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Smart Feed: Creating a Facebook Feed

To sell products on Facebook, you first need to upload product information to the Facebook Catalog. This is done through a feed, a structured data file typically in XML or CSV format that contains your product details.

This guide explains how to create a Facebook Feed using Smart Feed, a powerful SHOPLINE tool designed to manage and optimize your product data. You'll then upload this feed to your Facebook Catalog, enabling your products to reach a wider audience across Meta platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

 

 

How to Create a Facebook Feed

Follow these steps to create a Facebook Feed using SHOPLINE’s Smart Feed:

  1. In your Smart Feed app, go to Feed > Meta and click New feed.
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  2. In the pop-up window, select Meta as the channel and click Add feed.
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  3. On the Basic information page, configure the following: 
    • Feed name: Enter a descriptive name for easy identification and management.
    • Generate data immediately: If enabled, the system will instantly generate the Facebook Feed XML file.

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  1. On the subsequent Product upload rules page, specify the rules for the products you want to upload:

    • Select product upload range: 

      • Fixed upload rules: Choose from All products, Specify product collection, or Specify product tags to define the product range. When setting product collections or tags, you can use the Include/Exclude options to quickly determine which collections or tags to apply.
        Note: Product tags are the labels you assign on each product's settings page in the Products module. To create tags, go to the specific product's settings page, locate the Tags section, and add tags as needed.
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      • Custom upload rules: Based on various conditions such as product title, SEO title, SKU, product collection, product tag, and product brand, along with keywords to include or exclude, you can flexibly set custom upload rules. 
          • Each custom rule can include up to 3 condition groups, and each condition group can have up to 20 conditions.
          • The relationship between conditions within a group is "AND," meaning the system will upload only products that meet all specified conditions within that group.

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      • Product variants: If a product has multiple variants, you can choose to Upload all variants or Upload the first variant only.
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    • Set filtering rules: Use the following options to filter out products that do not comply with platform guidelines or align with your advertising strategy:
      • Filter sensitive products: If you select Yes, the system will automatically filter out products containing sensitive terms based on Facebook's advertising policies and Smart Feed's sensitive word library.
      • Filter specific products: By selecting Yes, you can manually choose to exclude specific products from the upload list.

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  1. Configure the product fields you want to sync to Facebook Catalog. This includes required fields such as product ID, title, and description, as well as up to 61 optional custom fields like product type, SEO title, SEO description, and shipping weight.
    Note: Fields that are not configured will be uploaded based on the system’s default rules. You can also update field settings at any time after the feed is created.
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  2. After completing the setup, click Review sample items to verify that the correct products are being uploaded according to your settings.
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  3. If everything looks correct, click Save and view product to finalize the feed creation.
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  4. In the Meta list, click the Link icon (paperclip symbol). In the pop-up window, click Generate xml link. The link will typically be generated within 5 minutes. Copy and save it for later use.
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  5. Upload the Facebook Feed XML to Facebook Catalog:
    9.1 Log in to your Meta for Business account.
    9.2 Go to Settings > Data Sources > Catalog.
    9.3 Select the relevant catalog, then click Add Products > Data Feed.
    9.4 Paste the copied Facebook Feed XML link and complete the upload process.

 

 

Product ID Field Rules

By default, Smart Feed uses the Product SKU ID as the Product ID. However, the following formats are also supported:

  • Product SKU ID (default)
  • Product SKU
  • Product SKU_Product SPU ID
  • Product SKU_Target Market_Target Language
  • Product SKU ID_Target Market_Target Language
  • Product SPU ID
Notes:
  • The default setting uses the Product SKU ID as the Product ID. To use an alternative format, please contact SHOPLINE Support for assistance.
  • If you select Product SKU as the rule, ensure that each product in your store has a unique SKU. Failure to do so may result in the following issues:
    • Products without a SKU cannot be uploaded.
    • If multiple products share the same SKU, data conflicts may occur, potentially leading to data overwriting.
  • If you use Product SPU ID, the system will synchronize the first SKU associated with that SPU. The item ID synchronized to Facebook will be the SPU ID.

 

 

Product Video Link Field Rules

Smart Feed now supports a Product video links field, enabling merchants to enhance conversion rates through video content. Follow these steps to configure this setting:

  1. In the Smart Feed app, go to Meta > Product field rules.
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  2. Locate the Product video links option and select All video links.
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  3. The system will automatically extract all locally uploaded video links associated with your products and synchronize them to the Facebook Catalog.
Notes:
  • Only locally uploaded videos are supported. Video links from external platforms such as YouTube are not supported.
  • Each video file must not exceed 200MB. Supported formats include common types such as .mp4, .avi, .mov, .wmv, .mpeg, etc. (See the full list below.)
  • Smart Feed will automatically filter out any unsupported video formats and will only synchronize valid videos to the Facebook Catalog.

 

Viewing Product Videos in Meta Business Manager

To view your product videos within the Meta Business Manager, the following conditions must be met:

  • The catalog must be linked to a Pixel that has successfully reported at least one conversion event (e.g., PageView, AddToCart).
  • The catalog must have active ad spend.

Once both of these conditions are satisfied, you will be able to view your product videos in the Meta Business Manager.

 

Supported Video Formats (Full List)

.3g2, .3gp, .3gpp, .asf, .avi, .dat, .divx, .dv, .f4v, .flv, .gif, .m2ts, .m4v, .mkv, .mod, .mov, .mp4, .mpe, .mpeg, .mpeg4, .mpg, .mts, .nsv, .ogm, .ogv, .qt, .tod, .ts, .vob, .wmv

 

 

UTM Parameter Settings 

UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) parameters are a standard method for tracking traffic sources across various online platforms. When used in conjunction with analytics tools, they offer granular insights into the performance of your social media campaigns.

For businesses managing multiple sales channels and stores, UTM parameters are invaluable for attribution. They enable you to pinpoint the precise origin of conversions, including specific channel and store information.

Currently, Smart Feed supports feed synchronization for four major platforms: Google, Facebook, Pinterest, and TikTok. Based on your business needs, you can choose whether to include UTM parameters in product links within the feed and customize both the parameter names and values.

Notes:
  • UTM parameters do not affect how users access your website or the functionality of your landing pages. Their sole purpose is for attribution and data analysis.
  • If you configure UTM parameters through Smart Feed, it is crucial to avoid including the same parameters in your ad's landing page URL settings. Doing so can lead to value conflicts or overwriting of data.

 

 

SKU ID Parameter Settings

The SKU ID is the unique identifier for an individual inventory unit of a product. It distinguishes products based on their specific variations, such as style, size, and color.

This parameter primarily serves to guide Facebook to precise product variations and display products at the SKU level when its system crawls data and when users click on product links.

If you are using SPU (Stock Keeping Unit Parent) to synchronize your products, you can choose to omit synchronizing this parameter. In this scenario, clicking a product link will, by default, direct users to the first variation listed under that SPU.

However, if you are synchronizing products using individual SKUs, it is recommended to synchronize the SKU ID parameter. This practice helps prevent discrepancies between the product link and the specific product variation the user is directed to.

 

 

Variant Information Setting Rules

The variant details of your products, including attributes like color, material, pattern, and size, are sourced from the product details page within the Products section. To ensure Smart Feed can access and synchronize these values with the Facebook Catalog, merchants need to configure the style values according to the formats supported by Smart Feed.

The style values must adhere to one of the following formats (case insensitive) to be recognized by the Smart Feed app:

Product Color Product Size Product Material Product Pattern
颜色 尺寸 材质 图案
顏色 尺寸 材質 圖案
color tamaño material pattern
colour tamanho materiale patrón
choose your color größe materiaal padrão
choose your colour taglia matériel muster
choose the color maat hair design modello
choose the colour taille   patroon
cor Tailles   modèle
farbe Herrengröße    
colore Herrengröße (M Weite)    
kleur SIZE UK    
couleur base size    
hair color      
Note: To request the addition of new style value definition rules, please contact SHOPLINE Support for assistance.

 

 

Smart Feed Filtering Rules

Smart Feed employs two categories of filtering rules:

  • Specified filtering rules: These are rules that merchants actively define during the commodity upload setup to prevent violations of Facebook Catalog policies.
  • Default Filtering Rules:  These are pre-configured rules within Smart Feed that automatically filter out non-compliant products based on Facebook Catalog policies.
Specified Filtering Rules Default Filtering Rules
Specified Product Collection - Doesn’t fit in any product collection in the Including setting Product is deleted from the main site
Specified Product Collection - Fits in a product collection in the Excluding setting Product is in Deactivated status
Specified Product Tag - Does not fit in any product tag in the Including setting Product ID is empty
Specified Product Tag - Fits in a product tag in the Excluding setting Product ID is too long
Custom Upload Rules - Doesn’t comply with custom upload rules Abnormal product type
Multiple Styles - Doesn’t fit for products that Upload the first variant only Product is a Frozen product for risk control
Product title contains sensitive words The inventory of non-oversold products is non-positive
Product description contains sensitive words Product title is empty
Product highlights contain sensitive words Product description is empty
Products in the specified product collection in the specified country/region that do not contain the specified mandatory shopping attributes. Product price is empty
Filter specified products Product’s inventory status isn’t specified
  Product link is empty
  Product’s main image link is empty
  Product’s promotion price is greater than its regular price
  Product information in the language set for feed is not available
  Product doesn’t have a unique product identification code
  Product GTIN does not meet the specifications
  The weight of the product shipping package exceeds the specified range
  Hidden Products
  The Sales channel of product doesn’t include the Online store
  The Sales channel of the product includes the Online store, but the product isn’t active at the moment
  Duplicate product ID
  Unable to pull GMC product status
  Products don’t exist in the current store