Product catalog FAQs

XML provides a structured format that supports global localization and handles complex product relationships more robustly than text files. It eliminates common data errors by allowing you to safely include special characters and commas without risking file corruption.

The feed acts as a master identity card that allows the system to match customer transactions to specific products. When a match is found, it triggers automated review request emails (RRE) to your customers.

Your feed must include all of the following elements: Feed, Brands, Categories, and Products. For more details, refer to XML schema and data requirements.

• Full feed: Contains your entire product catalog. When processed, any products in the Bazaarvoice database not included in the full feed are marked as inactive.
• Incremental feed: Includes only new or updated data. It provides faster updates, but it does not change the status of products already in the database that are missing from the incremental file.
  
  

  Tip: Upload one complete full feed daily and use incremental feeds for updates throughout the day.

UPC, EAN, and ISBN are the most commonly used product identifiers. Product matching and review syndication highly rely on these identifiers.

To successfully match products across the retail network (syndication), you must provide at least one of the following: UPCs, EANs, or ISBNs. Providing multiple values or manufacturer part numbers significantly improves the matching rate.

The XML format supports global localization by allowing multiple <Name>, <Description>, and <ImageUrl> elements within a single product entry. Each localized element must include a locale attribute (e.g., locale="fr_CA") to specify the language and region. 

Starting in schema v14.3, length and numerical constraints for UPC, EAN, and ISBN attributes are no longer enforced at the schema level. However, if an incoming value doesn't match the expected format, ingestion will fail for that invalid GTIN—it is not accepted or stored.

For valid GTINs, downstream systems normalize the value to 14 digits for matching purposes, but the catalog does not store this normalized version; clients will continue to see the raw value they originally provided in the Portal.

Yes, both can be provided together; manual changes in the Product Catalog application in Portal take priority and generally aren't overwritten by the next feed for the same attribute.

Product/ExternalIDsare case-insensitive in Bazaarvoice's system. To perform a bulk case correction, please contact Bazaarvoice Support.

Yes. Attributes is limited to 32 characters.

Yes, you can use product families to share user-generated content (UGC) across related items like different colors or sizes. This helps increase your overall review coverage and average ratings across your catalog.

Product variants are nearly identical items that typically share reviews in all directions, while bundles are groups of products where reviews usually flow from the individual components to the main bundle. Variants are best managed as a family if they each have a unique display page. For more details, refer to Type of product families.

You can define custom attributes in your XML feed to capture unique details like material or region. Once added to the feed, these must be enabled in the Portal configuration to appear in your dashboards and reports. For more details, refer to Filter catalog data based on custom attributes.

Brands and categories must have unique, stable ExternalId values that do not change, even if the display name changes.

• Brands: Can be declared in a global <Brands> block or within individual <Product> elements.
• Categories:  Required to establish your site's organizational structure. You can create a hierarchy by using the <ParentExternalId> element to nest subcategories. For detailed instructions refer to Define a product category hierarchy.

1. The recommended approach is to use the separate <Categories> block with <CategoryExternalId> on products.
2. <CategoryPath> is a valid alternative, but do not specify both of these attributes on the same product.

Category hierarchy is viewable in the Portal under Product Catalog > Categories, but there isn't a built-in report showing all products against the full category/subcategory hierarchy in one view for large catalogs.

Ensure the Category column value, category name attribute, and CategoryID column value are strictly aligned. Any mismatch among these three values will result in row-level import failures.

Upload a single, complete full feed once per day, followed by incremental feeds to reflect updates throughout the day. Avoid sending multiple full feeds daily to prevent unnecessary system load and performance issues.

Feeds are processed starting at 2 AM Central Time (CST/CDT). Because processing and syndication can take time, Bazaarvoice recommends adding new products to the feed at least 24 hours before a product launch to ensure review links are active.

Yes, Bazaarvoice performs automated catalog cleanups for data that has been inactive and unused for 12 months. This mandatory process helps maintain reporting accuracy and system performance.

You can view the import summary and error counts in the Portal by selecting More > Product Catalog > Feed > Validate Product Feed.

• Full feed: incremental="false" marks anything omitted as inactive.
• Incremental feed: incremental="true"does not deactivate omitted items.
• For clients using incremental feeds, the recommendation is to send a single clean full feed where possible; if truly split, use the multi-source catalog approach with incremental feeds plus Bazaarvoice Managed Inactivity (with a grace period) and feed monitoring/alerts.

Product catalogs change frequently, often creating discrepancies between your system of record and your Bazaarvoice product catalog. Bazaarvoice Managed Inactivity automates catalog maintenance:

• Automatic status updates: Automatically marks products as inactive if they are missing from incoming product feed imports.
• Bazaarvoice-managed timelines: The inactivity threshold period is set and managed directly by Bazaarvoice.

1. A single clean daily full feed is the recommended long-term default for simplicity and a clear source of truth.
2. Multi-source is meant for genuinely separate PIM/e-commerce systems, not as a workaround for a badly configured single feed; if you use a multi-source feed, pair it with Bazaarvoice Managed Inactivity and monitored feed alerts.

Large full feeds are not recommended (slower processing, higher stale-data risk); the standard approach is adding removed="true" to items in an incremental feed rather than uploading an oversized full feed.

No. You can reuse your standard Google feed directly. Just ensure it complies with Google's feed specifications so ingestion does not fail. Non-compliant feeds will fail to ingest. 

The system ingests only the first GTIN per product and ignores additional values. Do not use this ingestion method if your catalog requires multiple GTINs; use a standard XML feed file instead.

No. Google product feeds are processed as single-locale feeds. If you need to support multiple languages or regions, please use a standard XML feed file instead. 

Portal edits take priority over updates from catalog feeds or DCC by default, preventing subsequent feeds from overwriting manual changes. Source priority rules are not configurable via self-service. To reset field priority, please contact Bazaarvoice Support. 

Exception: Array-type fields (e.g., UPC, EAN) are an exception and will append new feed data instead of preserving only the Portal value. This exception is based on the import processing override settings; contact Bazaarvoice Support for assistance.

1. Portal imports take source priority by default, so they will not be overridden by the live feed; however, Array-type fields (e.g., UPC, EAN) are an exception and will append new feed data instead of preserving only the Portal value.
2. Clients wanting a clean replace should choose "Replace existing values" during the catalog import.

A Portal product family is a product family that was created using Portal. This includes product families that have been created using one of the following methods:

• Using Manage families in the Portal.
• Creating a family from the product details page in the Portal.
• Portal families can only be edited or removed using Portal.

Note: Product families that you create by importing an Excel file in the product list page in the Portal are feed families. 

No. You can only view and manage Portal product families. These are families that were created directly in the Portal user interface. In Portal, you can create product families from the Manage families pages, or from the product details view of a product.

Their family relationship is different. A variants family is a group of nearly identical products, while a bundle family consists of a product bundle and the individual products in it. For more information, refer to Types of product families.

No. The reviews remain in our systems. However, after you re-add a product it may take 24 hours before you can see the family UGC on the product display page.

Yes, you can use both. We often recommend using both, as you can use feed families for easy automation, while Portal families are better for setting up more complex families, such as families that include a product bundle.

1. Portal families: The Manage Families page in the Portal only shows product families created directly in the Portal. Families created via feed files appear only on individual product pages.
2. Verify feed validation: Ensure the feed successfully passed validation on the Validate Feed page in the Portal.
3. Review attribute modes: Check whether the attribute mode or multi-value mode is configured to append instead of replace.
4. Check processing override settings: Review the Catalog Import Processing Overrides setting in the Ratings & Reviews configuration page. If you require further assistance, please contact Bazaarvoice Support.

All product families have the same purpose: Defining how you want to share user-generated content (UGC) between related products on your site. Portal and feed families represent two different ways of configuring and managing your product families.

1. Portal families are created/managed only via the Product Catalog application in the Portal.
2. Feed families are created and managed exclusively through feed files, DCC, or SFTP—they do not appear in the Manage Families page of the Portal, only on the individual product page. They can also be verified via the Catalog API.

1. Bulk actions on product families can only be done via feed families. The Bazaarvoice Portal does not have a native bulk-delete action.
2. To make bulk family changes, use either a catalog feed file (using the BV_FE_FAMILY and BV_FE_EXPAND attributes). For large-scale family removal, please contact Bazaarvoice Support.

Source priority rules are not configurable via self-service. To reset field priority, please contact Bazaarvoice Support.

Portal will generally accept an asterisk (*), though Bazaarvoice recommends avoiding special characters in the family names.

1. Sign in to the Bazaarvoice Portal. 
2. From the navigation bar, select More > Product Catalog
3. In the Products tab, select Manage Families

1. Sign in to the Bazaarvoice Portal. 
2. From the navigation bar, select More > Product Catalog.
3. In the Products tab, select Products.
4. Sort, filter, or search to find a product that is included in the product family you are looking for.
5. Select the product name.
6. See all product family details under Product family.