether an item is the parent itself) to link related product variants together. * Review health reports regularly to identify and fix duplicate entries, as only the first instance will be displayed.
Maintain manufacturer and brand data quality * Use consistent naming conventions (e.g., always “Nike,” never “Nike Inc.”). Inconsistent names can split your products across several entries when partners filter by brand. * Complete manufacturer fields to enhance search accuracy and data deduplication. * Partners can search by product brand and filter by *Top Product Brands* on the Product Marketplace, using the values from your `Manufacturer` field, making your products easier to find and promote.
Keep catalogs updated regularly * Update your catalog daily to reflect current products, offers, prices, stock, etc. For exceptionally large catalogs, provide a full catalog weekly instead, or regular supplementary updates via API as needed. * Catalogs that go without updates for an extended period of time may be closed to preserve the quality and accuracy of the Marketplace experience.
Fix errors and monitor catalog health * Address all reported errors, warnings, and duplicate entries promptly to ensure your catalogs remain accurate and fully functional. Learn more about [troubleshooting product catalogs](/brand/what-would-you-like-to-learn-about/platform-features/product-catalogs/troubleshoot-product-catalog-errors-and-warnings.md).
Map custom fields properly * For custom catalogs, ensure all fields map correctly to the standard catalog format to avoid missing product info for partners.
Add fields for Retail Media Seller programs When working with sellers through [Retailer Seller partnerships](/brand/what-would-you-like-to-learn-about/seller-program/beta-seller-for-retailers/im-a-retailer/seller-explained-for-retailers.md), your catalog needs to contain additional fields so products can be correctly mapped to sellers. * Include the `Seller ID`, `Seller Name`, and `Retail Strategy` fields. * If multiple sellers offer the same product, include a row for each seller's offer, not only one row for the winning offer (i.e., include all buy box contenders, not just the buy box winner). * See [Product Catalog Field Requirements](/brand/what-would-you-like-to-learn-about/platform-features/product-catalogs/product-catalog-field-requirements.md) to learn more about the mandatory fields and additional catalog requirements for Seller.
## Product catalog don'ts Below is a list of common mistakes to avoid when creating product catalogs, highlighting key fields and functional areas where errors frequently occur. Ignoring these guidelines can lead to inaccurate, incomplete, and poorly optimized catalog data, negatively impacting visibility and performance on the Product Marketplace.
Don’t leave critical fields blank or use placeholders * Missing or placeholder values block product visibility and reduce partner engagement.
Don’t let catalogs remain in an error state * Catalogs with unresolved errors for over 30 days may be closed but can be reopened after fixes.
Don’t ignore outdated catalogs * Catalogs that go without updates for an extended period of time may be closed to preserve the quality and accuracy of the Marketplace experience.
Don’t allow duplicate entries to persist * Duplicates clutter the Marketplace and reduce visibility; only the first duplicate is shown.
Don’t skip mapping for custom fields * Unmapped custom fields limit product data visibility for your partners.
Don’t leave optional but valuable fields empty * Fields like product description and category help partners find your products and improve the overall experience.
## Additional resources Below are additional resources to help you with specific aspects of managing your product catalog. Each article complements different parts of this best practices guide to resolve issues, optimize your catalog, and maintain data quality. * [**File Formats for Product Catalogs**](/brand/what-would-you-like-to-learn-about/platform-features/product-catalogs/file-formats-for-product-catalogs.md) — Understand acceptable file formats and prepare your catalog files correctly. Use this before you submit a catalog. * [**Add Product Catalogs as a Brand**](/brand/what-would-you-like-to-learn-about/platform-features/product-catalogs/add-product-catalogs-as-a-brand.md) — Follow step-by-step instructions to submit a catalog under your brand account. Use this to get started correctly. * [**Troubleshoot Product Catalog Errors & Warnings**](/brand/what-would-you-like-to-learn-about/platform-features/product-catalogs/troubleshoot-product-catalog-errors-and-warnings.md) — Diagnose and fix common errors, warnings, and duplicates. Use this to keep your catalog healthy and visible. * [**Manage & View Uploaded Product Catalogs**](/brand/what-would-you-like-to-learn-about/platform-features/product-catalogs/manage-and-view-uploaded-product-catalogs.md) — Update, maintain, and organize your catalogs after upload. Use this to keep your data current. * [**Create & Manage Product Catalog Rules**](/brand/what-would-you-like-to-learn-about/platform-features/product-catalogs/create-and-manage-product-catalog-rules.md) — Customize catalog rules to handle variants, avoid duplicates, and optimize data display. --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter: ``` GET https://help.impact.com/brand/what-would-you-like-to-learn-about/platform-features/product-catalogs/product-catalog-best-practices.md?ask=&goal= ``` `ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. `goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.