Connect a hosted product feed
Connect a hosted product-feed URL so Worldwatch pulls your live stock on a schedule you choose, a recurring alternative to a one-time file or website import.
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A hosted product feed is a URL at a stable address that always returns your current stock, usually an XML, CSV, or JSON document your store or feed tool publishes. Connecting one lets Worldwatch pull your inventory from it on an interval you choose, so your Worldwatch inventory tracks the feed over time. Unlike importing a file or a website page (which each run once), a feed connection keeps pulling.
A feed pulls live; a file or website import runs once. If you only need a one-time load, upload a spreadsheet or import from a website URL instead.
Before you start
- A hosted product-feed URL served over HTTPS (include the
https://prefix) at a stable address that returns your current stock. XML, CSV, and JSON feeds are supported. - The feed must be publicly reachable, not behind a login, password, or IP allowlist.
Connect the feed
Open the importer
On the inventory page, click Import catalog.
Choose Feed or website URL
In the Connect a custom channel dialog, select the Feed or website URL tab.
Paste your feed URL
Enter your hosted feed URL, including the https:// prefix, for example https://example.com/products.xml. Worldwatch detects that it's a feed automatically. Click Check.
Review and map fields
The first pull works like any import: review the detected products and map each inventory field (from a source field, as a literal constant, or unmapped) and enrich with AI. Your mapping is saved and reused on every scheduled pull. See bulk import your inventory from a spreadsheet for the field-by-field detail.
Confirm
Confirm to create the feed connection. Worldwatch imports the current products now. This first import runs once. To keep your inventory in sync with the feed, turn on scheduled imports next.
Turn on scheduled imports
Connecting the feed imports your stock once. To keep it in sync, switch scheduled imports on in the channel's settings:
- Go to Settings → Channels and click the feed channel to open its Edit custom channel panel.
- Turn on Scheduled imports. Worldwatch then re-imports the source on its own, reusing the configuration from your last import.
- Choose an Interval: Daily, Every 6 hours, Every 12 hours, or Weekly.
The panel also shows your last import time and whether it succeeded. The source itself (the URL, format, and record root) is fixed when the channel is created, so to change the source you reconnect the feed.
Keep the feed healthy
Keep the feed URL stable and publicly reachable: if the address changes or the feed goes offline, scheduled pulls stop until you reconnect. To change the interval or disconnect the feed, open its tile in Settings → Channels.
Troubleshooting
URL rejected
Enter the full feed URL with the https:// prefix. A bare domain or an http:// URL is rejected.
"Couldn't reach the feed"
The feed must be publicly reachable at a stable URL, not behind a login, password, or IP allowlist. Open the URL in a private browser window to confirm it returns your product data, then reconnect.
It imported once but isn't updating
First, check that Scheduled imports is turned on for the channel in Settings → Channels. It stays off until you enable it, so the feed imports once and then waits. If scheduling is already on, Worldwatch may have detected the URL as a website (a one-time snapshot) rather than a feed. Point it at your product-feed document URL (for example .../products.xml), not a storefront page.
See import your stock from a website URL for the one-time website path.
Products are missing or wrong after a pull
Check the feed contents and your field mapping. The mapping saved when you connect is reused on every pull, so a mismatched column repeats; reconnect to adjust the mapping, or fix the feed at the source.