In case you haven’t heard, the Zappos’ PATRON (Public API for Translating Request to Object Notation), originally announced two months ago, is already in early beta phase, and developers can start playing with it.
Shopping APIs are great for affiliate marketers that are technologically capable of putting them to use, creating online stores of their own, using the merchant’s product information. In case with Zappos, the public API will not only support such basic information as product price, image, and description/specification-related details. They already have the search function in place, and more fun features are coming up in the near future. Product Manager Will Young wrote:
The first release of the API will support the following:
- Search : Leverage Zappos robust product search functionality that includes sorting, filtering, and a deep level of categorization/facets
- Products : Pull relevant product details (description, default images, different styles, price)
- Images : The full set of images for products (different views, sizes, etc.)
Nothing crazy there. In our upcoming releases, we are going to have a lot more fun things. APIs such as “What are the most popular products right now”, “What was just bought in my city in the last 5 minutes”, etc.
This is definitely promising to be a great tool for affiliates to use once it integrates with their affiliate program (on the roadmap per this tweet).
Developers can start testing the API pretty much right away, but Zappos requires an API key to make calls; so you want to contact them to obtain it.
See also their Google Group dedicated to it.
Interesting to hear this, i will sure give it a try…
It’s a good time to start playing with it; so that once it integrates with their affiliate program, you’re all comfortable with it.
Thanks for the article Geno.
We are definitely pretty excited about our API. It doesn’t yet integrate with our Commission Junction affiliate program but that’s on the roadmap. We wanted to get out API out there sooner than later so people could start playing with it.
Contact us to get an API key: api @ zappos.com.
Will
Zappos Public API Product Manager
Thanks for chiming in, Will, and good to see this emerging.
If you could please update us here when the API solution is integrated with the CJ affiliate program, I’d appreciate it too.
Hi Will,
I have mailed on [email protected] for getting API key. But didnt get any reply. Please suggest the way to get API key.
Thanks
Bhushan