Manual: Icecat Product XML in batch processing

This document describes how to download product XML in batch processing of products from Icecat. Icecat provides customers with the ability to download XML product data. Other available Pull-API interfaces are:

• Icecat LIVE (JavaScript) Interface
• Quick Guide for real-time data (XML, CSV)
• Icecat URL Interface
• Manual for Icecat CSV Interface
• Manual: downloading individual Product XMLs
• A full overview of Icecat’s XML interface

If you’re looking into pushing brand product data to Icecat, then check out the Push-API (JSON) manual.

Access to Icecat

To obtain access to Open Icecat, you will need a login/password, provided to you by Icecat. If you don’t have these, please register online for Open Icecat. Open Icecat is free and contains millions of products.

NOTE: During the registration you need to choose for the URL or Data (XML) version. If you want to make use of XML, make sure that you choose the Open Icecat Data subscription. You can always change this afterwards, or create a second subscription for the URL (links to hosted data-sheets) method.

In case you need higher catalog coverage, you will need Full Icecat. For more information, see the Icecat Susbcription Plans. You can request Full Icecat via the contact page.

Access to the product information of Full Icecat is protected. If you want to access the product information we need to unblock your IP address. Fill in the IP-address(es) of your server(s) and office in the “Allowed IP addresses” field. If you don’t know your office IP addresses, visit What is my IP to find your (office) IP. For you server IP address, please ask your system operator or provider.

You can fill in several IP addresses, separated by a space.

Popular web shop software Add-ons

If you are looking for to connect your web shop look at several of the most popular Icecat Add-ons.

Downloading product XMLs in a batch

Batch processing is handy when you want to download the product sheets directly. In this case you can use the index files to retrieve the product information you need.

Process flow

1. Download the relevant index.
   1. files.index.xml.gz (.csv.gz) for all products in Icecat. Use this index once at the start of setting up the onboarding for Icecat.
   2. daily.index.xml.gz (.csv.gz) for the daily new and updated products. Use this index daily to select new and updated products.
2. Sort and select the products you need.
   1. You can select on
      1. Brand
      2. Manufacturer product code(s)
      3. GTINs (EANs, UPCs)
      4. Category
      5. Quality
      6. On market
3. Download the relevant product XMLs you need.

For efficiency we advise not to download all products sheets Icecat can supply, but only select those you need.

Pre-sorting means less sheets to download, so less network activity and less storage needed on your servers.

Index files

If you do not have the GTIN and/or “Brand + Product Code”information then use the index file, to look for the product information you want and need.

Replace the XX for your specific locales and language code.

The following links are essential for this method.

Index: Initial download

https://data.icecat.biz/export/freexml/nl/files.index.xml.gz (.csv.gz) | Open Icecat, Dutch
https://data.icecat.biz/export/level4/nl/files.index.xml.gz (.csv.gz) | Full Icecat, Dutch
This file contains all products in the database of Icecat. Please, don’t download all product sheets in this index file, but only those you need and use.  Sort the products from the index file and then download those you need.

Index: Update download

https://data.icecat.biz/export/freexml/nl/daily.index.xml.gz (.csv.gz) | Open Icecat, Dutch
https://data.icecat.biz/export/level4/nl/daily.index.xml.gz (.csv.gz) | Full Icecat, Dutch
A much smaller file with all recent new and updated products.

Index: On market

https://data.icecat.biz/export/freexml/nl/on_market.index.xml.gz (.csv.gz) | Open Icecat, Dutch
https://data.icecat.biz/export/level4/nl/on_market.index.xml.gz (.csv.gz) | Full Icecat, Dutch
A smaller index with all currently available products. We have access to hundreds of wholesalers who daily submit what products they sell.

Explaining the index

Where:

Please, note that this language-specific content is the standardized content, which is entered by our editors, or – in case of no standardized values – the original data imported from the CMS of a manufacturer like HP, Toshiba, Philips etc.

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