Discover the New Features and Enhancements in Shopify Edition Summer '23
Table of Contents:
- Introduction
- Redesigned Shopify with a new visual design
- Improved Global Search
- Streamlined Home Page
- Enhanced Bulk Editor
- Creating a Test Environment with Development Stores
- Introducing Shopify Collective
- Shopify Bundles App
- Selling Subscriptions with Shopify
- Selling on Multiple Marketplaces with Marketplace Connect App
- B2B Features: Volume Pricing and Customized Store Versions
- Create a Mobile Storefront with Shop
- Engaging with Customers in Real Time with Shopify Inbox
- Enhanced Checkout Experience
- New Features in Shopify Themes: Animations and Flex Sections
- Introducing Sidekick - AI Commerce Assistant
- Conclusion
Redesigned Shopify and Improved Features
Shopify, one of the leading e-commerce platforms, has unveiled its latest updates and improvements in the Summer 23 Editions. This edition focuses on enhancing the user experience for millions of merchants, developers, and buyers across the globe. From a visually appealing redesign to advanced features, there is a lot to look forward to.
Redesigned Shopify with a new visual design
In this edition, Shopify has undergone a revamp with a new, uplifted visual design. The fonts and spacing have been tightened to improve readability, making the data more clear and interactive. The buttons have been upgraded, providing a satisfying and engaging experience for users. The aim is to make Shopify a beautiful and pleasurable software to use, ensuring that users love every moment spent on the platform.
Improved Global Search
Shopify has also made significant improvements to its Global Search functionality. The search results now appear super quickly, allowing users to find what they are looking for with ease. Additionally, different types of search results are displayed, with hit counts to indicate relevance. This enhancement enables users to navigate through their Shopify store more efficiently and locate specific orders or products in no time.
Streamlined Home Page
The home page of Shopify has been streamlined into a single-column clear design. This new layout provides a more focused and organized view for users, showcasing vibrant analytics at the top. Users can now click through the analytics and access the metrics that matter to them the most. The streamlined home page allows users to have a quick overview of their store's performance and make informed decisions based on valuable insights.
Enhanced Bulk Editor
For those who spend a significant amount of time using the Bulk Editor, Shopify has made improvements to enhance performance and user experience. Even with a large number of variants, the Bulk Editor now loads super quickly, providing a seamless editing experience. Additionally, users can resize columns to customize the view according to their preferences, making it easier to work with data efficiently. These small quality-of-life improvements contribute to a more productive and enjoyable editing process.
Creating a Test Environment with Development Stores
Managing staging environments and safely editing and reviewing content is crucial for brands as they update their stores. To facilitate this workflow, Shopify introduces a new way of creating a test environment with development stores. Users can easily make a copy of their store's data for testing purposes, allowing them to experiment with new features and content without affecting their live store. This feature enables safer and more efficient content creation and review processes.
Introducing Shopify Collective
Shopify Collective is a new feature that allows merchants to discover and curate new products from quality brands across the US. Merchants can add these products to their store, and the supplies will ship directly to customers, eliminating the need to purchase or keep stock on hand. Shopify Collective provides an opportunity for merchants to expand their product offerings and generate additional sales on their site, all while maintaining a seamless fulfillment process.
Shopify Bundles App
Shopify's Bundles app, now available to all merchants, offers a great way to increase average order value and sell more. Merchants can easily create bundles, such as starter kits or mix and match options, to entice customers with convenient and attractive product combinations. The Bundles app simplifies the process of creating fixed bundles, while advanced bundle options are available through other apps in the Shopify App Store. However, it's important to note that Shopify is actively working on increasing the variant limit to support larger, more complex products.
Selling Subscriptions with Shopify
To generate recurring revenue and cater to customer preferences, Shopify provides the ability to sell subscriptions. Selling subscriptions allows customers to receive products they love on an ongoing basis, ensuring convenience and customer loyalty. Shopify's Subscriptions app offers an easy way to set up and manage subscription plans, including delivery frequency, discounts, and more. However, for more complex subscription needs, users can explore a variety of subscription apps available on the Shopify App Store.
Selling on Multiple Marketplaces with Marketplace Connect App
Expanding reach and selling across different marketplaces can significantly boost sales and brand visibility. Shopify's Marketplace Connect app simplifies the process by allowing merchants to link their Shopify catalog to key marketplaces such as Walmart. This centralized approach streamlines product details, orders, and inventory management, making it easier to reach customers on various platforms. The Marketplace Connect app enables efficient cross-channel operations and ensures a seamless fulfillment experience for merchants.
B2B Features: Volume Pricing and Customized Store Versions
Shopify continues to enhance its capabilities for B2B businesses. In the Summer 23 Editions, Shopify introduces volume pricing, allowing merchants to offer bulk discounts to wholesale customers. Merchants can easily set up price breaks based on quantity, providing an incentive for wholesale customers to make larger orders. Additionally, merchants can now create specific versions of their online store, tailored for B2B or DTC (Direct-to-Consumer) customers. This customization potential enables a personalized shopping experience for customers, boosting engagement and satisfaction.
Create a Mobile Storefront with Shop
Shopify's Shop app offers merchants the opportunity to have their own fully customizable mobile storefront without the need to build a separate app. The latest updates to the Shop app allow for expressive branding, including image slogans or video headers on the store page. Merchants can now visually communicate their brand identity and values, making a lasting impression on mobile shoppers. The Shop app provides a low-effort way to reach and engage with a growing mobile audience, driving more sales and increasing brand visibility.
Engaging with Customers in Real Time with Shopify Inbox
Customer engagement is crucial for satisfaction and conversion. With Shopify Inbox, merchants can easily manage real-time conversations with customers through chat. The new feature includes AI capabilities that suggest instant answers to commonly asked questions, customized to each store's policies and chat history. Customers will be able to select questions from the chat window, finding answers quickly and efficiently. Shopify Inbox streamlines customer support, providing a seamless and timely response system.
Enhanced Checkout Experience
Shopify's checkout experience has been proven to outperform competitors in terms of conversion rates. The Summer 23 Editions introduce further improvements to streamline the checkout process into a one-page experience. This new layout ensures a smooth and efficient checkout flow for customers, minimizing friction and maximizing the likelihood of completing a purchase. Additionally, Shopify offers checkout extensibility, allowing apps to extend the checkout through public or custom options, providing more versatility for merchants to optimize conversions.
New Features in Shopify Themes: Animations and Flex Sections
Shopify aims to make online stores more visually appealing and engaging. The latest updates to Shopify themes introduce new features such as animations and flex sections. Animations, including reveal sections on scroll and 3D lift hover effects, add a touch of interactivity and liveliness to the website. Flex sections, a powerful customization tool, enable users to easily customize and create unique layouts within their themes. With these new features, merchants can make their stores more attractive and captivating to customers.
Introducing Sidekick - AI Commerce Assistant
Sidekick, Shopify's new AI commerce assistant, offers intelligent assistance to merchants. Sidekick can provide information, suggest solutions, and execute tasks based on the merchant's needs. Whether it's providing instant answers to commonly asked questions, generating test credit card numbers, or assisting with design suggestions, Sidekick streamlines various aspects of running an online store. This AI-powered assistant saves time and effort, helping merchants make smarter decisions and accomplish tasks more efficiently.
Conclusion
The Summer 23 Editions of Shopify bring a wide range of updates and enhancements designed to improve the overall user experience for merchants, developers, and buyers. From a visually appealing redesign to advanced features in areas such as search, bulk editing, subscriptions, and B2B capabilities, Shopify continues to prioritize innovation and usability. With improvements across multiple areas, merchants can expect a more streamlined and efficient experience, resulting in increased productivity, customer satisfaction, and ultimately, business growth.
