Send AdRoll the products worth showing.

AdRoll is a retargeting and performance-marketing platform founded in San Francisco in 2006 (originally as Semantic Sugar, Inc.) and now operated as the flagship advertising brand of NextRoll, which the company rebranded to in 2019. Rather than being a marketplace or comparison site, AdRoll re-engages people who have already visited a brand's website by serving them personalized ads — and, for paid subscribers, personalized emails — built from that visitor's own browsing behavior.

At the center of this is AdRoll's Dynamic Ads product: instead of designing a static ad per product, advertisers connect a Product Feed once, and AdRoll's ad templates automatically pull in product images, titles, prices and landing-page URLs to assemble ads on the fly for each visitor.

Your product feed is what AdRoll calls "the crucial backbone" that powers Dynamic Ads — without it, AdRoll has no product data to personalize with, and campaigns fall back to generic static creative.

According to AdRoll's own Understanding Dynamic Ads documentation, Dynamic Ads can achieve a 34% lower cost-per-acquisition (CPA) on their own, and up to 61% lower CPA when combined with static ad campaigns, because the ads shown are relevant to what each visitor actually looked at. AdRoll also documents a 44% lift in ROAS and a 115% increase in click-through rate (CTR) from Dynamic Ads versus non-dynamic creative.

Once connected, a single feed can drive several ad surfaces from the same product data: Web Dynamic Ads (standard display sizes), Native Dynamic Ads, and — for legacy packages — Social Dynamic Ads on Facebook and Instagram. Each format pulls the same underlying fields (product name, image, destination URL, price) so you maintain one source of truth instead of building creative per channel by hand.

AdRoll's documentation describes one mechanic worth understanding before you connect a feed: the same Product Feed that powers your display and native Dynamic Ads can also power dynamic content blocks inside AdRoll's Abandoned Cart email templates, for accounts on a paid plan that includes email.

On the ad side, AdRoll's templates use macros — placeholder strings such as @title or @price — that get replaced with the actual product data from your feed at serve time. On the email side, AdRoll's Abandoned Cart templates offer configurable content blocks that read from the same connected feed:

1. Main Abandoned Cart Product — automatically features the first unpurchased product added to the recipient's cart.
2. List of Abandoned Cart Products — automatically lists up to 3 unpurchased products by default; the limit is adjustable by editing the block's display condition (e.g. {% for product in abandoned_cart.products limit:5 %}).
3. 2 Abandoned Cart Products Side by Side — populates two products next to each other.

Each block pulls Product Image, Product Title, Product Description, Product Price and the Cart URL directly from your feed data — so a feed built correctly for Dynamic Ads generally also satisfies AdRoll's cart-abandonment email requirements, with no separate feed needed.

AdRoll's Connect your Product Feed documentation lists three commonly accepted file formats:

1. TXT — tab-delimited or pipe-delimited (AdRoll states tab-delimited TXT "is often preferred")
2. CSV — comma-separated values
3. XML

Your entire product catalog for Dynamic Ads should generally live in a single feed file, structured one row (or node) per unique product — AdRoll calls this "product-level" data. Files should be encoded in UTF-8; AdRoll explicitly lists invalid encoding as a cause of feed parsing failures.

Feeds are provided as a link rather than a manual per-order upload: you typically share the URL of your hosted feed (TXT, CSV or XML) with AdRoll support (support@adroll.com) or your Account Manager to get it connected, or you connect an e-commerce platform integration (e.g. Shopify, GoDataFeed, Channel Advisor, Amazon, Bing Shopping, Google Merchant Center) that generates and syncs the feed automatically.

If you self-host the feed file rather than using a third-party integration, AdRoll needs access to fetch it. Its documented allowlisting requirements are:

• IP Address: 54.69.18.100
• User Agent: AdRoll Dynamic Creative Feed Parser bot (delight@adroll.com)

AdRoll also asks that you notify support before making unauthorized structural changes to an already-connected feed — rearranging columns or changing the file type — since this can disrupt an already-integrated parser and cause ad performance issues.

AdRoll publishes a "Product Feed Specifications Summary" with 4 required fields and 6 recommended fields. AdRoll's documentation notes it does not publish character limits for these feed values — the field, action (required/recommended) and description below are quoted directly from AdRoll's own spec table.

The single most important integrity rule in AdRoll's own documentation is that product_id must exactly match — case-sensitive, with no extra spaces — the product ID that AdRoll's website pixel captures via adroll_custom_data. AdRoll calls this matching "crucial for linking user activity to your product data"; if the pixel-captured ID doesn't match an ID in the feed, personalization for that product fails outright.

1. Map your catalog to AdRoll's spec in Feedance. Configure a Feedance feed that outputs the 5 required fields (product_id, title, link, image_link, price) plus the recommended fields (description, sale_price, availability, google_product_category, brand), in TXT (tab-delimited), CSV, or XML — one row per unique product.
2. Host the feed at a stable, public URL. Feedance publishes a live feed URL that stays in sync with your catalog. If you host the file elsewhere instead, remember AdRoll's parser needs to reach it: allowlist IP 54.69.18.100 and the user agent AdRoll Dynamic Creative Feed Parser bot (delight@adroll.com).
3. Submit the feed link to AdRoll. AdRoll's documented connection flow is to share your feed's URL with AdRoll support (support@adroll.com) or your Account Manager, who connects it to your account — there is no fully self-serve "paste a URL" step in the base flow described in AdRoll's own guide.
4. Verify the Product ID match before launch. This is the AdRoll-specific quirk most feeds get wrong: the product_id values in your Feedance feed must exactly match (case-sensitive) the ID AdRoll's pixel captures via adroll_custom_data on your live product pages. Check this in your browser's developer console against the feed, then confirm feed health under Creative > Product Feeds > Overview, where AdRoll shows a status of Healthy, Needs Attention, or Broken after the first sync.

In AdRoll's Product Feed Overview (currently in Beta), the "Sync schedule" field is described as "how frequently AdRoll checks for updates in your feed," and AdRoll states directly: "Currently the default schedule is daily and cannot be changed." The same page also shows a Last sync and Next sync timestamp for each connected feed; if a feed has problems, Next sync can display "Scheduling Disabled" instead of a time.

Separately, in the context of product exclusions, AdRoll's Connect your Product Feed documentation notes that "automatic feed setups are updated weekly and may reverse manual blacklisting if items are still marked as available in the source data" — a distinct note about ecommerce-integration-driven feeds rather than the general daily sync schedule shown in the Overview page.

Practically, this means you should keep your source catalog (via Feedance) accurate at all times rather than relying on manual re-triggers — AdRoll will pick up changes on its own daily cadence, and you cannot force a faster refresh from the merchant side.

Straight from AdRoll's own best-practice guidance for product feeds and Dynamic Ads:

1. Get Product ID accuracy right first. Consistent, exactly-matching product IDs across your feed, your website, and the AdRoll pixel are the single biggest lever for accurate tracking and retargeting.
2. Keep the feed fresh. Price, availability and core product info should stay automatically current — stale data risks both inaccurate ads and ad disapprovals.
3. Use availability instead of blacklisting for temporary stock-outs. AdRoll recommends updating the availability attribute to "out of stock" for temporarily unavailable items rather than requesting a manual product blacklist, since automatic feed setups can reverse a manual blacklist on their weekly update if the item still shows as available in your source data.
4. Populate the recommended fields, not just the required ones. AdRoll calls out description, brand and google_product_category specifically as fields that improve visibility and ad relevance beyond the 5 required fields.
5. Match your product photography to AdRoll's creative guidance. AdRoll's Dynamic Ads best practices recommend high-quality, eye-catching product photos, consistent image size/aspect ratio across your catalog, and transparent backgrounds so the product is the visual focus of the ad.
6. Keep titles and descriptions brief. AdRoll notes that dynamic ad products are typically displayed for an average of five seconds, so concise title and description values are more likely to register with a fast-moving shopper.
7. Monitor feed health regularly. Use the Product Feed Overview (Creative > Product Feeds) to check status (Healthy / Needs Attention / Broken), Last sync, and Next sync, rather than waiting for a performance drop to investigate.

What file format should my AdRoll product feed be in?
TXT (tab- or pipe-delimited), CSV, or XML. AdRoll notes tab-delimited TXT is often preferred, and the file should be UTF-8 encoded.

Which fields does AdRoll actually require?
product_id, title, link, image_link and price are required. description, sale_price, availability, google_product_category and brand are recommended for richer ads but not strictly mandatory.

How often will AdRoll pick up changes to my feed?
The Product Feed Overview page states the default sync schedule is daily and cannot be changed by merchants. Some automated ecommerce-integration feed setups are separately documented as updating weekly.

Why are some of my products missing from my dynamic ads?
The most common cause is a Product ID mismatch between your feed and the ID AdRoll's pixel captures via adroll_custom_data on your site — check this first. Missing or invalid image and landing-page URLs for specific products are the next most common cause.

Do I upload my feed manually or does AdRoll fetch it automatically?
You provide AdRoll with a link to your hosted feed (TXT, CSV or XML) via support or your Account Manager, or connect through a supported ecommerce integration; AdRoll's parser then fetches from that URL on its sync schedule. Self-hosted feeds must allow AdRoll's IP (54.69.18.100) and User-Agent to reach the file.

Does my product feed also power AdRoll's abandoned-cart emails?
Yes — for accounts with AdRoll email enabled, the same connected Product Feed supplies the dynamic content blocks (Main Abandoned Cart Product, List of up to 3 Cart Products, or 2 Products Side by Side) used in Abandoned Cart email templates.

What happens if my feed fails to parse entirely?
You'll see a "Feed Parsing Failed" status with 0 products imported and a 0% product match rate. Check that the feed URL is live and publicly reachable, that any self-hosting allowlisting is correct, and that the file is a supported format saved as UTF-8.

AdRoll is a popular digital advertising platform that specializes in delivering targeted advertisements across various channels. Launched in 2007, it originated in the United States. Since its inception, AdRoll has grown to become a widely recognized and respected platform in the advertising industry.

One of the core features of the AdRoll platform is its ability to collect and analyze data from user interactions, allowing advertisers to make informed decisions about their campaigns. It primarily focuses on retargeting, which means showing ads to users who have previously interacted with a brand's website or shown interest in their products or services.

AdRoll helps advertisers reach their target audience by displaying ads through different channels, including social media platforms, email marketing campaigns, and even the web. It enables businesses to create personalized and relevant ads that are more likely to resonate with potential customers.

The platform utilizes advanced algorithms to optimize campaign performance and improve conversion rates. Advertisers can set specific goals, such as increasing website traffic, generating leads, or boosting sales, and AdRoll helps them achieve those objectives.

AdRoll also offers comprehensive analytics and reporting tools, allowing advertisers to track the performance of their campaigns in real-time. This data can be used to make data-driven decisions, optimize campaigns, and identify areas for improvement.

In recent years, AdRoll has expanded its services beyond retargeting. It now includes other advertising strategies like prospecting, which focuses on targeting new potential customers, and customer segmentation, which helps tailor ads to specific groups or demographics.

With its user-friendly interface, extensive features, and powerful targeting capabilities, AdRoll has become a popular choice for businesses of all sizes and industries looking to maximize their advertising efforts. Their innovative approach and continuous updates have positioned them as a leading player in the digital advertising industry.