Catalog inventory file FAQ
Use this page to find answers to common questions about managing your catalog.
Which products should be in my catalog?
Your catalog contains all the products you want displayed on your storefront. You create your catalog by sending an initial inventory file, then keep it current by sending updates at regular intervals. Your full inventory file should contain all the products in your catalog, except for prohibited products.
How often should I send inventory files?
Instacart recommends sending inventory files daily. However, you can send inventory files as often as needed to keep your product information and pricing current. To avoid stale pricing and availability in your catalog, you should send an inventory file at least once per week.
How far in advance should I send new products to Instacart?
For brand new products, which are those that Instacart hasn't encountered previously, send the data 3 to 5 days before you want the products displayed on the storefront. Instacart needs this lead time to create and process new products before they can be fulfilled.
How do I make changes to my inventory file format or data fields?
Before making changes to your inventory file format or adding new fields, submit a support request. The Catalog team reviews your proposed changes and updates your ingestion configuration to ensure your file continues to be processed correctly. Unannounced changes may cause processing failures. For example, Instacart ignores new fields that you add without prior notice.
How long does it take for changes to appear on the storefront?
Most changes to product attributes appear within 90 minutes of Instacart receiving your inventory file. This includes the time it takes to ingest the file, process the data, and update your storefront.
Do I need to notify Instacart when I send a correction file?
No. Instacart automatically ingests the files you send through SFTP as soon as they arrive.
What are best practices for handling product names?
Include the name attribute in every row of your inventory file. Instacart uses these values to match your data to existing products in the catalog. When formatting a product name, follow brand guidelines for capitalization, spelling, and abbreviations. This helps to ensure a consistent, high-quality experience for customers visiting your storefront.
For more information about formatting product names, see Minimum catalog requirements.
Can I use both imperial and metric units in my catalog?
No. Use either imperial or metric units consistently for all products in your catalog. For example, don't send size_uom values in ounces for some products and kilograms for others. If you need to display measurement units differently on the storefront than what you sent in your inventory file, Instacart can convert units from one measurement system to the other. To request unit conversion, contact your Instacart representative.
For more information about formatting measurement units, see Minimum catalog requirements.
Can I reuse a UPC, price lookup code (PLU), or retailer reference code for a different product?
Instacart strongly recommends not reusing product identification codes. When a product is first created, Instacart assigns its name, size, and taxonomy. Reusing a code for a different product requires those attributes to be updated manually.
If you must reuse a code:
- For private label and in-house products, you can update the name and size through Instacart Platform Portal.
- For universal products, or when changing a product's taxonomy, submit a support request to Instacart.
Why is an attribute value I removed from my file still showing on the storefront?
Instacart does not replace existing data with null values, which means that sending an empty field does not clear the attribute value that's already stored.
For some attributes, you can clear existing data by sending specific non-null values as described in the inventory file product specifications. For other attributes, contact your Instacart representative, who may be able to map null values you send in your inventory file to default values that clear existing attribute data.
Why isn't a product name or size I updated in my inventory file reflected on the storefront?
Instacart sets values for attributes like brand name, product name, and size from your inventory file only when creating a new product. After the product is created, you can no longer update these attributes using your inventory file. For private label and in-house products, you can update these attributes using Instacart Platform Portal.
For national brand products, Instacart sources the attribute values from Content Service Providers (CSPs) that work directly with brand partners. For more information, see Information pipeline.
How does Instacart handle generic produce items?
Instacart consults the USDA commodity database to group similar produce products together, using the name and size data received the first time a PLU or UPC appears in your inventory file. Occasionally, Instacart might group products incorrectly when inventory file data doesn't clearly differentiate between similar products. If you identify two codes that are grouped incorrectly, submit a support request to have them separated.
Why does Instacart group produce products using the commodity database?
Instacart groups produce products for two reasons:
- Customer experience. Produce from different farms or suppliers is often sold as the same product at the same price, sometimes on the same shelf. For example, blueberries from Sunnydale Farms or Fresh Meadows are both sold as 1 pint for $5.99. Rather than listing each farm's product separately, Instacart groups them into a single listing.
- Shopper efficiency. When a customer orders a produce item, shoppers can scan any of the grouped codes to get a match, allowing them to fulfill the order without searching for a specific UPC.
Why is a product specified as sold by weight in my inventory file displaying as sold by each on the storefront?
For some products, Instacart calculates a par weight, sometimes called an average weight, to help customers understand approximately what they're purchasing. For produce items that are easily counted by unit (such as bananas, oranges, or apples) and for in-house packaged meat products, Instacart may display the product as sold by each rather than by weight, using the par weight to represent the approximate size of a single unit.
How does Instacart determine the par weight of an item?
Par weight is a dynamic value, which means that it can be updated independently of your inventory file. Instacart sets par weight as follows:
- From your inventory file. When you include a
par_weightvalue in your inventory file, Instacart uses it as the initial value. - From fulfillment data. Instacart may override the retailer-provided value based on recent fulfillment data, including input from shoppers.
Can par weight vary by store location?
Yes. Par weight is a dynamic value calculated using data received from shoppers, so it can vary between store locations as each location accumulates its own fulfillment data. For example, a Gala apple sold in a store in Maine might have a different average weight than the same apple sold in Connecticut.