I asked shopping comparison engines to submit the ONE data feed optimization tip they’d give merchants right now for the holiday shopping season and then explain why it matters. Here’s what Trent Scoffield of Shopping.com had to say…

For most retailers the next 14 days are the most important days of the year. Given that, my guidance is that systematic or even surgical datafeed optimizations are generally not recommended as it may introduce superfluous risk. However, there are three key areas to spotlight as relevant and timely datafeed activities that can ensure that the 14 days are wildly successful.

1. Feed Freshness. Datafeeds should be updated as often as products and/or product prices change. It’s never more important than the holidays to monitor that your datafeed systems are delivering fresh feeds to all distribution sources.

2. Marketing Messages. The most impactful marketing message during December is a short message stating the retailers last shipping day. “Last shipping day is Dec 21”. This transparency allows the consumer to make an informed buying decision and creates a sense of urgency to purchase. Ideally these messages were “roadmapped” earlier in the year for programmatic inclusion during the holidays. If not, use caution when applying.

3. Out of Stock. Inventory levels can vary significantly during the holidays. Most retailers automatically remove out of stock items from the datafeed to avoid paying for leads that can’t convert to sale. This makes the most sense if the products can’t be backordered. However, some retailers are smartly monetizing the visits from “out of stock” item traffic and in that case leave the items in the feed.

Disclaimer: All optimization strategies are suggestions and do not guarantee success. These are data feed optimization tactics I have used or others have suggested which I think everyone should at least think about, if not test.