Exciting New Features Announced at Shopify Unite 2019

At Shopify Unite 2019, our team was excited to hear about all of the new Shopify features available to e-commerce retailers. Here are a few of the many features we are excited to see more of:

1. Online store design experience

The new Shopify online store design experience will make it easier for merchants to create and customize their storefronts without code. Later this year, all Shopify merchants will have access to new editing features including:

• Sections on every page that allow merchants to easily add or move content in a few clicks on any page of their website.

• Master pages that allow merchants to decide what content will appear on multiple pages, and apply changes to all pages by editing the master page.

• Themes will offer starting points, a selection of pre-configured content sections that will make store setup faster by simply populating with their own content.

• Content portability which will allow merchants to make changes to their store without transferring their content manually.

• Drafts that allow merchants to draft changes prior to publishing.

• A new, more intuitive user interface.

For Shopify Partners (including us), these updates will also unlock new app sections, giving merchants the ability to add apps to their storefront. Shopify Partners will also be given access to Shopify’s new checkout app extension, which focuses on improving the purchase flow for subscriptions – we are a huge fan of recurring revenue.

Shopify is also allowing video and 3D for product sections for all merchants. Merchants will be able to manage media from a single location and Shopify hosted video and 3D assets will share the same workflow as images. Merchants using one of Shopify’s 10 basic themes will be able to display their video or 3D assets on their storefront in addition to product pages. The Media APIs which will allow developers to associated video and 3D model assets with products.

2. Online Store: Advanced

For merchants with more unique requirements, Shopify is introducing custom storefront tools The custom storefront tools—made up of our Storefront API and related SDKs (JS Buy SDK, Mobile Buy SDK, etc.)—let you build for complex, niche, and innovative customer-centric businesses. These tools allow you to engage with customers through new “storefronts” including vending machines, voice shopping, smart mirrors, smart fridges, etc.; have multiple developers working in parallel in their programming language or framework of choice; and leverage the advantages of headless architecture. Additionally, new updates will allow merchants to sell in multiple currencies, improve product recommendations, access to metafields, and more.

Additional APIs will also allow you to merchants to sell in multiple languages and a new multiple currencies feature on Shopify Payments will expand the opportunity to reach international audiences for merchants of all sizes.

3. Shopify POS

Last year, Shopify POS grew to reach over 100,000 merchants and has driven sales in the billions. Shopify is continuing to invest in this tech with extensions including loyalty and promotions and a completely redesigned app.

4. Backoffice

Shopify is improving the back office merchant experience through Fulfillment APIs. The API is currently in beta and will enable app developers to give their users more control and visibility into order fulfillment including multi-location order fulfillment, improved visibility into the fulfillment process for merchants, better communication between the app and merchant, and even the ability to decline a fulfillment request. The Fulfillment APIs will become available in October 2019.

New Delivery Profiles API – available this summer – will also help Shopify businesses optimize their checkout experience by setting per product and per location shipping rules. Order Editing APIs will add even more flexibility to the customer experience by allowing Shopify merchants to edit open orders at the buyer’s request.

5. A New Shopify Plus

Already one of our highly recommended platforms, there will be additional benefits added for merchants on Shopify Plus, making managing their business even easier.

6. Developer products

New capabilities from Media API, Order Editing API, and Delivery Profiles API will make a huge difference in the platform’s flexibility and speed. Shopify App Bridge is a new code library that enables apps and channels to embed directly into the Shopify Admin on both web and mobile, as well as via POS. Shopify App CLI will also allow developers to build apps faster. API versioning and developer previews are also helping communicate new features quickly and consistently and allowing developers to test new features prior to deploying them.

Our first version of Shopify’s Admin API (GraphQL and REST), named 2019-04, introduced no breaking changes in April 2019. We also introduced changes to the Partner Dashboard, the developer changelog, and our developer documentation to make it easier for developers to stay on top of upcoming API versions. The next version, 2019-07, will be available in July, just a few weeks after Unite.

7. Shopify Fulfillment Network

Shopify Fulfillment Network is a geographically dispersed network of fulfillment centers with smart inventory-allocation technology, powered by machine learning that predicts the closest fulfillment centers and optimal inventory quantities per location to ensure fast, low-cost delivery in order to best serve merchants and their customers. Shopify Fulfillment Network is built across the US (to start) and will reduce back office errors and frustration with up to date order, inventory, and customer data; maintain accurate inventory information; ensure 99.5 percent certainty and accuracy; and work with warehouses so you don’t have to. The new feature will also support returns and exchanges, custom packaging, and multiple channels including your store, Amazon, Instagram, and more.

For more insight and documentation on the many new features coming to the Shopify, go here.