The true cost of bad product data: How data errors hurt your sales (and how to fix them)

A single data error can cost you sales

In eCommerce, visibility is everything. But if your product listings are full of inconsistencies, gaps, or unclear information, potential customers will quickly scroll further.

You’ve already put in the effort: sourcing products, managing inventory, setting up ads. Yet, your listings aren't performing as expected? Chances are, there’s a hidden data error to blame.

From feed rejections and missing attributes to misleading pricing or image issues, bad product data can fully undermine your ad’s visibility and sales potential.

Fortunately, these issues are preventable and fixable. It all starts with the right structure, oversight, and tools in place. Below, we explain how data errors impact performance and what you can do to prevent it.

Why product feed errors hurt ad performance

Product data errors aren’t always easy to spot, or else they wouldn’t be such a problem. Often, they show up as disapproved listings, a drop in impressions or an unexpected dip in CTR.

For example, if a shopper is browsing an online marketplace and comes across a listing with a confusing title, a missing image or a price that doesn’t match the landing page, they’re likely to lose trust and leave your product page immediately.

The same goes for your eCommerce channels. Platforms like Google Shopping and Amazon rely on structured, complete and correctly formatted data to determine what gets shown, and to whom. A single data error (like a missing GTIN or a miscategorized product) could easily disqualify your listing and prevent it from being displayed at all.

Bad product data: The most common causes

Now let’s look at a few of the most frequent and damaging product data feed errors, and what’s at stake when they go unnoticed.

Incomplete or poorly structured titles

Your product title is often your only chance to catch a buyer’s attention. If it’s missing the key details (like product type, material, intended use or brand) the listing may not be shown for relevant searches.

For example, a title like “Stylish Sofa” is far less effective than “3-Seater Velvet Sofa in Forest Green with Oak Legs.” It’s important to be as specific and accurate as possible with your titles. This boosts visibility while increasing CTR by aligning with shopper intent.

Looking for more ways to optimize product titles and other data? Check out our ultimate guide to product feed optimization too!

Incorrect or inconsistent pricing

Pricing discrepancies are a red flag for platforms and for customers. If the price in your ad doesn’t match the price on your landing page, your feed could be suspended.
Even worse, customers might feel misled and simply bounce. Ensuring consistent formatting (such as currency codes and tax-inclusive pricing where required) is an essential best practice that directly impacts both trust and approval rates.

Misclassified categories

Listing a hand-crafted ceramic mug under “Home Décor > Wall Art” might seem like a minor oversight, but it severely limits discoverability. Categories help platforms understand what your product is, which audiences it belongs to, and where to place it in filtered search results. Misclassification is one of the most common (and avoidable) product feed errors.

Missing or invalid product identifiers

Platforms like Google require identifiers like GTINs, MPNs and brand names to verify authenticity and relevance. These details help match your products with user queries more accurately. When they are missing or incorrect, your listings may be rejected or buried in results.

Inadequate visuals

Blurry images or photos with watermarks can result in product feed rejections. Shopping platforms like Amazon, Google, Facebook and Instagram prioritize high-quality visuals because they improve user experience and drive conversion. Including multiple image angles, contextual or lifestyle shots, and clean backgrounds can significantly improve CTR.

Feed management is a dynamic process

Product data isn’t static. Pricing changes, inventory shifts and product details evolve. That’s why feed management should be treated as an ongoing process instead of just a one-time setup.

One of the biggest mistakes retailers make is assuming their product feed is “good enough” once it’s live. But even small shifts like a new VAT requirement or a seasonal keyword trend can introduce new data errors that drag performance down over time.

Smart eCommerce retailers and digital marketing teams monitor their feeds frequently, audit performance and correct issues as they arise. Better yet, they use automatic feed management tools that do it for them.

Product feed best practices for error-free listings

To maintain consistent, high-performing feeds across channels, here are a few principles every team should follow:

• Prioritize accuracy: Titles, prices, categories, and attributes must match what the customer sees on the product page.

• Enrich your data: Go beyond the basics. Add color details, material types, or intended use cases. This not only helps with platform visibility but creates better shopping experiences.

• Stay compliant per channel: Every platform has its own formatting rules. Your product feed needs to adapt, not just export.

• Automate when possible: Manual updates introduce human error. Automation reduces it.

• Audit regularly: Schedule periodic reviews to catch product feed errors before they hurt visibility or spend.

How Channable helps prevent and fix product feed errors

If this all sounds complex, that’s because it is – unless you have the right tools. Channable was built to simplify feed management, reduce manual effort, and protect your listings from performance issues caused by data errors.

With Channable, you get:

• Dynamic rules to identify and fix gaps in your feed, such as missing prices, truncated titles or incorrect currency formatting.

• Smart attributes, which automatically enrich your listings using AI. Whether it's converting “khaki” to “green” or inferring material types from product descriptions, our smart attributes feature fills in the blanks to match channel requirements.

• Real-time feed diagnostics, so you can catch feed rejections and data issues before they impact your ads.

• Multi-channel support, letting you create tailored product feeds per platform from a single data source, without the duplicate work.

When feed quality improves, so does everything else: CTR, approval rates, conversion performance and ROAS.

Get hands-on with our tool for free

A data error like a missing brand name or outdated category may seem small, but its impact on your eCommerce performance can be significant. Discoverability and relevance are too important to put at risk. The quality of your product feed can make or break your business’s ability to scale.

By following product feed best practices and using tools like Channable to automate quality control, you ensure that your product data is as clean, accurate and engaging as possible, so your listings perform better and your customer base continues to grow.

Ready to make your products more visible online with fewer data errors? Start your free Channable trial today.