What Are the Latest Shopify Updates?

*unce* *unce* *unce* *unce*. Do you hear that?! It’s the relentless beat of Shopify updates that are making it THE eCommerce platform of choice for… well, everyone, TBH. To find out about the very latest updates to Shopify, keep reading…

The Winter ‘23 update

At the time of writing, Shopify has just revealed over 100 updates that cover everything from conversion optimisation to AI-powered enhancements (and everything in between). 

Below, the Velstar team has picked their highlights of the latest round of Shopify updates. 

One-page checkout

Of all the updates that Shopify has announced, one-page checkout is easily the most exciting (and potentially game changing for retailers). 

Shop Pay is already the highest converting checkout in eCommerce, but with one-page checkouts, Shopify looks set to become a revenue generating beast for retailers.

Initial details regarding one-page checkout include:

• Fewer fields to enter, making it faster for customers to complete their purchases. 
• Fewer page loads, reducing friction and drop off – resulting in more conversions.

Drag-and-drop checkout editor

For too long, Shopify was criticised for offering only a generic, one-size-fits-all approach to checkouts. 

Well, now those criticisms can go in the bin. 

Shopify Plus customers are now able to use a drag-and-drop checkout editor, which seamlessly integrates with Shop Pay. 

Cool (and useful!) features of the drag-and-drop checkout editor, include: 

• The ability to add your brand’s logo to the checkout. 
• The option to change the background colour or image of your checkout.
• Being able to change the font(s) used across your checkout. 
• The option to install apps that integrate with the checkout editor to add more functionality to your checkout experience. 

AI-generated storefront content

Kiss goodbye to having to spend hours writing product descriptions and other bits of sundry copy. 

Shopify has now introduced the aptly-named Shopify Magic, which uses artificial intelligence to write high-quality, compelling product descriptions in literal seconds. 

Product descriptions play an important role in SEO and organic visibility of Shopify stores, so having a handy tool that can take care of this time-consuming task will be major for retailers. 

Product bundles

Bundling is one of the most effective ways of increasing the average order value of your store. 

Well, bundling products on your Shopify store just become a whole lot easier thanks to the new Shopify Bundles app.

Click here to sign up for early access to the Shopify Bundles app.

Channel-specific discounts

Are you looking to build a community on a particular social platform? Perhaps you already have a dedicated and loyal fan base on a social network? 

Well, now, Shopify will allow you to reward that loyalty by creating channel-specific discounts across Google, Facebook, and Instagram.

Markets Pro

Make your business global with Markets Pro. 

Markets Pro is a complete solution from Shopify that offers end-to-end cross-border shipping and fulfilment, as well as access to a suite of powerful localisation tools. 

Some of the features of Markets Pro that have truly made our eyes widen include: 

• Offloading international tax filing, registration, and remittance. 
• Automatically removing items with import restrictions in each market to ensure your product catalogue is compliant with local regulations. 
• Fraud protection on every cross-border transaction. 

Markets Pro also offers affordable shipping rates, prepaid duties and customs documentation, and automated localisation e.g. automatically offering customers the ability to checkout in their local currency. 

If you’re looking to go international in 2023, then you need to know about Markets Pro.

Translate & Adapt app

Another feature that’s helping brands reach international customers is Shopify’s Translate & Adapt app.

Without going into too much detail, Shopify’s Translate & Adapt app allows you to adapt your store – more specifically your store’s content – to local audiences. 

The app lets you auto-translate up to two languages for free, as well as manually add multiple other translations. It also has a handy side-by-side editor, so you can compare translations in progress. 

B2B on Shopify

Think Shopify’s just for D2C brands? Think again. 

Since the launch of ‘B2B on Shopify’ just over six months ago, Shopify has added a whole heap of B2B friendly features. 

These features include: 

• Quantity rules – boost your average order value by setting minimum order volumes. These quantity rules also make it easier – and more profitable – to sell in bulk. 
• Custom logic – B2B stores sometimes require custom logic for complex products. Well, now Shopify offers exactly that!
• Personalised templates – with the use of Liquid, you can now present your logged in B2B customers with a personalised store theme and email templates.
• Vaulted credit cards – make late payments a thing of the past by letting your B2B customers securely store their credit card details at your checkout or within their customer account.

And, those are just a few of the highlights! Find out more about the features now available on B2B on Shopify now.

Shopify Collabs

Collaborations can be some of the most effective ways of tapping into new audiences of potential customers. 

Well, setting up, running and maintaining collaborations has just become way easier thanks to Shopify Collabs.

Shopify Collabs is a creator platform that allows you to build and manage a community of influencers who can help you drive sales. 

With Shopify Collabs, you can recruit influencers with a branded application page, manage relationships, send gifts, track affiliate offers and more – all from a single dashboard.

Shopify Forms

Email may have been around for decades – but it’s still one of the most powerful and effective ways of driving sales for retail brands.

The thing is, you firstly need email addresses to market to. 

Shopify Forms is an easy way to add email capture forms to your Shopify store, allowing you to capture the information you want, with custom messages, discounts, and more.

Plus, with detailed metrics, Shopify Forms will also provide you with powerful insights into your most high-intent customers.

Shopify Fulfilment Network

If you’re able to offer your customers faster delivery, accurate delivery estimates and delivery updates, you’re going to make more sales. 

The reason that Amazon and others of their ilk are so successful is because they have their logistics and fulfilment operations absolutely nailed. 

Shopify Fulfilment Network allows you to do the same.

When merchants sign up to Shopify Fulfilment Network, Shopify effectively takes care of their logistics and fulfilment on their behalf. 

Shopify Fulfilment Network users benefit from prioritised placement, storage, and delivery in Shopify’s network of 20+ distribution hubs and fulfilment centres.

This Shopify Fulfilment Network also provides a smooth, seamless returns process – an increasingly important part of the buying decision amongst today’s consumers. 

All in all, the Shopify Fulfilment Network could boost your sales by up to 25%.

Customer self-serve returns

It’s not just in the world of brick and mortar retail that self-service is becoming the norm. 

Thanks to the new customer self-serve returns feature, customers can now submit return requests (without having to contact you directly). 

Once you’ve received a return request, you can either approve or deny it in your Shopify admin. Should you approve a return request, you can then email shipping instructions and return labels to your customers. 

This is the kind of returns experience that consumers have come to expect – and now you can offer it through your Shopify store!

Granular permissions

When it comes to scaling your Shopify business, it can be handy to have the ability to delegate various tasks to members of staff (e.g. uploading products, changing pricing info etc). 

Thanks to the introduction of 10 new granular permissions, doing that just became much easier. 

In other words, it’s now way easier to determine the level of control and access your various team members have over your Shopify store.

Shopify Alerts

The new Shopify Alerts feature provides a feed located directly in the admin which highlights business critical notifications. 

What’s more, Shopify Alerts can be configured so that only staff with the relevant permissions to perform the tasks receive the relevant alerts.

Shopify Analytics

Shopify Analytics has been beefed up with a deeper level of data and reports. Of particular interest is the new cohort analysis, which allows you to identify the key drivers for improving customer retention over time.

Web Pixel API

In what will be joyous news for marketers and merchants alike, Shopify has now introduced their Web Pixel API. 

This allows you to connect your marketing and analytics pixels to your Shopify store and collect customer events. In short, you’ll have even more valuable insights and data to inform your marketing strategies. 

New index page design

To the relief of many eCommerce managers and merchandisers alike, Shopify has released a new index page design. By reducing layers and consolidating the interface, Shopify has created a consistent system that works across all index pages.

Shopify Inbox

What if you could talk to your customers whilst they are browsing your Shopify store? You’d probably make a load more sales, right?!

Well, Shopify Inbox allows you to do exactly that. 

Providing a chat box in which customers can drop questions, Shopify Inbox lets you chat with shoppers directly.

Not only that, but you can access real-time information about that shopper’s browsing behaviour (e.g. products viewed, what’s in their cart etc), allowing you to better understand what it is they’re looking for. 

You can also send product recommendations, photos, discounts and more – all whilst you’re in the chat. 

Even better, it’s possible to integrate Shopify Inbox with Facebook, Instagram, the Shop app and more – so you connect with your customers no matter what channel or platform they’re on.

If you feel like you’re missing out on sales, then Shopify Inbox could well be the answer…

Shopify: if you’re not using it, you should be!

As you can see, Shopify is packed with features that make online retail super simple. 

So, if you want to make 2023 the best year yet for your eCommerce business, then your online store needs to be based on the Shopify platform.

To find out how Shopify could work for you and boost your business, speak to the Velstar team today for a free, no-obligation consultation.

Read more about Velstar’s Shopify migration services now

For more exclusive Shopify insights, news and resources, explore the Velstar blog…

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