Update: Icecat AFS manual for Vendors

In this Icecat Amazon Feed Specification (AFS) manual for vendors, we explain, step by step, how you can set up an automated content push to Amazon. Amazon introduced AFS as a data interchange standard to enable suppliers to fully automate item lifecycle management with and procurement by Amazon. AFS allows you to publish catalog content to Amazon in an automated way, bypassing many of the Vendor Central self-service tools for manually adding and updating products. Via Icecat, vendors can push content to Amazon through AFS. AFS allows the ingestion of images, texts, and product specifications. Currently, AFS does not allow the automated push of other A+ content or inventory. Such additional A+ info still needs to be manually added via Amazon Vendor Central.

Three-step initial onboarding per country

Please, find below a summary of the three-step initial onboarding process per country.

• Authorize Icecat as CSP (Content Service Provider) in Amazon Vendor Central.
• Provide your Amazon Vendor Code and Token to Icecat.
• Check your full country portfolio, including respective categories and product coverage.

We explain these steps further below.

Icecat authorization as CSP

In short, to push products to Amazon via AFS, it’s required to select Icecat from the CSP list. Below you can find the first steps to follow:

1. Choose Icecat as CSP in Amazon Vendor Central

Firstly, find and choose Icecat as CSP in Amazon Vendor Central. To view the CSP list, go to the Manage Catalog Feeds tab under Items on Vendor Central.

Enter the 8-digit code: 17397865.

2. Authorization of Icecat

Secondly, go back to the Manage Catalog Feeds tab under Items and authorize Icecat for each of the vendor codes used for submitting catalog content. When authorization is complete, you will be notified via a token (as acknowledgment) on the Vendor Central authorization screen.

3. Provide token and vendor code

Finally, provide the token(s) and vendor code(s) to Icecat. So, Icecat can use these credentials as CSP for your data ingestion into Amazon.

Submitting new or revised catalog content

Below, an overview of the submission process of updated catalog content.

1. First of all, a brand sends the list of products needed to be listed on Amazon using the standard request form.
2. Icecat editorial team will check products. In addition, they will send status reports indicating which products are present in the Icecat database and which are not.
3. Icecat will conduct a gap analysis and notify Brand in case of missing info.
4. After that the brand provides missing data, Icecat will complete product datasheets.
5. Product data submission to AFS.
6. Finally, we send status reports back to the brand with created ASINs.

Request form template columns

In the table below, you can see an overview of columns in the product activation form and their meaning.

Viktoriia Melnychuk