A lookup feed is essentially a reference or enrichment source that adds additional data fields to an existing product feed.
This does not happen by matching entire product data records, but through a unique data key.
Typical data keys can be:
SKU
EAN / GTIN
Internal product ID
Manufacturer article number
You can find all information regarding “Import a feed” here.
How does a lookup feed work?
The process works (in simple steps) like this:
Main feed is provided
Contains your basic product data (title, description, price, etc.)
Lookup feed provides additional information
e.g., margins, internal categories, labels, additional attributes, availability data, marketing flags, translations, etc.
Matching via the data key
The system looks for the same ID (e.g., SKU) in both feeds. As soon as a match is found, the fields contained in the lookup feed are integrated into the main feed.
Result: Enriched product feed
The output feed now contains more fields—without having to modify the main feed itself.
Why use a lookup feed?
A lookup feed is especially useful when …
… different teams provide different sets of data (marketing, purchasing, PIM, analytics).
… not all data resides in one system but is needed in the final feed.
… you want to maintain and update additional information flexibly without recreating the entire base feed.
… external data sources need to be integrated (e.g., ratings, delivery times, marketplace-specific attributes).
Example
Main Feed:
SKU | Title | Price 1001 | Running Shoes A | 89.99
Lookup Feed:
SKU | Color | Marketing_Tag 1001 | Blue | Bestseller
Result after enrichment:
SKU | Title | Price | Color | Marketing_Tag 1001 | Running Shoes A | 89.99 | Blue | Bestseller