Offer Updating via API
What is offer updating
Your system, agency, or price management tool sends a change for a specific item directly to Heureka – without waiting for the next XML feed download. The service is free of charge for stores. Via the API, you can change the following for an item:
- Price – the regular selling price including VAT.
- Availability – in stock / sold out, optionally the number of units and the delivery time.
- Maximum cost per click – the highest amount you will pay for a click-through to the item.
Heureka continues to take everything else from your XML feed.
How to set up offer updating
Offer updating is not a feature you switch on in the Heureka administration. The changes must be sent by your system, so the integration is always done on your side. The procedure depends on what your e-shop runs on:
- Custom solution (custom-built e-shop, your own warehouse system, or a price management tool) – ask your developer. Give them the API key and a link to the API documentation, which they will use to build the integration.
- Off-the-shelf shop system or platform – check with its provider whether it supports offer updating on Heureka. If it does, you enter the API key from Heureka in your shop system’s administration and it sends the changes for you. If it does not, Heureka continues to take everything from your XML feed.
- Agency or external tool – create a separate API key for them and give it to them.
In all cases, you need:
- An API key with Offer Updating access – you create it in the administration under Settings → API Keys (see the API key article for instructions).
How an API change relates to the XML feed
- It replaces the value from the XML feed only for the given attribute of the given item.
- It has no time limit. It remains valid until you cancel it or replace it with a new change to the same attribute.
- Once a change is cancelled, the item reverts to the value from the XML feed for that attribute.
When the change takes effect
A confirmation from Heureka means “we have received the change”, not “the change is already in effect”. Processing takes place in the background in two steps:
- Heureka processes and records the change. From this point on, the item status query returns it.
- The change spreads to the Heureka website. This usually takes a few minutes, or longer under heavy load.
The status query therefore confirms that Heureka has accepted and processed the change, not that it is already visible on the website.
How an API change relates to the availability feed (if you use one)
- A new change to the same attribute replaces the previous one.
- Once a change is cancelled, the item reverts to the value from the XML feed for that attribute.
How to verify that a change is in effect
Your system queries the item status. For each item, it receives the values currently set via the API. An empty result means that nothing is set via the API – the change was not accepted, it was cancelled, or the item has a different ID than in your XML feed.
How to cancel a change
Your system sends a cancellation instruction for the given item and attribute. The item’s other attributes remain unchanged.
Limits
| What | Limit |
|---|---|
| Items per API change call | 400 |
| Items per API status query | 100 |
| Number of units for a sold-out item | 0 |
| Number of units for an in-stock item | at least 1 |
When something doesn’t work
The change did not show up on Heureka. Have the item status checked. If nothing is set for the item, check the item ID – Heureka does not report an unknown item as an error.
The API reports that the key does not have the required access. In Settings → API Keys, check that the key has Offer Updating access and is active.
Recommendations
Create a separate key for each tool or agency – you can then invalidate it without affecting your other integrations.
Monitor what your tool sends. A price change made via the API is shown to customers on Heureka.
Further reading
- API key – how to create, manage, and invalidate a key.
- API documentation – technical details, endpoints, and usage examples for developers.