Shopify just released a cool update called “Foundations” in their Winter ’24 Editions. It’s like they’re building a strong base to attract big brands. Shopify invests a lot in making their platform better, around 1.5 billion USD every year! This update brings over 100 new features. We, at CodeCrew, will check out what’s cool and how it will make things awesome for online sellers.

Variants Limit increased to 2000 via APIs

Shopify increased the limit for product variations to 2000 using APIs. Before, there was a bit of a problem with the limits, and people even made jokes about it! But now, it’s all settled, and the cool part is, it’s to welcome big businesses with lots of different products. Shopify is making it easy for app developers too, giving them GraphQl APIs to work with. So, more options and better tools for everyone!

Combined Listing App

The latest Shopify Winter Editions 2024 has a super cool update for organizing your products. They introduced a new app called Combined Listings, which is a game-changer! This app lets you group different versions of a product, like colors or styles, under one main product listing. The best part? Each variant can still have its own special description, picture gallery, and web link.

Why is this so awesome? Well, it makes shopping easier for customers and makes managing your products much smoother. But here’s the catch – this cool feature is for folks using Shopify Plus.

If you’re not on the Plus plan, don’t worry! You can still get similar features using other Shopify Apps. It might not be the same as Shopify’s native feature, but it’s still pretty handy!

New standardized product taxonomy

Shopify has made important changes to how products are organized. They’ve introduced a new way to categorize products called “taxonomy updates.” This is like having a standardized system for organizing your products. It helps you save time and ensures that your product data is complete and consistent. With the new category card on the product page, you can easily apply specific attributes for each category while managing your products in the admin. These features are now available in early access, and we’re excited to see how they’ll make managing your online store even better.

Blocks

Shopify is introducing new features called reusable blocks and nesting blocks.

Reusable blocks allow developers to define a theme block once and use it in different sections, reducing redundant work and coding. This ensures a consistent experience for merchants across the theme.

Nesting blocks allows up to eight layers of blocks, providing flexibility for organizing and adding content within each section. These updates are currently in developer preview, making Shopify developers and website managers excited about the improvements.

B2B Sales Enhancement

The latest upgrade brings enhanced B2B capabilities, especially in managing sales reps through the admin panel. Now, B2B merchants can easily assign specific customer accounts to individual sales representatives. Think of it like delegating tasks to team members, but in this case, the tasks are customer accounts, and your sales reps are the team members. This update is a game-changer for businesses dealing with bulk orders or those with a dedicated sales team for managing business clients. It’s a significant improvement that wasn’t available before!

Inventory and Checkout Enhancements

Real-Time Inventory Visibility:

Merchants have long grappled with Shopify’s inventory issues. The new update introduces real-time inventory visibility, ensuring customers see accurate stock levels based on their location. This means a customer in a specific region will only view products available in warehouses near them, preventing orders for items that can’t be shipped to their location.

Customizable Checkout Process:

Another significant improvement is the customizable checkout process. Merchants now have the flexibility to tailor the end-stage of shopping to align with their business model and meet customer preferences more closely. For instance:

Subscription businesses can highlight subscription options and benefits during checkout:

Custom fields for gift messages, special delivery instructions, or loyalty program integrations can be added. This enhances the overall customer experience, potentially boosting conversion rates by making the checkout process smoother and more personalized.

Checkout Extensibility:

This year’s Winter Editions brought us over 90 new apps and 14 APIs and updates including advanced branding controls and more ways to customize delivery options.

For merchants:

Checkout Extensibility means merchants can now offer a more personalized and efficient checkout experience.

With over 90 new apps and 14 APIs, merchants can tailor the checkout process to better fit their brand and customer needs.

This can lead to higher conversion rates and customer satisfaction, as the checkout process can be streamlined to remove any friction points.

For developers:

Shopify’s new APIs for the checkout process provide a vast playground for innovation. Developers now have the ability to create highly personalized and intricate checkout experiences. These APIs empower features like dynamic pricing adjustments based on customer choices, seamless integration of loyalty programs into the checkout flow, and the flexibility to customize the UI/UX to align closely with the merchant’s branding. This opens up new possibilities for developers to build apps or custom solutions, significantly enhancing the functionality and efficiency of the checkout process for Shopify merchants.

The recent improvements also include a remarkable 95% reduction in checkout page-load time globally, showcasing Shopify’s commitment to enhancing user experience. They’ve also reduced storefront page-load time by over 35% and expanded their web infrastructure globally to 300 points of presence. This marks a significant step forward, making Shopify even more robust for merchants and developers alike.

Native Shopify Subscription App

Now, you can sell products regularly with subscriptions, offering flexibility in billing cycles like monthly, weekly, or daily. This not only boosts customer lifetime value but also ensures steady revenue. The exciting part? Shopify introduces its new and free Shopify Subscriptions app! Set up and manage subscriptions effortlessly from your Shopify admin. Customers can easily modify or skip subscription orders directly from their store account, eliminating the need for third-party apps for basic subscription services. It’s a convenient upgrade!

POS Terminal

Introducing the Terminal: Your Ultimate Solution for Quick and Convenient In-Store Payments!

The Terminal is a cutting-edge tool designed for swift credit card transactions, ensuring speedy payments in a matter of seconds. This handheld device is tailored for offline stores, providing an efficient solution for in-person transactions.

Currently, the Terminal is exclusively available for customers in the US and Canadian markets, offering a seamless and secure payment experience for brick-and-mortar businesses. Stay tuned for updates and enhancements as we continue to revolutionize in-store payments!