Setting up a Facebook catalog and product feed enables businesses to showcase products across Meta platforms (Facebook, Instagram) for advertising, retargeting, and shop integration. The process involves creating a catalog in Commerce Manager, adding products manually or via data feed, and configuring product sets for targeted campaigns. Meta’s system supports multiple upload methods, including file uploads, URL-based feeds, and automated pixel tracking.

Key takeaways from the process:

• Primary tool: All setup occurs in Commerce Manager (accessed via Meta Business Suite or direct link)
• Catalog types: Options include e-commerce products, travel, real estate, and local services ^[1]
• Data feed formats: Supported formats are XLSX, CSV, TSV, XML, or Google Sheets ^[7]
• Automation options: Products can sync via Meta Pixel, scheduled URL feeds, or manual uploads ^[10]

Setting Up Facebook Catalogs and Product Feeds

Creating and Configuring Your Catalog

To begin, log in to Commerce Manager (business.facebook.com/commerce) and select "Create a Catalog." The system defaults to "Online products," but you can choose other types like travel or real estate depending on your business needs ^[1]. Each catalog must connect to a Business Manager account, and Meta recommends using a single catalog for all products to optimize ad performance and audience targeting ^[8].

After naming your catalog, you’ll assign permissions to team members or partners. Required roles include:

• Admin: Full control over catalog settings and items
• Editor: Can add/remove items but not manage permissions
• Viewer: Read-only access ^[2]

Key configuration steps:

• Business verification: Some features require verifying your business domain in Business Manager ^[1]
• Currency and language: Set during creation (can be edited later in catalog settings)
• Default product category: Assign a Google or Facebook product category to enable shopping features ^[8]
• Pixel connection: Linking a Meta Pixel allows automatic product updates based on website activity ^[10]

Once created, your catalog appears in the Data Sources section of Meta Business Suite under "Catalogs." Here you can manage items, create product sets, and connect to advertising tools ^[2].

Adding Products via Data Feed

For businesses with large inventories, data feeds are the most efficient upload method. Meta provides templates to standardize product information, ensuring compatibility with advertising and shopping features. To create a feed:

1. Download the template: - Navigate to your catalog in Commerce Manager - Select "Items" > "Add items" > "Data feed" - Choose "Download template" (standard or custom format) ^[4]

1. Populate required fields:

Every product entry must include:

• id: Unique identifier (SKU)
• title: Product name (max 100 characters)
• description: Detailed product info (max 5,000 characters)
• price: Numerical value with currency (e.g., "19.99 USD")
• image_link: Direct URL to product image (minimum 500x500 pixels)
• availability: "in stock," "out of stock," etc. ^[4]
• product_category: Google or Facebook category ID ^[8]

For variants (e.g., sizes/colors), include:

• itemgroupid: Groups variants under one parent product
• color, size, or other variant attributes ^[4]

1. Upload methods: - File upload: Drag and drop completed templates (XLSX, CSV, TSV) - URL feed: Host the file on your server and provide the direct link - Google Sheets: Connect a shared Google Sheet (must be publicly accessible or shared with Meta’s service account) ^[7]

1. Schedule updates:

For URL feeds, set automatic sync intervals (daily, weekly, or hourly). Meta checks the URL at scheduled times and updates the catalog accordingly. Note that:

• First-time uploads may take up to 24 hours to process
• Subsequent updates typically complete within 15 minutes ^[7]
• Conflicts arise if using both pixel updates and scheduled feeds for the same products ^[10]

Troubleshooting feed errors: Common issues include:

• Missing required fields (e.g., no price or image_link)
• Invalid image URLs (404 errors)
• Mismatched currency formats
• Duplicate id values ^[4]

Meta provides a diagnostics tool in Commerce Manager to identify and resolve errors before processing.

Alternative Product Addition Methods

For smaller inventories or one-off products, manual addition may be preferable. In Commerce Manager:

1. Select your catalog > "Items" > "Add items"
2. Choose "Add single item" or "Add multiple items"
3. Fill in product details directly in the interface ^[6]

• Install the Pixel base code and PageView event on all pages
• Add microdata tags (Open Graph or Schema.org) to product pages to define attributes like price, availability, and category ^[10]
• Connect the Pixel to your catalog in Commerce Manager under "Data sources"
• Pixel updates the catalog automatically when users view product pages (typically within 15 minutes) ^[10]

Third-party integrations: Platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce offer direct integrations with Facebook catalogs. These sync inventory, prices, and product details automatically via API. For WordPress users, plugins like Product Feed Pro generate compatible feeds that can be linked to Commerce Manager ^[9].

Organizing Products with Sets

Product sets group items for targeted advertising or shop collections. To create a set:

1. In Commerce Manager, go to your catalog > "Sets" tab
2. Click "Create set" and choose: - Manual selection: Handpick individual products - Filter-based: Define rules (e.g., "price > $50," "category = shoes") ^[3]

Dynamic sets update automatically when new products match the filters. For example:

• A "Sale Items" set could include all products with sale_price defined
• A "Best Sellers" set could filter by a custom popularity_score field ^[3]

Sets can be used in:

• Ad campaigns: Target ads to specific product groups (e.g., "Summer Collection")
• Shops: Feature curated collections on your Facebook/Instagram shop
• Retargeting: Show ads to users who viewed similar products ^[3]

Note that the default "All Products" set cannot be modified or deleted.