Kwanko feed for Shopify

Kwanko's spec article gives with one hand: the names of the columns or fields are free, so the template's snake_case headers in the article's own order are a clean starting point, not a required spelling. The file itself is a flat CSV (fields separated by one delimiter, text protected by double quotes, UTF-8, the header row first), with XML (freely named tags) as the documented alternative.

And it takes with the other: once the catalog has been generated with the fields in a certain order, it should not be re-generated with a different one. No fields added or deleted, no format switch, without informing Kwanko in advance. That is why the template's workflow is: settle the column selection and order in Feedflock first, hand the URL to your account manager second. Feedflock renders the file on a stable public URL and regenerates it as often as every hour, so every robot download reads current prices and stock.

Most channels degrade gracefully; Kwanko names two absolute gates. Without a universal reference (an EAN or an ISBN) the feed is not integrated at all, and individual products lacking one are not proposed to publishers. Without clear categories, the same verdict. The category is your own tree, but it must arrive as the complete breadcrumb with sub-categories separated by '>'. Their example runs "Clothes and accessories > Shoes > Sport shoes > Tennis shoes".

Below the gates sit the enforced declarations the template checks on every generation: the description capped at 1,000 characters (HTML allowed), availability restricted to Google's enum (in_stock, out_of_stock, preorder, backorder), condition to new / refurbished / used, adult to yes / no. Violations are reported with the products they affect, before the feed, and its publisher distribution, pays for them.

Kwanko has no currency column: the currency rides inside the price itself. "This cost must include the currency in the ISO 4217 code… For example 9,99 USD": dot or comma decimal, no thousands separator, the price including taxes. The template emits the same form, "49.00 EUR", for both the current price and the crossed price.

The crossed price deserves care: it is mandatory even though it is the pre-discount reference, "the product excluding rebate / promotion / sale". The template maps it from your compare-at price and leaves it empty when the product is not on sale, because an always-filled crossed price invents a permanent discount every publisher would repeat. Around the pair sit the useful fields: a discount indicator (1 on sale / 2 normal / 3 discount period), the ecotax, the warranty in years and a 1–20 performance grade by your own criteria to highlight your best products.

"Our system does not manage product declination, each product declination must be considered as a single product with a unique reference." Per-variant rows are therefore exactly right, and the template's default title pairs the product and variant names so the rows never collide. The internal reference matters beyond the file: if your campaign includes partner retargeting, this code must be the one the retargeting pixel sends. The default mapping uses Shopify's variant id, which never changes.

Two more mechanics live outside the columns. Tracking goes in the URLs, not around them: "you should integrate your tracking information directly into the product redirection URLs", so utm_source=affiliation and friends travel with every link. And the CSS section carries the landing-page link, one minimal shipping cost (0 = free shipping, so the template leaves it unmapped rather than promising it for you) and the colour, gender, material and size that free Apparel & Accessories listings require.