How catalogue setup stays live

Start in Commerce Manager#

Create the catalogue inside Commerce Manager under the correct Business Manager, then set the catalogue owner, currency and default market before anything else. Ownership mistakes are painful to unwind later, so confirm admin access and asset connections on day one. Meta own catalogue ads guide sets out the current requirements per vertical.

Name the catalogue for the business, not the campaign: one catalogue per region or brand, with campaigns drawing slices from it. Start from the Meta Ads hub for the family view, then open our catalogue ads guide to see how prospecting and retargeting share the same source.

Assign people, ad accounts and Pixels at asset level and record who owns what. Shared notes plus clear ownership prevent midnight access scrambles when launches slip. First campaign setup covers the account foundations that catalogues assume.

Choose the feed method#

Upload manually for small ranges, schedule a hosted file for steady catalogues, or connect the platform integration where volume or variants make files painful. Scheduled fetches beat manual uploads everywhere except the tiniest shops, because humans forget weekends. Shopify sellers should read our Shopify integration guide before choosing.

Set the fetch cadence to match trading pace: daily for most stores, hourly for fast movers where prices and sizes turn over quickly. Confirm the file URL stays stable and protected in the right way, since moved feeds fail silently. Feed health lists the failure modes to watch.

Keep one primary feed per country or currency rather than patching one file to serve many markets. Separate feeds keep pricing, tax and availability honest. Multi-country catalogues show the split in detail.

Map the required fields#

Every item needs a stable ID, title, price, availability, image and link at minimum, with condition and brand where the vertical demands them. IDs must never recycle across products: a reused ID attaches old behaviour to new stock and corrupts matching. Meta own collection and feed specs list the field rules per placement.

Write titles shoppers recognise, with colour, size and model where variants exist. Clean titles lift click through and cut mismatches before they start. Product sets rely on tidy attributes, so discipline here pays twice.

Use absolute image URLs on fast hosting, with consistent backgrounds and accurate colour. Lifestyle shots sell covers while clean pack shots win grids. Feed creative serves both masters.

Verify domain and identity#

Verify the shop domain in Business Manager so product links resolve to an owned property, then confirm the business verification state where checkout or restricted verticals need it. Unverified domains stall catalogues at the worst moment, usually launch week. Domain verification walks the clicks.

Check commerce eligibility for the country and category before promising timelines. Some categories need extra review, and seasonal sellers should start early. Seasonal planning sets the calendar.

Keep invoices, returns pages and contact details consistent across domain, catalogue and shop. Consistency speeds reviews and calms shoppers. Collections UX continues the trust story on mobile.

Link Pixel and match IDs#

Connect the Pixel and app SDK to the catalogue, then send ViewContent, AddToCart, InitiateCheckout and Purchase with content IDs that match catalogue IDs character for character. Variant and bundle mismatches are the top silent killer of catalogue matching. Pixel setup covers the install, and standard events define the payload.

Test with real browsing plus a test purchase, then check Events Manager for matched versus unmatched items. Sandbox clicks miss currency, value and dedup faults that only money reveals. Dedup guide proves the plumbing.

Document the ID scheme once, in writing, with owners for Shopify, Pixel and feed. New products must join the scheme before they join the ads. Ask our team for a matching audit when match rate sags.

Launch checks before spend#

Approve a launch checklist: feed fetched clean, availability current, prices with currency, images loading, links deep, events matched. Run the checklist weekly for a month, then monthly, with extra passes before peak. Feed health checks make the routine stick.

Launch one prospecting and one retargeting campaign from product sets, with converters excluded from prospecting. Judge early reads on match rate and click through before revenue. Catalogue retargeting shows the split.

Log every fix with date and owner so patterns surface across quarters. Feeds rot slowly, then suddenly, and logs turn mystery dips into known causes. Test discipline protects the learning that follows.

Frequently asked questions#