On this page
An offer catalogue is an organized collection of commercial offers that people or software can search and retrieve.
Each offer describes a seller's proposal to sell, rent, book, or otherwise provide a product or service under particular conditions. A catalogue may include the seller, price, eligibility, availability, terms, and a way to continue, depending on the catalogue’s purpose. One product or service can have several offers.
Offer catalogue example
Imagine a travel service listing the same fictional hotel, room type, and stay dates under two rates. One rate allows cancellation until a stated deadline; the other costs less but is nonrefundable. These are two commercial offers for the same underlying accommodation, not two different hotels.
The prices below are illustrative. The booking provider confirms the final quote and cancellation terms when the customer books.
| Condition | Flexible rate | Nonrefundable rate |
|---|---|---|
| Property, room, and dates | Same hotel, standard room, two-night stay. | Same hotel, standard room, two-night stay. |
| Illustrative base price | USD 300 before taxes for the stay. | USD 260 before taxes for the stay. |
| Cancellation | Refundable until the stated deadline. | Nonrefundable under the stated booking terms. |
| Customer choice | Pay more for cancellation flexibility. | Pay less while accepting the nonrefundable conditions. |
Offer catalogue vs product catalogue and product feed
A product catalogue describes what an item is. An offer catalogue describes how a seller makes that item or service available. A product feed is a way to distribute records; it can carry product attributes and seller offers together. Real datasets can combine these roles.
| Concept | Main purpose | Hotel example |
|---|---|---|
| Product or service catalogue | Identify and describe the underlying item or service. | Property location, room type, amenities, and occupancy. |
| Offer catalogue | Organize seller-specific commercial proposals and conditions. | Rates for selected dates, cancellation terms, and booking destinations. |
| Product feed | Deliver a set of records to another system; see product feed. | An export carrying room descriptions and available rate records. |
What information belongs in an offer catalogue?
Useful records distinguish the offer, its seller, the underlying item, and the terms that matter to the customer. Schema.org’s Offer definition describes a proposal to provide a product or service.
Schema.org’s OfferCatalog type groups related offers or nested catalogues from the same provider. A comparison service may organize offers from several providers in its own catalogue. The table below describes useful information rather than a mandatory field specification.
| Information | What it identifies | Example fields |
|---|---|---|
| Offer and item | The commercial offer and underlying product. | Offer ID, product ID, variant. |
| Seller and terms | Who sells it and on what terms. | Merchant, price, currency, cancellation policy. |
| Availability | Where and when the offer applies. | Market, dates, stock, update time. |
| Next action | How the shopper continues. | Product page or booking link. |
| Referral terms | Commission conditions, when applicable. | Qualifying action and tracking information. |
How AI apps use an offer catalogue
An AI travel app can retrieve hotel offers for the user's destination and dates, compare cancellation flexibility with budget, and explain the trade-off. It should compare the same room and stay rather than describe a cheaper but different option as an equivalent rate.
The catalogue supplies candidates; the app decides which ones fit. For example, cancellation terms and the total stay price help distinguish the two hotel rates above. A successful comparison identifies the same underlying item, the seller, and the conditions that make each offer different.
How AON uses offer supply
AON searches offers supplied by its partners and returns options relevant to an AI app’s request. The app can use those options to help a customer choose a product or service.
For a hotel search, the useful distinction might be a flexible rate versus a cheaper nonrefundable rate. Keeping each offer’s terms separate lets the app explain that choice and link to the selected booking option.
Read Partner Offer FetchCommon questions about Offer catalogue
Is an offer catalogue the same as a product feed?
No. A product feed is a way to distribute item records. An offer catalogue organizes commercial proposals and the information needed to evaluate their actions and conditions. The two can connect but are not interchangeable.
How does an AI app find relevant offers in a catalogue?
It uses the shopper’s needs to search and filter the available offers. For a hotel request, the destination, stay dates, budget, and cancellation preference help narrow the choice. The app can then explain how the remaining options differ.
Can one product or service have several offers in an offer catalogue?
Yes. The same product can have different sellers or prices, and the same hotel room can have different cancellation or booking terms. Keep those offers separate from the underlying product or service identity so users can compare the actual commercial conditions.
Sources
- Schema.org OfferCatalogRelated standard
- Schema.org OfferPrimary standard
- AON Partner Offer FetchAON documentation
- AON Offer Query APIAON documentation
- AON Core ConceptsAON documentation
- AON integration best practicesAON documentation