Product catalog integration

The following workflow guides merchants through the five steps required to integrate and monetize commerce data in The Trade Desk: selecting a product category taxonomy, uploading product data, uploading event data, configuring catalog access, and configuring product access. Each step offers multiple methods and explains when to use them, helping you choose the approach that best aligns with your infrastructure and goals.

If you want to use your commerce data only for your own campaigns and analytics, you can stop after Step 3: Upload your event data.

Here's what you need to know about the product catalog and its workflow:

Step 1: Choose your product category taxonomy

Most merchants already have a product taxonomy in their commerce platform or product information management (PIM) tool, such as Shopify or Feedonomics. Determine whether that existing taxonomy already aligns with an industry standard, like Google or Facebook, or is custom (you're not building a new one from scratch).

NOTE: If you are a location data provider, see Product catalog for location data providers. Location-based catalogs use the SKU ID, product name, brand, description, and category fields to represent locations and geographic groups.

Use an industry-standard taxonomy (recommended)

Adopt the Google or Facebook taxonomy.

Method: Google · Facebook

Use this when: Your commerce partners already use one of these taxonomies, or you want the fastest path to onboarding.

Build a custom taxonomy

/doc/CommerceMerchantProductCatalogBuildingTaxonomy

Define your own category hierarchy, if preferred.

Method: Commerce Solutions API · REST

Use this when: Your products don't map well to Google or Facebook categories.

Step 2: Upload your product data

Choose how product data gets into the catalog. How do you plan to upload your product data?

Use the API

/doc/CommerceMerchantProductCatalogBuildingProducts

Programmatically create products and upload SKUs, names, images, and other metadata.

Method: Commerce Solutions API · REST

Use this when: You need automation or ongoing catalog updates without manual uploads.

Use a PIM feed URL

/doc/DataRetailUploadFeedURL

Provide your PIM provider's feed URL, such as Feedonomics, Akeneo, or Salsify. The Trade Desk checks the feed daily to automatically keep your catalog in sync.

Method: Feed URL · No Code

Use this when: You already manage product data through a third-party PIM tool.

Bulk-upload in the UI

https://desk.thetradedesk.com/knowledge-portal/en/sh-onboarding-product-catalog-data.html

Download the Excel template in the platform UI, fill in your products, and upload.

Method: Platform UI · No code

Use this when: You have a smaller catalog or need a one-time load without API integration.

Step 3: Upload your event data

Select the type of event data you plan to send with product data.

TIP: Using Shopify? See Tracking events in Shopify for Shopify-specific integration options.

OFFLINE conversion events — late, batched data

If your conversion data lives in Snowflake or Databricks, use the respective TTD Connector. Otherwise, use the Data API SDK (recommended) or build directly to the Offline Conversions API.

Use Snowflake connector

/doc/DataSnowflakeNativeAppConversions

Send conversion data from Snowflake. No custom pipeline needed.

Method: Snowflake connector

Use this when: Your offline conversion data lives in Snowflake.

Use Databricks connector

/doc/DataDatabricksConnectors

Send conversion data from Databricks. No custom pipeline needed.

Method: Databricks connector

Use this when: Your offline conversion data lives in Databricks.

Use Data API SDK

/doc/DataAPISDK

Send offline conversion data through a simplified Python SDK.

Method: Data API SDK

Use this when: You want to reduce the time, effort, and complexity of integrating with The Trade Desk.

Use the API

/doc/DataOfflineMeasurement

Send conversion data through the Offline Conversions Events API.

Method: Offline CAPI · REST

Use this when: Your offline data is stored outside Snowflake or Databricks.

REAL-TIME conversion events — no batching or backfilling

Select the implementation that matches your environment and stack.

Use GTM (client-side)

/doc/TrackingTagsEventsQsGTMclientProvider

Add The Trade Desk tag to your existing client-side GTM container to capture SKU-level web events.

Method: GTM

Use this when: Sending client-side web events with GTM.

Use GTM (server-side)

/doc/TrackingTagsEventsQsGTMserverProvider

Add The Trade Desk tag to your server-side GTM container to capture SKU-level web events.

Method: GTM

Use this when: Sending server-side web events with GTM.

Use the Real-Time Conversion API

/doc/TrackingTagsEventsQsCAPIProvider

Send in-app events as they occur without batching or backfilling.

Method: Real-Time CAPI · REST

Use this when: Sending server-side, real-time in-app events without GTM.

Use JS SDK

/doc/TrackingTagsEventsQsSDKProvider

Install JS SDK directly on your web pages to capture events.

Method: JS SDK

Use this when: Sending client-side web events without GTM.

Use Shopify

/doc/DataShopifySummaryOpenTTD

Track site and checkout events directly from your Shopify store, with or without GTM.

Method: Shopify · Direct or GEM

Use this when: Your storefront runs on Shopify.

Step 4: Grant product catalog access

If you plan to sell or share your data with external advertisers, configure access to your product catalog. Access is granted as a third-party data relationship, and advertisers are charged the appropriate fees based on the features you enable.

Grant catalog access

/doc/CommerceMerchantProductCatalogAccess

Grant external advertisers access to your catalog, targeting data, and measurement data as a third-party data relationship.

Method: Commerce Solutions API · GraphQL

Use this when: You're selling or sharing your data with advertisers outside your organization.

Step 5: Grant product access

Manage brand or advertiser access to multiple products in your catalog using SKUs.

Grant access dynamically (recommended)

/doc/CommerceMerchantProductCatalogSkuAccess#access-add-dynamic-rules

Grant advertisers product access with dynamic rules.

Method: GraphQL

Use this when: You want to streamline and scale access across your catalog.

Grant access manually

/doc/CommerceMerchantProductCatalogSkuAccess#access-add-advertiser-products

Grant product access by product or by advertiser individually.

Method: Commerce Solutions API · REST

Use this when: You have a small, fixed set of advertiser relationships.

FAQs

The following is a list of commonly asked questions about product catalogs.

What's the difference between the terms "commerce" and "retail?"

"Retail" refers specifically to traditional retailers. "Commerce" is the broader term The Trade Desk uses to describe advertisers and data providers across all transaction-based verticals, such as retail as well as categories like travel, hospitality, automotive, and delivery and mobility platforms. Retail is a subset of commerce.

NOTE: The Trade Desk is updating its platform terminology from "retail" to "commerce" to reflect this broader scope, but a few terms still use "retail" and won't be renamed for now. For example, report names like Aggregated Retail Performance Report, the term "retailer" itself, and legacy metrics like Retail Sales Index.

Can I use an existing taxonomy (like from Google) and modify it?

Yes. However, this is known as cloning and customizing a taxonomy. For details, see Build custom taxonomy.

I don't have a product catalog. Do I still have to build it?

Yes. If you choose to use the Commerce Solutions API or monetize your data, you must build a catalog. You can reuse the Google or Facebook product category taxonomy, or design your own taxonomy.