Shopify Editions | Winter '23: What Updates Merchants Should Never Miss

Few days ago, Shopify released their online encyclopedia of more than 100 updates across the platform after Shopify Editions 2022. That's a tremendous number, isn't it?

If you visit the Editions Winter '23 page, it'll take hours to fully understand all the improvements. So we'll take the hard work for you by summarizing and de-clustering it in an easy-to-consume way for you as a merchants.

Online Store 2.0 Updates

After the release of Metafields, Shopify has introduced Metaobjects as a better way to customize data entry for Shopify admin.

So how do these two "meta-" different?

Metafields are custom or standard fields associated with various parts of Shopify, while metaobjects are a new custom data structure that can be displayed anywhere on your store. Metafields need to be created from a specific part of your store, like Products, Collections, etc. Metaobjects, on the other, don't have to be attached to anything. In other words, metaobjects are far more flexible and can be applied in more cases to create and manage custom data.

There are 9 types of metafields right now.

Metaobjects consist of:

• a definition, which defines the object's structure
• entries, which contain the content or data for the metaobject
• fields within the metaobject have names, descriptions, types, and validation rules, and can include text, images, and other content types.

Shopify has added the ability to add Sections in the headers and footers. This allows for greater customization of the header and footer areas without the need to edit code. With section groups, it is now possible to add, remove, hide, and reorder sections and app blocks within these areas via the theme editor.

There are 2 new features on Shopify that improve the display and load times of images on different devices. The focal points feature allows users to select the most important point on an image for viewers, while Automatic Image Optimization automatically replicates and renders images in the cache to deliver the highest quality and lowest file size image in real time on the site. These features aim to improve store speed and increase conversion rates.

Custom CSS

Shopify has made it easy add custom CSS to an online store theme without editing any theme files. Adding CSS directly in the Theme Editor allows for an additional layer of customization, providing more control over the appearance and layout of the theme, and allowing for instant previews of changes. This also ensures seamless theme version updates and automatic transfer of custom CSS.

Code completion for Liquid

The new code completion technology for Liquid provides context-aware code autocompletion and in-line documentation to save developers time. The Prettier plugin has also been improved to add style consistency to Liquid code across code editors and the admin code editor.

Color scheme

As a developer, you can facilitate color settings for themes. This feature will allow merchants to access, edit, and better understand color schemes. By using these new color settings, it's simple add a personalized and unique touch to your online store. This will help your brand stand out and attract more customers to your website. Additionally, merchants will be able to take advantage of the latest trends in web design without having to worry about the technical aspects of implementing them. 

Shopify Admin Updates

There are 10 new granular permissions for administration on Shopify. These permissions include view-only permissions, which have been added to give store owners better control over staff access to products, and to allow them to delegate with more confidence. The new permissions will provide a more nuanced approach to staff access control, allowing store owners to be more specific about what staff can and cannot do. This feature will be especially useful for larger teams, where several people may need varying levels of access to products, but not necessarily full access.

On Shopify Plus, businesses can now duplicate an existing role and assign it from their organization admin. This provides a significant time-saving benefit by allowing store owners to easily replicate existing roles, rather than having to create new ones from scratch.

Shopify also changed the admin domains to a single point of entry via admin.shopify.com. The old URL contains store-name.myshopify.com is auto redirected so merchants don't have to update anything.

Stay informed with important business updates using the new admin alerts feed. Relevant alerts will only be sent to staff with the necessary permissions, so everyone can work as usual while those who need to know stay in the loop.

Shopify team has made significant improvements to the index page experience in the admin. The goal was to simplify the interface by reducing layers and consolidating it, resulting in a consistent system that functions seamlessly across all index pages.

In addition, there is a new cohort analysis that enables merchants to identify the most loyal customers with ease. This feature helps you understand the key drivers for improving customer retention over time, allowing you to take action proactively. You can also use comparisons to analyze performance over previous time periods. This feature enables you to make informed decisions based on the data and take action accordingly.

Made-by-Shopify Apps & Tools Updates

There is a new setting for Search relevance including search results, predictive results, and Out-of-stock products.

The downside of this Shopify app is if the query parameters used in requests to the storefront search or predictive search endpoints are modified by your online store theme, the search settings will be overwritten and not used. Therefore, it is suggested to install an advanced site search app like Boost Product Filter & Search.

Besides, the basic settings like in the Shopify app, our app allows merchants to set up search redirect, edit searchable properties, and create multiple merchandising rules.

Shopify Flow is enhanced with various functionalities. These are:

• Payment reminders: send emails or notification to inform customers of due or overdue payments.
• Bulk fulfillment actions and automations: reduce mundane tasks with enhanced bulk actions.
• Scheduling: plan ahead for tasks and processes to be triggered on a specific date.
• Shopify flow OpenAI connector: send text prompts and configuration parameters to GPT and receive AI-generated text.

Shopify Audience is a powerful tool to help you find high-intent buyers and increase the likelihood of conversions. You can now expand your reach beyond Shopify and Facebook channel and tap into the huge potential of the Google Ad network and Pinterest.

With this expansion of audiences, you can reach more potential customers who are already interested in your products. This means that you can now target users who are searching for products similar to yours on Google and those who are actively browsing Pinterest. By leveraging the power of these two platforms, you can increase your brand's visibility and drive more traffic to your store.

In addition to these benefits, Shopify Audiences also allows you to gain valuable insights into your audience's behavior and demographics. This information can help you optimize your advertising strategy and create more targeted campaigns that resonate with your ideal customers.

The latest version of Shopify Functions can be written using JavaScript; as a result, more developers can take advantage of this powerful tool.

Tech experts can also create rules or restrictions to validate cart and checkout to match the business' needs. Shopify team added more objects and fields in Functions to expand the usage for B2B market.

For regular merchants, Shopify is encouraging app partners and tech experts to built discount apps on Shopify Functions.

Shopify mobile app allow Shopify merchants to access the admin and manage settings on the go with their cell phones.

The online store editor is adapted to the mobile screen so it becomes easy to change the look and feel of your store even though your laptop is not nearby. Regarding products editing, Shopify mobile app unlock the ability to upload product images taken right with the phone. You can also access and use some made-by-Shopify tools like Shopify Email, update inventory, and have a look the the store's performance in the app.

With Shopify Magic, Shopify has taken a big step in the race of AI-generated text. The tool is designed for E-commerce usage as it helps store owners to compelling and tone-specific product description. Currently, you can register to join the waiting list for Shopify Magic.

The new Shopify Bundles app, which is potentially built on Shopify Functions, will allow merchants to add product bundles directly from the Shopify Admin. Like Shopify Magic, you can now sign up for early access with Shopify Bundles.

Markets Pro is a significant upgrade of Shopify Markets. It promises to be a complete solution for managing liability, shipping, and localization for cross-border e-commerce. It includes tools for tax filing, compliance with import restrictions, and fraud protection on cross-border orders.

• Shopify Email: customize email templates, set up email automations, and add express Shop Pay checkout buttons within the message
• Shopify Translate & Adapt: engage more customers by localizing store content across markets
• Shopify Collabs: establish genuine relationships with creators and boost sales through affiliate marketing
• Shopify Inbox: integration with Shop app and Instagram for omni-channel selling
• Shopify Form: a free email capture app that integrates with Shopify and the Shop app to allow merchants to collect customer information, customize forms, and follow up with marketing emails while keeping customer data secure
• ShopifyQL Notebook: a tool for exploring and analyzing data, visualizing growth, and creating custom reports using Shopify's intelligent query language. Features include a better editor experience, presentation mode, and access to the ShopifyQL Stable API for developers to build custom solutions.

Checkout Updates

• On-page checkout with fewer fields for customers to complete and fewer page loads that reduce friction
• Drag-and-drop editor allows adding brands' logo, change the background and font of your checkout. You can also use apps to expand customization capabilities.
• Checkout to draft for B2B submits an order as a draft so you and the buyers can review and negotiate before finalizing.

See B2B checkout in practice.

Infrastructure Updates

Besides releasing new features and apps to assist merchants, Shopify pay much attention the foundation of an scalable e-commerce platform: infrastructure and security.

Storefront speed is among the top priorities of Shopify. They are pushing not only their own system but also the app partners' system so as not to impact merchants' page speed.

Speed tested highlight is displayed for apps that have little to no impact on the storefront.

Shopify's global infrastructure has expanded to 270 points of locations and will be continually deployed.

Hydrogen 2, Commerce Components, And More 

Another big release introduced in this Winter '23 Editions is Hydrogen 2 built on Remix. Hydrogen 2 offers a new Storefront API client, starter templates, and an upgraded CLI, while Remix provides improved performance through features like optimistic UI and nested routing. Additionally, the framework offers improved TypeScript and IntelliSense support, ESLint support, and resilience.

Commerce Components by Shopify is a great way to build and integrate your commerce stack with a variety of options. You can choose from more than 30 components to create commerce experiences that convert. Bonus, these modular components can be integrated with your existing services to ensure that everything works seamlessly.

One of the best features of Commerce Components is the globally scaled infrastructure. With this feature, you can build your commerce infrastructure faster than ever before. You'll get an edge-deployed cart that integrates perfectly with your existing sites.

Another great benefit is the ability to build with choice. You can choose from the world's best-converting checkout and use flexible APIs with no rate limits to create unparalleled customer experiences. This ensures that you can create the perfect customer experience for your users.

Last but not least, Commerce Components offers a world-class ecosystem to ensure your success. You'll have access to dedicated account teams, 24/7/365 technical support, and the largest ecosystem in commerce. This means that you'll have all the resources you need to succeed with Commerce Components by Shopify.

Shop app also has a lot of updates including the signed-in shopping, Shop Passkey, Shop Cash campaigns for Plus stores, etc.

Some Final Words

So these are the most prominent updates we think will matter to Shopify merchants. We don't mention here but there are also many new things to check out in term of Shopify Fulfillment & Delivery and Shopify POS Go if you're interested. Apparently, Shopify is evolving to become an all-rounded platform that is not only built for e-commerce but it also pushes e-commerce forward.

As a long-term app partner, Boost Commerce will proactively initiate innovative changes to stay ahead of the ever-changing commerce world. Our big release for AI-powered search and recommendation tool is close. So stay tuned, we'll be back in no time!