To maximize earnings and keep your affiliate program running smoothly, up-to-date information about merchant programs is critical. Every decision, from traffic routing and featured product selections to the promotions and cashback rates you display, depends on current merchant data.
Unfortunately, we all know that merchants change their affiliate rates — and other program details — constantly. And until now, it’s been nearly impossible to keep up with all those changes and update your site accordingly.
With the new Merchant Update API, publishers can easily access the exact merchant data they need, lightning quick.
Get to know the New Commerce Merchant Update API
Forget everything you know about our legacy merchant APIs. The new Merchant Update API combines the functionality of three previous APIs (Merchant Metadata, Merchant Details, and Merchant Status) into a single, streamlined solution that delivers real-time updates on merchant statuses and rates — so you always have the latest information.
With the Merchant Update API, you’ll only get data about merchants on your Approved Merchants list — so every bit of the data you receive is relevant to your affiliate program. Our system continually checks for updated merchant rates, statuses, descriptions, and more — giving you access to real-time merchant data that can be downloaded in seconds (rather than hours).
Setup and integration are a breeze. The Merchant Update API integrates seamlessly with Sovrn’s entire Commerce API suite (more on that below!), enabling quick implementation and a familiar setup process for developers who have used our APIs before.
How to use the Commerce Merchant Update API
The Merchant Update API has two distinct functions to meet your specific needs:
- Approved Merchants lets you download all the current data about your merchant programs
- Merchant Updates returns only the merchants where changes have occurred since a specific point in time
In a nutshell, once you’ve downloaded your entire list using Approved Merchants, the Merchant Updates function keeps your data fresh and current. You can either input specific “changes since” time — down to the second — or use a unique ETag identifier that lets you retrieve any changes that have occurred since the exact moment of your query, with no risk of duplication or overlap. You can even set the API query to run on your preferred schedule, so you get updated data every hour, every minute, or even every 10 seconds.
Results from the Merchant Update API can be filtered in multiple ways, ingested into your CMS (or any other system of choice), and used in any way you like. The API is especially useful for routing affiliate traffic to the optimal partner or displaying the most current promotions and cash-back rates to your readers.
Get the Commerce Merchant Update API — and more
The Merchant Update API is available in the Sovrn API Developer Center — and it’s just one example of the handy suite of APIs we offer to automatically deliver the merchant, link, and reporting data you need. When you visit the Developer Center, you can explore user-friendly guides and in-depth documentation for all our APIs to get you up and running quickly.
All our Commerce APIs run on a single data set — the same data that powers our real-time reporting — to provide consistent, reliable results every time. You can use the Commerce APIs to ingest data automatically on your preferred schedule, or feed data into your system to slice and dice however you choose.
Sovrn APIs are simple enough for publishers of any size. If you need advanced commerce data, visit the Sovrn API Developer Center to get started.
👉 Note: Before you can access data through Sovrn’s Commerce APIs, you’ll first need to obtain a unique API key in the Commerce section of the Sovrn platform. You’ll then use this key for every call you make to the API.
Get started today
If you’re already a Sovrn customer, visit the Sovrn API Developer Center to see all the APIs available — or contact our support team for more information.
Not working with Sovrn Commerce yet? Sign up now! Once you complete the approval process, you can start earning right away.
