Microsoft launches global supplemental feeds for Merchant Center efficiency

Microsoft Advertising announced on September 17, 2025, the global availability of supplemental feeds for Microsoft Merchant Center, introducing capabilities that enable merchants to update specific product details without requiring complete catalog reuploads. The feature addresses long-standing challenges in product data management by allowing targeted modifications to titles, descriptions, custom labels, size, color, and promotion IDs.

According to the announcement, supplemental feeds represent a fundamental shift from traditional product catalog management approaches. Previously, merchants needed to reupload entire product catalogs when making changes to individual product attributes. The new system enables precise modifications to specific data fields while preserving existing catalog structures.

The timing aligns with peak season preparation for many advertisers, as Microsoft positions the feature as a critical tool for maintaining accurate and compelling product listings during high-volume periods. The functionality becomes available globally through multiple implementation pathways, including manual uploads in Microsoft Merchant Center, FTP/SFTP transfers, and URL download methods.

Technical specifications reveal that supplemental feed data consistently overrides primary feed data when conflicts occur. This hierarchical approach ensures that targeted updates take precedence over existing catalog information. According to Microsoft's documentation, merchants can clear supplemental data by uploading empty fields containing only product IDs or by deleting the supplemental feed entirely.

The system implements strict limitations on supplemental feed usage. Only one supplemental feed can be applied per unique combination of language and feed label or country of sale. This constraint ensures data consistency while preventing conflicting information from multiple supplemental sources. Additionally, the feature restricts operations to product modifications only, excluding the ability to add or delete products from catalogs.

Microsoft's implementation timeline provides merchants immediate access to the feature across all global markets. The announcement specifies that supplemental feeds operate through existing Microsoft Merchant Center infrastructure, requiring no additional platform integrations or technical modifications to current workflows.

The development builds upon Microsoft's expanding merchant tools ecosystem. Earlier this year, the company introduced Feed Labels functionality, which enables retailers to organize products from multiple feeds using shared attributes like language, product category, or brand. Feed Labels streamlined international campaigns by allowing single feed label applications across multiple market-specific product feeds.

Product data management complexity has increased significantly as retailers expand across multiple channels and geographic markets. Traditional catalog management approaches require substantial technical resources and coordination between inventory systems and advertising platforms. Supplemental feeds address these challenges by providing granular control over specific product attributes without disrupting broader catalog structures.

The announcement coincides with broader Microsoft Advertising platform enhancements announced in the same September update. Performance Max campaigns received new reporting capabilities and budget suggestion tools for non-feed-based campaigns. Asset group level reporting now provides advertisers with device, audience, time, and dimensional data to support optimization decisions.

Microsoft also expanded bulk editing capabilities for Lodging campaigns, enabling users to select multiple property groups and update bid values simultaneously within the platform interface. The update reduces manual effort required for property group management while improving campaign productivity for hospitality advertisers.

Enhanced Universal Event Tracking (UET) consent signal reporting launched through the UET Dashboard, providing advertisers with direct platform monitoring of consent signal compliance. The feature includes at-a-glance dashboards, detailed tag insights categorizing signals as Healthy, Moderate, or Missing, and event-level validation capabilities for specific events and URLs.

Microsoft's broader policy enforcement initiatives also gained attention with the September 4, 2025 enhancement of existing content quality standards. The company strengthened enforcement against "Made for Advertising" content across Microsoft Monetize, Invest, and Curate platforms. This policy addresses low-quality content designed solely for generating ad impressions without providing material value to users.

According to Microsoft's announcement, inventory sold through these platforms became MFA-free by default after September 4, 2025. The policy update aligns with industry-wide efforts to improve content quality and protect advertiser investments in premium inventory placements.

The supplemental feeds feature addresses specific operational challenges documented by digital marketing professionals. Previous Microsoft Advertising developments have focused on automation and efficiency improvements, including ad customizers that enable hundreds of ad variations from single ad copy templates.

Implementation requirements for supplemental feeds remain straightforward according to Microsoft's specifications. Merchants can begin using the feature immediately through existing Microsoft Merchant Center accounts. Manual upload options provide direct control over supplemental data, while automated FTP/SFTP and URL download methods support larger-scale operations requiring regular updates.

The feature's global availability contrasts with many platform updates that undergo regional rollouts. Microsoft's decision to launch supplemental feeds simultaneously across all markets suggests confidence in the technical infrastructure and anticipated high demand from international merchants preparing for peak season campaigns.

Data hierarchy management represents a critical component of the supplemental feeds system. When supplemental data conflicts with primary feed information, the supplemental data takes precedence regardless of the original data quality or completeness. This approach provides merchants with confidence that targeted updates will appear correctly in product listings without unexpected overrides from primary catalog data.

Microsoft's emphasis on streamlined updates and reduced effort reflects broader industry trends toward operational efficiency in digital advertising. As product catalogs grow in size and complexity, the ability to make targeted changes without system-wide disruptions becomes increasingly valuable for maintaining competitive positioning and campaign performance.

The announcement positions Microsoft Merchant Center as a more flexible alternative to competing platforms that may require more complex workflows for similar product data management tasks. By simplifying the update process while maintaining data integrity controls, Microsoft aims to attract merchants seeking efficient catalog management solutions.

Future development directions for supplemental feeds remain unspecified in the current announcement. However, the feature's integration with existing Microsoft Merchant Center infrastructure suggests potential for additional enhancements based on user feedback and platform evolution requirements.

Timeline

• March 2024: Microsoft introduces Feed Labels for international campaign management
• August 2025: Microsoft launches enhanced website exclusion tools with bulk management capabilities
• September 4, 2025: Microsoft enhances MFA content enforcement across Monetize, Invest, and Curate platforms
• September 17, 2025: Microsoft announces global availability of supplemental feeds for Microsoft Merchant Center
• September 17, 2025: Performance Max campaigns receive new reporting and budget suggestion features
• September 17, 2025: Bulk editing launches for Lodging campaign property groups
• September 17, 2025: UET Dashboard gains enhanced consent signal status reporting

Summary

Who: Microsoft Advertising announced the feature for merchants using Microsoft Merchant Center globally, with development led by Product Marketing Managers Kevin Salat and Eugene Goldenshteyn.

What: Supplemental feeds enable merchants to update specific product details including titles, descriptions, custom labels, size, color, and promotion IDs without requiring complete catalog reuploads. The feature supports manual uploads, FTP/SFTP transfers, and URL downloads while implementing data hierarchy controls where supplemental data overrides primary feed information.

When: Microsoft announced global availability on September 17, 2025, with immediate access for all merchants through existing Microsoft Merchant Center accounts.

Where: The feature launches globally across all Microsoft Advertising markets through Microsoft Merchant Center, accessible via platform interface, FTP/SFTP, and URL download methods.

Why: The development addresses merchant challenges with traditional product catalog management that required complete data reuploads for individual product changes, particularly important as peak advertising season approaches and retailers need efficient methods to maintain accurate product listings.