What is the Pinterest Shopping Feed?
The Pinterest Shopping feed is a product data channel that connects your catalogue to Pinterest's shopping and discovery features. When you submit a properly formatted feed, Pinterest indexes your products for display in Shop pins, search results, and shopping ads. Unlike social platforms that rely on organic sharing, Pinterest Shopping operates as a direct product distribution channel similar to Google Shopping.
Merchants use this feed to reach Pinterest's audience of over 450 million monthly active users who actively search for and save products. Products appear in multiple surfaces: Shop pins on user boards, search results, category feeds, and Ads Manager campaigns. The feed is the only way to get your products into Pinterest's shopping infrastructure.
Pinterest accepts feeds in CSV, TSV, or XML format. Your feed should update at least weekly, though daily updates are recommended for accurate inventory and pricing. Products that fail validation or contain incomplete required fields will not be indexed.
Core Required Fields and Validation Rules
Product Identification
Three fields work together to uniquely identify products:
id: A unique identifier for each product variant in your system. This must be consistent across all feed submissions. Pinterest uses this to match updates to existing products. If you change an id value, Pinterest treats it as a new product rather than an update. Use product SKU, internal product code, or a stable numeric identifier. Do not use timestamps or random values that change between submissions.
gtin: The Global Trade Item Number (barcode). This is a 8, 12, 13, or 14 digit code. Pinterest uses gtin to match products across merchants and improve product enrichment. If your product has a barcode, include it. If it does not, omit the field rather than creating a fake value. Missing gtin does not block approval, but including it improves matching and deduplication.
mpn: Manufacturer Part Number. Include if your product has a formal part number assigned by the brand. This helps Pinterest distinguish between similar products from the same manufacturer. Like gtin, this is optional but improves data quality.
Product Presentation
title: Product name, maximum 150 characters. This appears directly on Shop pins and in search results. Include the core product name and key variant information (colour, size, material). Avoid redundant words like 'buy', 'shop', or 'product'. Do not use all capital letters. Titles must accurately describe the product; misleading titles cause disapproval. Examples: 'Cotton T-Shirt, Navy, Medium' or 'Stainless Steel Coffee Maker, 12-Cup'.
description: Detailed product information, maximum 5000 characters. This appears on product detail pages when users click through from a pin. Include key features, materials, dimensions, care instructions, and any relevant specifications. Use plain language and avoid marketing hyperbole. Pinterest's automated systems scan descriptions for accurate product information; vague or misleading content may trigger disapproval. Structure with bullet points or short paragraphs for readability.
image_link: URL to the primary product image. This image appears on the Shop pin and in search results. Requirements: JPEG or PNG format, minimum 200x200 pixels (Pinterest recommends 1000x1000 or larger for quality), clear product view with minimal background, no watermarks or text overlays, no lifestyle images or models. The image must be accessible and load within 5 seconds. If the image is broken or unavailable, the product will not be indexed. Test image_link URLs before submission to ensure they resolve.
additional_image_link: URLs to secondary images, up to 10 per product. Provide alternate angles, detail shots, or lifestyle context. Use the same quality and format requirements as image_link. Separate multiple URLs with commas. Products with multiple images receive better engagement metrics and lower disapproval rates.
Availability and Pricing
availability: Current stock status. Accepted values: 'in stock', 'out of stock', 'preorder', 'backorder'. This field is critical for user experience. If a product shows 'in stock' but is actually unavailable, users will click through to find it unavailable, damaging trust and generating negative feedback. Update availability in real time or at minimum daily. Products marked 'out of stock' are still indexed but deprioritised in search results.
price: Current selling price in the format 'amount currency', for example '19.99 GBP' or '29.99 USD'. Pinterest uses this to display pricing on pins and filter results by price range. The currency must match the country targeting of your feed. Prices must be the final price including any mandatory taxes or fees. If you use dynamic pricing, submit the most common or median price; do not submit placeholder values. Prices that are significantly lower than typical market rates may trigger fraud review.
sale_price: Discounted price during a promotion, using the same format as price. Only include this field if the product is currently on sale. This triggers a sale badge on Shop pins, increasing click-through rates. Sale prices must be lower than the regular price field.
sale_price_effective_date: The date range when the sale price applies, in format 'YYYY-MM-DD/YYYY-MM-DD'. Example: '2024-03-01/2024-03-31'. Pinterest uses this to display sale pricing accurately and remove the sale badge after the promotion ends. If you omit this field but include sale_price, the sale price persists indefinitely, which may cause disapproval if the discount is no longer valid.
Navigation and Linking
link: The URL to the product page on your website. This is where users land when they click a Shop pin. The URL must be publicly accessible, load within 5 seconds, and display the correct product. If the link is broken or redirects to a homepage or category page, the product will be disapproved. Use HTTPS. Include UTM parameters if you want to track Pinterest traffic separately in analytics, for example 'https://example.com/product/123?utm_source=pinterest'.
mobile_link: A mobile-specific product URL if your site uses a separate mobile domain. If your site is responsive and uses the same URL for desktop and mobile, omit this field. If you operate m.example.com separately from example.com, provide the mobile version here. Pinterest crawls both links to verify they display the same product.
ad_link: A URL to use specifically for Pinterest Ads campaigns, if different from link. This allows you to direct ad traffic to a different landing page than organic Shop pins. Most merchants omit this field and use link for both channels.
Product Classification and Attributes
google_product_category: The product category using Google's taxonomy. This is a numeric code representing product type: 188 for T-Shirts, 265 for Shoes, 1604 for Jewellery, and so on. Pinterest uses this to organise products in category feeds and improve search filtering. You can look up the correct category code in Google's product taxonomy documentation. Use the most specific category that applies; do not use parent categories. For example, use 'Shoes > Women's Shoes > Trainers' (code 1346) rather than just 'Shoes' (code 265).
product_type: Your own internal product category or type. This can be any value and does not need to match Google's taxonomy. Use consistent values across your feed so Pinterest can group related products. Examples: 'Men's Casual Shirts', 'Kitchen Appliances', 'Running Shoes'. This field is optional but improves product organisation in your Pinterest merchant centre.
brand: The manufacturer or brand name. This appears on product detail pages and helps users filter by brand. Use the official brand name as it appears on packaging or the brand's website. Do not include descriptors like 'Official' or 'Authentic'. For own-brand products, use your company name.
condition: The state of the product. Accepted values: 'new', 'refurbished', 'used'. Use 'new' for products sold as new. Use 'refurbished' for products that have been restored to working condition by the manufacturer or a certified refurbisher. Use 'used' for second-hand items. If you do not specify, Pinterest assumes 'new'. Misrepresenting condition causes disapproval and potential account suspension.
Product Attributes and Variants
These fields describe product characteristics and support variant management:
color: The colour of the product. Use standard colour names: 'Red', 'Blue', 'Navy', 'Charcoal Grey'. Do not use hex codes or non-standard names. If a product comes in multiple colours, submit a separate feed entry for each colour variant with a unique id.
size: The size of the product. Format depends on product type: 'Small', 'Medium', 'Large' for clothing; '10.5' for shoes; '2 Litre' for beverages. Match the format your website uses. If a product comes in multiple sizes, submit separate entries with unique ids.
gender: The intended audience. Accepted values: 'male', 'female', 'unisex'. Use 'unisex' for products not gender-specific. This helps users filter products by intended wearer.
age_group: The age range the product is designed for. Accepted values: 'newborn', 'infant', 'toddler', 'kids', 'adult', 'all ages'. Use only if the product is specifically designed for an age group. For example, use 'kids' for children's clothing, but omit for adult products.
material: The primary material composition. Examples: 'Cotton', 'Leather', 'Stainless Steel', 'Polyester'. If a product is made of multiple materials, list the primary material or use a format like 'Cotton/Polyester'. This helps users filter by material preference.
pattern: The surface pattern or design. Examples: 'Striped', 'Floral', 'Solid', 'Checkered', 'Polka Dot'. Omit if the product has no distinct pattern.
size_type: Classification of sizing system. Accepted values: 'regular', 'petite', 'plus', 'tall', 'big & tall'. Use only if the product is specifically sized for a non-standard fit. Most products omit this field.
size_system: The measurement system used. Accepted values: 'US', 'UK', 'EU', 'DE', 'FR', 'IT', 'JP', 'CN', 'BR', 'AU'. Use if the size field refers to a specific regional sizing standard. For example, if size is '42', include size_system 'EU' to clarify this is a European size.
Grouping and Inventory Management
item_group_id: Links product variants to a parent group. If you sell a shirt in multiple colours and sizes, each variant has a unique id but all share the same item_group_id. This tells Pinterest these are variants of the same product. Use a consistent identifier like your product's base SKU or internal product code. Products with the same item_group_id appear together in search results and on product detail pages, allowing users to switch between variants.
When you use item_group_id, ensure each variant differs in at least one attribute (colour, size, material, etc.). Do not group unrelated products together.
Shipping and Logistics
shipping_weight: The weight of the product for shipping purposes, in the format 'value unit'. Examples: '2.5 kg', '5 lbs', '1500 g'. Pinterest may use this to estimate shipping costs in ads or product information. If you do not provide this, Pinterest cannot display shipping estimates. Include the product weight only, not packaging weight.
Content Moderation and Restrictions
adult: Whether the product is intended for adults only. Accepted values: 'yes' or 'no'. Use 'yes' only for products with age-restricted content (alcohol, tobacco, adult entertainment). Misusing this field causes disapproval. Most products use 'no' or omit the field entirely.
Custom Merchandising and Filtering
Pinterest provides five custom label fields to support your internal merchandising logic:
custom_label_0, custom_label_1, custom_label_2, custom_label_3, custom_label_4: User-defined text fields for internal organisation. Each field accepts up to 100 characters. Use these to tag products with your own categories, margin tiers, seasonal indicators, or supplier names. Examples: custom_label_0 might be 'High Margin', custom_label_1 might be 'Summer Collection'. These fields are not visible to users but help you filter and manage products in your merchant centre. You can use custom labels to create targeted campaigns or exclude products from certain promotions.
Practical Field Optimisation and Approval Strategy
Feed Structure and Validation
Before submitting, validate your feed using Pinterest's feed validator tool in the merchant centre. Common rejection reasons include: missing required fields (id, title, description, link, image_link, availability, price), broken image URLs, inaccessible product links, duplicate ids, invalid price format, and policy violations in title or description.
Ensure all field values are properly escaped if using CSV or XML. Commas, quotes, and special characters in CSV files must be escaped or wrapped in quotes. XML must use proper entity encoding for characters like &, <, and >.
Title and Description Optimisation
Include searchable keywords in both title and description, but write for users first, not search algorithms. A title like 'Blue Cotton T-Shirt, Size M, Crew Neck, Sustainable' is more useful than 'Blue T-Shirt Blue Shirt Cotton Shirt'. Descriptions should answer common questions: What is it? What is it made of? What are the dimensions? What is it used for? Does it require assembly or special care?
Avoid trademark infringement in titles and descriptions. Do not claim 'Official' or 'Authentic' unless you are an authorised reseller. Do not use competitor brand names to imply compatibility unless accurate.
Image Quality Impact
Products with high-quality, multiple images receive 20-30% more engagement than single-image products. Invest in clear, well-lit product photography. The primary image should show the full product against a clean background. Secondary images should show detail shots, alternative angles, scale reference (product in use or next to a common object), packaging, or lifestyle context. Avoid watermarks, logos, or text overlays on images.
Availability and Pricing Accuracy
Out-of-stock products that remain indexed for weeks damage user trust. Implement a daily feed update process that reflects current inventory levels. If a product is out of stock, update availability to 'out of stock' and remove or clear the price field. When stock returns, update immediately.
For sale prices, always include sale_price_effective_date. Products showing an expired sale price appear deceptive and trigger disapproval. If you run rolling promotions, update the effective date range with each feed submission.
Category and Attribute Consistency
Choose the most specific google_product_category for each product. Do not use parent categories unless the product genuinely fits multiple sub-categories. Ensure color, size, and other attributes match the values displayed on your website. If your site shows 'Navy Blue' but your feed says 'Dark Blue', users may be confused when they click through.
For variants, always use the same item_group_id for products that differ only in colour, size, or material. This prevents duplicate products appearing in search results.
Summary and Next Steps
A successful Pinterest Shopping feed requires accurate, complete data across all required fields, consistent updates, and adherence to Pinterest's content policies. Start by mapping your product database to the core fields: id, title, description, link, image_link, availability, and price. Add optional fields like gtin, brand, color, and size to improve product enrichment and search visibility.
Test your feed with a small batch of products before submitting your full catalogue. Monitor disapproved products in the merchant centre and address validation errors. Set up a weekly or daily automated feed update process to keep pricing, availability, and inventory current.
Once your feed is live, track performance through Pinterest Analytics. Products with high engagement typically have clear titles, multiple high-quality images, accurate pricing, and consistent availability. Use this data to refine your feed and product strategy over time.