What is the SendGrid product feed?
The SendGrid product feed is a data integration channel that allows you to send product information to SendGrid for use in email marketing campaigns and transactional emails. SendGrid uses your product data to populate dynamic content blocks, personalised product recommendations, and order-related emails with accurate product details, pricing, and links.
Unlike marketplace feeds that require specific formatting for approval or search visibility, the SendGrid feed is a direct API integration between your product catalogue and SendGrid's email platform. The feed enables you to reference products by unique identifier within email templates, pulling live product details into every message sent to your customers.
Why merchants use SendGrid product feeds
Merchants integrate product feeds with SendGrid for several practical reasons.
First, dynamic product recommendations in emails perform better than static content. When a customer receives an abandoned cart email, order confirmation, or product recommendation message, SendGrid can fetch the current product name, price, and image from your feed. If you update a price or product name in your feed, the change appears in all future emails automatically.
Second, transactional emails require accuracy. Order confirmations, shipping notifications, and delivery updates must show the correct product information. A product feed ensures that the product name and price match what the customer actually purchased, reducing support inquiries and returns caused by confusion.
Third, product feeds reduce manual data entry and template maintenance. Rather than hardcoding product details into email templates, you reference products by ID. SendGrid looks up the current data from your feed at send time.
Fourth, personalisation at scale becomes feasible. You can segment customers by purchase history and send targeted product recommendations using data from your feed, without creating separate email versions for each product.
SendGrid feed field specifications
Your SendGrid product feed must include the following fields for each product.
The email field contains the recipient email address for the message. This field identifies which customer or contact should receive the email. SendGrid uses this field to match the email with a contact in your SendGrid account and apply any stored contact attributes or preferences.
In practice, the email field ensures messages are routed to the correct inbox and linked to the correct customer record for tracking opens, clicks, and conversions. Without a valid email address, SendGrid cannot deliver the message.
Format this field as a standard email address: customer@example.com. Ensure all email addresses are valid and properly formatted. Invalid or malformed addresses will cause delivery failures.
product_id
The product_id field is a unique identifier for each product in your catalogue. This ID must be consistent across all your systems: your e-commerce platform, your product feed, and your SendGrid templates.
SendGrid uses the product_id to match references in your email templates with the correct product record in the feed. When you write an email template that says 'show product 12345', SendGrid looks up product_id 12345 in your feed and retrieves the name, price, and URL.
Choose a product_id format that is stable and never changes. Common formats include SKU, internal product number, or a database primary key. Do not use product names or descriptions as IDs, since these can change and will break template references.
Ensure every product_id is unique within your feed. Duplicate IDs will cause SendGrid to return inconsistent product data.
product_name
The product_name field contains the human-readable name of the product as it should appear in emails. This is the text customers see when they receive a recommendation or order confirmation.
Product names affect email readability and customer recognition. A clear, accurate product name helps customers understand what they purchased or are being recommended. Generic or truncated names reduce engagement and increase support inquiries.
Keep product names concise but descriptive. Include key attributes like size, colour, or model if these are important for customer understanding. Avoid special characters that may not render correctly in all email clients. Limit product names to 255 characters; most email templates display 50 to 100 characters before truncation.
product_url
The product_url field contains the full web address (URL) to the product page on your website. This URL should be clickable and lead directly to the product, not to a category page or homepage.
SendGrid inserts this URL into email links so customers can click through to view or purchase the product. A correct product_url is essential for tracking click-through rates and conversion attribution. If the URL is incorrect or broken, customers cannot complete a purchase from the email, and you lose the conversion.
Use complete, absolute URLs including the protocol: https://www.example.com/products/item-12345. Avoid relative URLs or shortened links unless you are using a link-tracking service that SendGrid can resolve.
Test every product_url before adding it to your feed. Verify that the URL is live, that the product page loads, and that the page displays the correct product information.
product_price
The product_price field contains the current selling price of the product. This price should match the price shown on your website and in your checkout flow.
Accurate pricing in emails is critical for customer trust and conversion. If an email shows a price of £19.99 but the website shows £24.99, customers lose confidence and may abandon the purchase or file complaints.
Format the price as a numeric value with no currency symbol: 19.99. Include two decimal places for pounds and pence. SendGrid can format the price for display in your email template if needed.
Update product prices in your feed as soon as prices change on your website. If you run a promotion or discount, reflect that in the product_price field so customers see the correct price in emails.
Mapping your product data to SendGrid
To integrate your product feed with SendGrid, you must map your internal product data to the five required fields.
Start by identifying the source of your product data. This is usually your e-commerce platform (Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento), a product information management (PIM) system, or a database.
For each product in your catalogue, extract or export the following information:
- A unique product identifier (maps to product_id).
- The product display name (maps to product_name).
- The product page URL (maps to product_url).
- The current selling price (maps to product_price).
- A list of customer email addresses to receive emails (maps to email).
If your e-commerce platform has a native SendGrid integration or plugin, use it. The plugin typically handles field mapping automatically. You configure which field from your product catalogue corresponds to each SendGrid field, and the plugin exports data on a schedule.
If you are building a custom integration, use SendGrid's API or a data integration platform (ETL tool) to automate the mapping. Write a script or workflow that reads your product data, transforms it to match the SendGrid field names, and sends it to SendGrid via API.
Test your mapping by sending a small batch of test emails with sample products. Verify that product names, prices, and URLs appear correctly in the received emails.
Optimising your SendGrid product feed
Once your feed is live, follow these practices to maintain data quality and email performance.
Keep product data current. Update your feed whenever product information changes. If you change a product name, price, or URL on your website, update the feed within the same day. SendGrid pulls data from your feed at send time, so delays cause customers to receive outdated information.
Use consistent product IDs. Never reuse a product_id for a different product, and never change a product_id for an existing product. If you retire a product, mark it as inactive or deleted rather than changing its ID. Inconsistent IDs break email template references and cause SendGrid to return 'product not found' errors.
Validate all URLs. Before adding a product to your feed, confirm that the product_url is correct and leads to a live product page. Broken URLs in emails reduce click-through rates and damage customer experience.
Format prices consistently. Use the same currency and decimal format for all products in your feed. If you sell in multiple currencies, create separate feeds for each currency or include currency information in your product data.
Monitor feed errors. Check SendGrid's logs and error reports to identify products that fail to load or return errors. Common issues include invalid product_ids, missing required fields, or malformed URLs. Fix errors promptly to prevent failed emails.
Segment by product performance. Analyse which products generate the most clicks and conversions in emails. Use this data to decide which products to feature in recommendations and which to deprioritise.
Test email templates. After mapping your feed, send test emails to yourself using different products. Verify that product names, prices, and links display correctly and that the email layout is readable.
Practical implementation steps
Follow this process to set up your SendGrid product feed.
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Export your product catalogue from your e-commerce platform or PIM system. Include product ID, name, URL, and price for each product.
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Identify your SendGrid account and authentication credentials (API key).
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Map your exported fields to the SendGrid field names: product_id, product_name, product_url, product_price, and email.
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If using a plugin or integration tool, configure the field mapping in the tool's settings. If building a custom integration, write a script to transform your data and send it to SendGrid's API.
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Run a test export with a small subset of products (10 to 50 items).
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Send test emails from SendGrid using the test products. Verify that product details appear correctly.
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If tests pass, schedule the full feed export to run on a regular cadence (daily or hourly, depending on how often your product data changes).
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Monitor SendGrid's logs for errors and address any data quality issues.
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Create email templates that reference products by product_id. Use SendGrid's dynamic content and conditional logic to show different products to different customer segments.
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Launch campaigns and track performance. Monitor click-through rates, conversion rates, and customer feedback to optimise product selection and email content.
Troubleshooting common issues
If products do not appear in your SendGrid emails, check the following.
Missing or invalid product_id. Verify that the product_id in your feed matches exactly the product_id referenced in your email template. SendGrid is case-sensitive and does not perform fuzzy matching.
Empty or missing fields. Ensure that all five required fields (email, product_id, product_name, product_url, product_price) are populated for every product. Missing fields will cause SendGrid to skip the product or return an error.
Broken URLs. Test every product_url by visiting it in a browser. Confirm that the page loads and displays the correct product.
Price formatting errors. Ensure product_price contains only numeric values and decimal points. Remove currency symbols, commas, or text. SendGrid cannot parse prices that include non-numeric characters.
Stale data. If you see outdated product names or prices in emails, check when your feed last updated. Verify that your export or sync process is running on schedule.
Summary
The SendGrid product feed is a direct integration that allows you to populate emails with accurate, current product information. By mapping your product data to the five required fields (email, product_id, product_name, product_url, product_price), you enable dynamic product recommendations, transactional email accuracy, and personalised customer experiences.
Implement your feed by exporting product data from your source system, mapping fields to SendGrid's requirements, and automating regular updates. Test thoroughly before launching campaigns, and monitor data quality to ensure customers always see correct product details.
With a well-maintained product feed, you can send more effective emails, reduce customer confusion, and increase conversion rates from email marketing.