Find answers to frequently asked questions about syndication at Bazaarvoice.
Setup and configuration
How do I start syndicating content?
To start syndicating content:
- Purchase a Distribute package with Bazaarvoice or agree to intrasite syndication.
- Make sure product identifiers match across source and destination product feeds. These are usually external product IDs but can also be UPCs, EANs, ISBNs, or MPNs.
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Make sure the receiving site accepts the locale of the original content. For example, an fr_FR source product can only display on a receiving site that accepts fr_FR content.
What data is required to match products?
Make sure that products on your site that are syndicated to a receiving site have at least one of the following criteria:
- The products are identical in all respects.
- The only difference between the products is size and size doesn’t affect functionality or the consumer experience. For example, you can match a small shirt and a large shirt that is otherwise identical, but not a 10-liter garbage can and a 50-liter garbage can as the difference in size impacts on functionality and user experience.
- The only difference between the two products is color and color doesn’t affect functionality or the consumer experience. For example, a black metal toaster and a white metal toaster that is otherwise identical.
- The only difference between the two products is packaging, packaging size, or quantity included. For example, a pack of 10 diapers and a pack of 50 diapers, assuming the individual diapers are identical.
How long does it take to enable syndication?
Enabling syndication normally takes one to two weeks. This timeline can vary based on the number of partners we need to enable and the number of products that we need to match.
Syndicating content
Which attributes are mandatory for syndication?
- Syndication depends entirely on matching product identifiers—such as UPC, EAN, GTIN, MPN, or model number—between the source and destination products. Missing or mismatched identifiers prevent reviews from syndicating.
- Native review syndication depends on product families.
Are UPCs, EANs, and ISBNs required for review syndication?
Yes. Common product identifiers like UPCs, EANs, and ISBNs are strictly required for syndicating reviews. These identifiers should match exactly between the source and destination products. Missing or mismatched identifiers prevent reviews from syndicating.
How do I update logo and attribution statements?
Make sure that products on your site that are syndicated to a receiving site have at least one of the following criteria:
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Contact Bazaarvoice support to update your display name or configure logos for specific brands.
- Tell us what brand you want to give a unique logo to and include the logo you want to use.
- Make sure the logo you provide is 300 x 100 pixels on a transparent background, and in PNG, GIF, JPG, or JPE format. Providing a larger image can decrease the image quality.
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Make sure updated attribution statements are transparent about where the reviews came from. We cannot customize the Originally posted on prefix to an attribution statement, only the text containing the display name that follows it.
How do I see incoming syndicated content?
Use the Insights coverage dashboard to show:
- Inbound syndication growth the volume of syndicated content your products have received, sources of the syndicated content, and impact of syndication on product coverage.
- Inbound syndication coverage growth the volume of content you've syndicated, where it’s going, and the impact of syndication on review volume and average rating.
- Outbound syndication growth which products, brands, and categories have ever received syndicated content, received syndication in the last 30 days, and received syndication from new products, brands, and categories in the Bazaarvoice Network.
Can badges be syndicated?
Depending on the type of badge, yes.
- Incentivized review badges syndicate in the form of that disclaimer we append to the beginning of the review.
- Default staff badges can syndicate. We highly recommend doing so for authenticity purposes.
- Verified Purchaser badges are always syndicated.
- For other badges, the badge image can’t be syndicated but some values can be. This depends on the value and whether it’s configured with a matching external ID value at the destination site.
What content is excluded from syndication?
We don’t syndicate images from customizable badges, but other values and data can be syndicated.
We also don’t syndicate unapproved content. We add text to show any syndicated reviews that were incentivized.
Can I opt out of partner syndication?
Yes. To stop syndicating content to partner search engines like TikTok and Meta, email legal@bazaarvoice.com 
with "Partner Syndication Opt-out Request" in the subject line. You should also notify your Client Success Director.
How are photos and videos syndicated?
To syndicate photos and videos to destination sites, approve the ratings, reviews, questions, and answers that include these videos and photos. If a review contains a rejected image or video, the whole review is rejected.
Destination sites configured to accept media will display it. In destination sites not configured to accept media, all native content appears but syndicated content containing media doesn’t.
Does syndication cause issues with duplicated content?
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Adding multiple GTINs for unrelated or multiple products to a single product listing. This process exists either to manipulate search visibility so the product appears in more search results than it should or to list counterfeit or unauthorized products under legitimate GTINs.
Note: This practice is against the policies of most e-commerce platforms and can result in penalties, listing removal, or account suspension. - Companies not adhering to Bazaarvoice syndication guidelines.
- Product variants being repeated in a list of products
Can you stack all UPCs for a product to ensure reviews syndicate across related products?
Yes. If two products are the same, adding the same UPCs to both products allows you to syndicate across them. Ensure the products adhere to the Product Matching guidelines.
Can reviews collected through Shopify be syndicated to the Bazaarvoice network?
Yes, as long as the brand uses Bazaarvoice or a partner within the Bazaarvoice Network as the review collection plug-in on the Bazaarvoice Shopify app.
You also need to have syndication as part of your contract with Bazaarvoice in addition to the Shopify integration.
Can a brand using a platform that isn't a Bazaarvoice partner syndicate reviews through Bazaarvoice?
Yes. Bazaarvoice can accept a one-time content import from a non-partner platform.
Troubleshooting
How can I deactivate syndication for a specific syndication receiver or from a specific syndication sender?
To request syndication be deactivated, submit a support case to Bazaarvoice support. You will be required to do the following actions before the request will be considered:- Provide a written explanation identifying the specific reason for the deactivation request. The list of valid reasons is provided in the guidelines for each specific syndication type. These include instances where the sender is involved in active litigation with the receiver, claims that the receiver is a "gray market" retailer, or otherwise where the receiver is not an approved seller of the sender's products or one of the sender's approved distribution partners.
- Identify the specific retailer and all impacted properties.
- Provide a written statement, which Bazaarvoice will share with the impacted syndication sender or syndication receiver to explain why the content was disabled.
- Provide a contact name at your company that Bazaarvoice will share with the affected syndication sender or syndication receiver to contact in the event that they have questions.
Once the request for deactivation is submitted, it will be reviewed by the Network Syndication Guidelines Committee at Bazaarvoice, which will evaluate the request and notify the affected parties. Expect a target turnaround time of 5 to 7 business days.
Why don't I see the syndicated content I'm expecting?
If you don’t see the syndicated content you’re expecting, this may be because:
- There is a default 7-day delay to allow us to moderate and approve syndicated content. Contact Bazaarvoice support to configure your syndication delay.
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Your product catalog is missing information. Make sure your product catalog is complete and accurate.
- If you don’t see ratings and reviews in partner search results, make sure you’ve enabled syndication to search engines. If it has been enabled, our syndication partners may need more time to process your reviews and match them to products.
My brand and retailer catalogs have matching UPCs but syndication still isn't working as expected. Why?
Syndication issues usually happen for one of the following reasons:
- Incorrect placement or formatting—The UPC is in the wrong field or contains formatting errors such as leading zeros, hyphens, or spaces.
- Retailer catalog data—The retailer’s catalog has incorrect or missing GTIN data. As Bazaarvoice relies on matched source and destination product feeds, the retailer must update their feed.
- Processing timelines—The product was recently added to or updated in the retailer's catalog. It can take up to two weeks for syndicated reviews to be processed, be matched, and appear in Portal and destination sites.
