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Facebook Automotive Inventory Ads Feed

Facebook

Monthly revenue
2.45 billion


2019 revenue
70.7 billion USD


Headquarters
Menlo Park, California


Number of sellers
1.86 billion

Ready to reach a whole new audience? Let us help you get your products listed on Facebook.

How to create and submit an automotive feed for Facebook

You’ll need to share information with Facebook in order to promote your automotive inventory on the platform. This can be achieved by creating an automotive catalog and then filling it with automotive details.

To build a catalog, you should connect a data feed or upload data to Facebook. The data should contain all the required fields for the vehicles that you want to advertise, which are listed below.

1. Determine Your Auto Catalog Feed

Mandatory Fields for Auto Catalog Feed – Vehicle-Specific Details

All enum fields are case-insensitive.

NameTypeDescriptionCan use in Creative?Can use as a product set filter?
vehicle_idString, max 100Unique ID for item. Can be a variant for a vehicle. If there are multiple instances of the same ID, we ignore all instances.Y
vinStringVIN number of the vehicle. Note: VIN must be exactly 17 characters.YY
makeStringMake or brand of the vehicle, such as Ford.YY
modelStringModel of the vehicle, such as Focus.YY
yearintYear the vehicle was launched in yyyyformat, such as 2015.YY
transmissionenumValues accepted: Automatic or Manual.Y
body_styleenumBody style of the vehicle: CONVERTIBLE, COUPE, HATCHBACK, MINIVAN, TRUCK, SUV, SEDAN, VAN, WAGON, CROSSOVER, or OTHER.YY
descriptionString (max 5000 characters)Short text describing the vehicle.Y
exterior_colorStringVehicle color. Ex: black, white, blueYY
image[0].tag[0]StringTag for first vehicle image. You can have multiple tags associated with an image. Follow this naming convention:image[0].tag[0], image[0].tag[1]….image[1].tag[0], image[1].tag[1]….Y
image[0].urlStringThe URL of the vehicle image. To use carousel ads, provide a square 1:1 aspect ratio images (600x600px). To show single vehicle ads, provide images with 1.91:1 aspect ratio image (1200x630px). If you have more than one vehicle image, follow this naming convention: image[1].url, image[2].url, and so on. You can provide up to 20 images for the vehicle. You must provide at least one image. Each image can be up to 4 MB in size.
mileage.valueintMileage of the vehicle in kms or miles, for used vehicles. Zero (0) for new vehicles.YY
mileage.unitStringMileage units: MI or KMY
urlurlLink to the external site where you can view the vehicle.
titleStringTitle of vehicle, such as “2017 Ford Focus 5DR HD SE”; 500 characters (max).YY
priceStringCost of vehicle and currency. Currency should follow ISO 4217 currency codes such as USD 13,999.YY
state_of_vehicleenumWhether the vehicle is new or used. Values supported are: New, Used, or CPO (certified pre-owned).Y

Mandatory Fields for Vehicle Catalog Feed – Dealership (Vehicle Location)-Specific Details

NameTypeDescriptionUse in Creative?Product filter?
addressobjectComplete address for the dealership (vehicle location) that must be resolvable to its location.
addr1 (address object)StringStreet address of dealership, such as 675 El Camino Real.
city (address object)StringCity dealership is in, such as Palo Alto.YY
region (address object)StringState, county, region, or province for dealership, such as California.YY
country (address object)StringCountry, such as United States.Y
longitudefloatDealership’s longitude, such as –122.148252.
latitudefloatDealership’s latitude.

Optional fields include:

NameTypeDescriptionCan use in Creative?Can be used as product set filter?
drivetrainenumVehicle drivetrain. Expected values: 4X2, 4X4, AWD, FWD, RWD, Other.Y
fuel_typeenumVehicle fuel type. Accepted values: Diesel, Electric, Flex, Gasoline, Hybrid, Other.Y
trimStringTrim of the vehicle, such as 5DR HB SE; 50 characters (max).YY
tag (image tag)StringString of image description. There can be multiple tags associated with an image, such as Exterior, Interior, StockImage.
interior_colorStringVehicle interior color.Y
conditionenumCondition of the vehicle. Expected values: excellent, good, fair, poor, or other.Y
sale_priceintSale price or special price.YY
date_first_on_lotStringDate this vehicle first arrived at the dealer lot. Used to indicate inventory age. Should be in date format yyyy-mm-dd; for example, 2018-09-05Y
availabilityenumVehicle availability: available or not available. Note: We do not show vehicles that are unavailable in the ad.
dealer_idStringAlphanumeric identifier of the dealer; 100 characters (max).Y
dealer_nameStringName of dealer; 100 characters (max).YY
dealer_phonestringPhone number of dealer.
postal_code, in address objectStringPostal code or zip code of dealer.
custom_label_0 (max size: 100)StringOptional. Additional information about item.YY
vehicle_typeenumType of vehicle. Expected values: car_truck (default if not supplied), boat, commercial, motorcycle, powersport, rv_camper, trailer, or other.

Optional Fields, Product Deep Links

Provide deep links in Product Feed following the App Links specification. Deep link information in Product Feed takes precedence over any information Facebook collects with App Links metadata with our web crawler.

If you already have deep link information from App Links, you do not need to specify this data. Facebook uses information from App Links to display the correct deep link. To display deep links in your ads see Dynamic Ads, Ad Template.

NameDescriptionExample
ios_urlCustom scheme for iOS app as URLexample-ios://electronic
ios_app_store_idApp ID for App Store1234
ios_app_nameName of app to displayElectronic Example iOS
iphone_urlCustom scheme for iPhone app as URLexample-iphone://electronic
iphone_app_store_idApp ID for App Store5678
iphone_app_nameName of app to displayElectronic Example iPhone
ipad_urlCustom scheme for iPhone appexample-ipad://electronic
ipad_app_store_idApp ID for App Store9010
ipad_app_nameName of app to displayElectronic Example iPad
android_urlCustom scheme for Android app as URLexample-android://electronic
android_packageFully-qualified package name for intent generationcom.electronic
android_app_nameName of app for displayElectronic Example Android
windows_phone_urlCustom scheme for Windows Phone app as URLexample-windows://electronic
windows_phone_app_idApp ID, as a GUID, for app storeee728e01-7727-4168-9c8f-85c7eef40112
windows_phone_app_nameName of app for displayElectronic Example Windows

2. Create Data Feed

There are two options, you can either have a single auto feed to represent all vehicles in your catalog or multiple auto feeds where each feed represents a single dealership or a specific region’s vehicles.

Provide your feed in the correct format: CSV, TSV, or XML. Once you create the feed file, you should host it at a URL for frequently scheduled updates.

You have these available feed options:

  • A single vehicle feed to represent all vehicles in your catalog
  • Multiple vehicle feeds where each feed represents a single dealership or region’s vehicles

This sample feed is as XML:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<listings>
 <title>Vehicles Feed</title>
 <link rel="self" href="http://www.example.com"/>
 <listing>
 <vehicle_id>SED1234</vehicle_id>
 <title>2017 Ford Fusion SE</title>
 <description>Ford Certified and 6-Speed Automatic. Turbocharged! Gasoline!</description>
 <url>http://www.example.com/test</url>
 <make>Ford</make>
 <image>
 <url>http://example.com/some.image_1.jpg</url>
 <tag>Exterior</tag>
 </image>
 <model>Fusion</model>
 <year>2017</year>
 <mileage>
 <value>10</value>
 <unit>MI</unit>
 </mileage>
 <drivetrain>FWD</drivetrain>
 <vin>1FADP5AU6DL536022</vin>
 <body_style>SEDAN</body_style>
 <fuel_type>GASOLINE</fuel_type>
 <transmission>AUTOMATIC</transmission>
 <condition>EXCELLENT</condition>
 <price>18000 USD</price>
 <address format="simple">
 <component name="addr1">550 Auto Center Dr</component>
 <component name="city">Watsonville</component>
 <component name="region">CA</component>
 <component name="postal_code">95076</component>
 <component name="country">US</component>
 </address>
 <latitude>52.35</latitude>
 <longitude>42.10</longitude>
 <exterior_color>white</exterior_color>
 <sale_price>16000 USD</sale_price>
 <availability>AVAILABLE</availability>
 <date_first_on_lot>2018-02-21</date_first_on_lot>
 <state_of_vehicle>NEW</state_of_vehicle>
 <dealer_id>ABC1234</dealer_id>
 </listing>
</listings>

You have these available feed options:

  • A single vehicle feed to represent all vehicles in your catalog
  • Multiple vehicle feeds where each feed represents a single dealership or region’s vehicles

3. Schedule Uploads

Rather than uploading refreshed files manually, you should schedule feed uploads to automatically push the latest vehicle inventory data to Facebook.

For more info on how to schedule feed uploads, see Product Catalog – Schedule Product Feed Fetches.

You can download a sample feed (CSV, TSV, XML format) if you try to create an Auto catalog via Catalog Manager.

4. Debug your Automotive Feed

Using the Product Feed Debug Tool, you can paste in a product feed, and validate the feed for errors and warnings. To debug your automotive feed, in the catalog selection drop-down menu, select Vehicles.

You’ll find that this is helpful in the early stages, to discover whether the current feeds you may already have are supported by Facebook.

5. Create Vehicle Sets

Once the catalog upload is set up and working properly, you can create vehicle sets.

A vehicle set is a subset of your catalog. Vehicle sets are defined by filters that are applied to the Vehicle catalog. For instance, you can create a vehicle set with all vehicles with a year later than 2015. Note: You can also create a vehicle set without any filters, where the vehicle set contains all vehicles in your catalog.

Example – Create a vehicle set containing all the vehicles that manufactured in 2016

The filter parameter is made up of the following operators and data:

use FacebookAds\Object\ProductSet;
use FacebookAds\Object\Fields\ProductSetFields;
$vehicle_set = new ProductSet(null, <PRODUCT_CATALOG_ID>);
$vehicle_set->setData(array(
 ProductSetFields::NAME => 'Test Vehicle Set',
 ProductSetFields::FILTER => array(
 'year' => array(
 'eq' => 2016,
 ),
 ),
));
$ vehicle_set->create();

The filter parameter is made up of the following operators and data:

OperatorsThe type of filter
i_containsContains substring. Operator is case insensitive.
i_not_containsDoes not contain substring. Operator is case insensitive.
containsContains substring. Operator is case insensitive.
not_containsDoes not contain substring. Operator is case insensitive.
eqEqual to. Operator is case insensitive.
neqNot equal to. Operator is case insensitive.
ltLess than. For numeric fields only.
lteLess than or equal to. For numeric fields only.
gtGreater than. For numeric fields only.
gteGreater than or equal to. For numeric fields only.

Our full-service team of experts will ensure your Automotive ads are optimized and delivering the desired results. Take a look at some of our other Automotive solutions below:

Auto Parts Feed (Online product visibility)

Dynamic Text Ads (Best option for Car Dealers)

Remarketing on Google & Facebook (Bring your visitors back to increase chance of closing sale)

Facebook

Monthly revenue
2.45 billion


2019 revenue
70.7 billion USD


Headquarters
Menlo Park, California


Number of sellers
1.86 billion

Ready to reach a whole new audience? Let us help you get your products listed on Facebook.

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