Shopify Editions is a digital experience where Shopify showcases 100+ product updates and enhancements to the platform. It's a snapshot of what the e-commerce landscape looks like at this moment in time and what steps Shopify is taking to provide the right tools for merchants to thrive. The presentation is a great way to learn about the latest features that can help you grow your business, and in general, it's a cool event to be part of - this year there was even a code scavenger hunt with prizes!
Here is a rundown of what we are most excited about:
AI & Shopify
Sidekick
"Every hero needs a Sidekick". Shopify describes entrepreneurs as heroes, and is building Sidekick, a new AI assistant that can help them directly from the Shopify admin. Tobi Lutke announced it on July 12th and we got a nice demo of its capabilities during Shopify Editions. It can help merchants with a variety of tasks, such as answering customer questions, generating marketing content, and optimizing product listings.
Here you can see the announcement. Shopify is investing a lot in AI and we expect great things in the upcoming months and years.
Shopify Magic
Shopify Magic is already available to generate product descriptions. It will be applicable to even more Shopify products, including emails, blog posts, and the Shopify inbox assistant. Shopify Magic can help merchants automate tasks, generate personalized content, find out what's the best time to send out an email campaign, and improve their overall marketing performance.
Adapt the theme to a specific context
Flex sections
The announcement that is making us very curious regards the new flex sections. Flex sections are a new type of section that allows you to align elements of the section using the theme editor. This makes it easy to create custom layouts that are tailored to your specific needs.
We are very curious about how this will work and how it will affect theme development, but we are sure our clients will appreciate how this feature will allow them to express their creativity.
Additional features for B2B on Shopify Plus
In the past year, Shopify has invested a lot in B2B and in creating a platform that can allow B2B and B2C to coexist seamlessly. In this Editions, a few announcements for B2B were made:
- B2B context: The new B2B context allows you to create different versions of your store for businesses and consumers. This means you can show different products, prices, and discounts to businesses than to consumers.
- Volume pricing: Easily implement quantity price breaks to encourage business customers to buy in larger quantities
- Credit card vaulting, so B2B customers can use a previously vaulted card to pay at checkout or via invoice
- Quick order section on Dawn: The new quick order section allows businesses to quickly place orders for products from your store. This is a great way to make it easy for businesses to buy the products they need from you.
Native Bundles and Subscription apps
Bundle
[Already available]
Subscriptions
[Announcement]
Shopify is launching a free subscription app! This uses the new customer accounts, which will allow customers to pause or skip orders, update payment and shipping details, and more. As for the bundles native app, Shopify is providing a free app that only focuses on the core functionalities of the feature and then recommends using apps from the theme store for more complex requirements.
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If you'd like to discuss the new features and opportunities that come with Shopify's latest announcements, we at Nama are always happy to have a chat. Write to us at info@namastudio.it!
