Tools and providers
How to scope a multichannel ecommerce feed project
A practical guide to multichannel ecommerce feed scoping, channel requirements, UK pricing compliance, data protection and agency contracts.
What to take away
- A multichannel ecommerce feed project is a procurement exercise: one written brief, one scope priced by every candidate, and a named owner per channel.
- CMA pricing duties sit inside the retainer because the agency writes the price claims. The client still owns the final claim.
- UK GDPR applies where the agency touches order, returns or review data, and then needs a processing agreement.
- Google Merchant Centre, Amazon UK Seller Central and eBay UK each need their own account, category map and approval cycle.
- Budgets are quoted per scopea fixed discovery fee plus a monthly retainer sized to SKU count and channel number.
Scoping a multichannel feed project in five steps
Scope a feed project from the catalogue, not its tool stack. The first meeting covers live SKU count, how often prices and stock change, and which marketplaces already carry the range.
- Catalogue audit. Count live SKUs and variants, then flag records that are missing key attributes.
- Data source map. Write down every system that holds price, stock, delivery promise or imagery.
- Channel selection. Decide the launch order across Google Shopping UK, Amazon UK, eBay UK and the retailer's own site.
- Written brief. Put channels, data sources, review dates and service standards in one document.
- Pilot build. Launch a single channel first, then extend once disapprovals are clear.
The Google Merchant Centre product data specification sets the minimum content for each record, and agencies return to it whenever a title or image is rejected. The feed specifications for Amazon, eBay and Google differ enough that one spreadsheet rarely passes all three without edits.
CMA pricing duties and the retainer clause
The CMA enforces consumer protection law covering price claims in feed titles, descriptions and promotions. When an agency writes those claims, it applies the same standards the retailer would face alone.
The CMA consumer enforcement guidance is the working reference. The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 make misleading price claims, and misleading omissions, a breach.
One clause worth adding to the retainer:
The agency will not publish a reference price or a was-price unless the client supplies the previous selling price and the dates it applied.
A monthly pricing review covers the rest:
CMA pricing duties
- Every discount claim carries the previous price and the dates it applied.
- Urgency wording matches the real promotion window on that marketplace.
- Marketplace promotions are checked separately from the retailer's own site.
Monthly CMA Pricing Review
- Check reference prices are genuine
- Verify discounts are calculated correctly
- Ensure urgency claims are not misleading
- Sign off promotional language before go-live
- Record who checked and what was checked
ICO duties when order or review feeds are in scope
Product feeds carry SKUs, prices and stock, so most catalogue work sits outside UK GDPR. The position changes once the agency handles order confirmations, returns or review feeds.
At that point the agency is a processor and the retailer is the controller. A written processing agreement should name the lawful basis, the retention period and every sub-processor.
The ICO guidance for organisations sets out those processor duties. Add an annual review of the sub-processor list and a named contact for data subject requests.
Coordinating Google, Amazon and eBay feeds
| Channel | Account needed | Main feed constraint |
|---|---|---|
| Google Merchant Centre | Merchant Centre account and a verified domain | Product data specification, with disapprovals fixed at record level |
| Amazon UK | Seller Central account and category approval | Category attributes, variation structure and listing quality |
| eBay UK | eBay business account and seller policies | Item specifics, category IDs and business policies |
Order data coming back from each marketplace needs its own route, and multichannel order sync for eBay and Amazon covers where those channel rules diverge.
Each channel also needs a named owner and a shared calendar for price, stock and promotion changes. A site change that never reaches the feed becomes a pricing error.
Marketplace Channel Requirements
Google Shopping UK
- Account needed
- Merchant Centre
- Feed format
- Product data spec
- Approval process
- Disapprovals common
- Launch order
- First
Amazon UK
- Account needed
- Seller Central
- Feed format
- Category rules
- Approval process
- Performance metrics
- Launch order
- Second
eBay UK
- Account needed
- eBay account
- Feed format
- Category rules
- Approval process
- Performance metrics
- Launch order
- Third
Budgets, retainers and what a quote should separate
Feed pricing follows scope. The usual structure is a fixed discovery fee for the catalogue audit and the brief, then a monthly retainer sized to SKU count, channel number and reporting cadence.
Ask each candidate to separate build, monthly retainer and marketplace fees, so a like-for-like comparison is possible before signatures.
Choosing and briefing a London feed agency
Evidence beats presentation. Ask for two marketplace reference calls, a description of how the agency handled a recent disapproval, and its ICO registration if customer data is involved.
Service standards belong in the contract rather than a verbal promise. Response times, reporting cadence and the named account owner are easier to enforce when shopping feeds service standards are written into the retainer and reviewed each quarter.
Common questions
What does a London feed agency do that an in-house team cannot?
It brings marketplace contacts, a repeatable scoping process and experience of Merchant Centre disapprovals. The retailer still owns the catalogue and the final pricing claims.
Who owns CMA pricing compliance in a retainer?
The client owns the final claim. If the agency writes the feed copy, it owns the first review, and the retainer should name that reviewer.
Do feed projects always need a UK GDPR processing agreement?
No. Product-only feeds sit outside UK GDPR. The agreement is needed when order, returns or review data passes to the agency.
How long does scoping take?
Two to three weeks for a catalogue of a few thousand SKUs is typical. Sign-off often takes longer than the technical build.
