The Shopify Summer Editions 2024 have arrived, and they are packed with sizzling new features designed to help merchants thrive in the competitive ecommerce landscape. As Shopify Plus experts, we’ve chosen some key updates to unwrap. Let’s unpack the key highlights, focusing on AI innovations, international expansion, B2B solutions, and the significant emphasis on mobile commerce.

AI Innovations: Sidekick and Enhanced Search and Discovery

Shopify is pushing the boundaries of AI with the introduction of Sidekick, a powerful AI assistant that’s always got your back. Sidekick automates routine tasks, answers questions, and provides insights, effectively acting like a virtual team member to streamline operations.

Additionally, the enhanced Search and Discovery features leverage AI to enhance the customer experience. Improved semantic search capabilities understand the context of search queries better, making product discovery a breeze. This AI enhancement not only speeds up the search process but also increases the relevance of search results, reducing bounce rates and improving customer satisfaction. The AI-driven recommendations engine now offers more accurate and relevant product suggestions, helping customers find their perfect match quickly and easily. For merchants, this translates to higher conversion rates and increased sales.

Sidekick is the newest AI tool from Shopify, but you can read all about their first launch, Shopify Magic, on this article.

Combined Listings: Simplifying Catalogue Management

Managing extensive product catalogues is now as easy as pie with Combined Listings. This feature allows each product variation to have its own description, media gallery, and URL, providing a more tailored shopping experience and reducing catalogue complexity. From an SEO perspective, having unique URLs for each product variation can improve search engine rankings by providing more specific content for search engines to index. For larger inventories, this means a significant reduction in management overhead and improved organisational efficiency. No more juggling multiple listings—everything’s unified and simplified. To learn more about how a tidy SEO strategy can impact your website, check out this blog article.

B2B and Enterprise Solutions: Tailored for Growth

Shopify has significantly enhanced its B2B offerings with features like the Shopify Collective, enabling merchants to expand their product range without holding inventory. B2B on Shopify now includes advanced features such as volume pricing and company account requests, catering to the specific needs of larger enterprises and helping them scale efficiently. To B (or not) 2B has never been clearer.

International Expansion: Going Global with Ease

Shopify’s rebranded Managed Markets simplifies internationalisation by handling global tax management, duties, and shipping logistics. This comprehensive tool allows merchants to confidently expand into new markets without the usual complications, ensuring a smoother global selling experience. By streamlining the complexities of international shipping and tax compliance, merchants can significantly reduce shipping times and improve customer satisfaction. Now, you can take your business around the world without breaking a sweat.

Mobile Commerce: The Next Frontier

With over 70% of online purchases happening on mobile devices, Shopify is making mobile commerce a top priority. The new one-page checkout is designed to reduce buyer friction and speed up the purchasing process on mobile, enhancing the overall user experience. Additionally, Shop Pay Installments offers flexible payment options, encouraging conversions and repeat purchases. It's clear: the future is mobile, and Shopify is ready to roll. You can learn more about Shopify's Shop App on this article.

Enhanced Checkout and Fulfilment

Shopify's checkout process has been further refined with the introduction of split shipping, allowing customers to receive parts of their orders separately, improving fulfilment flexibility. These enhancements aim to reduce cart abandonment and boost customer satisfaction. Now, your customers can split the order, not the bill!

In sum, Shopify remains on its mission to empower merchants to grow their businesses and stay ahead in a dynamic ecommerce environment.

Explore all the new features and see how they can transform your business on the Shopify Editions Summer 2024 release page.

If you missed something, we have unwrapped Shopify Editions Winter 2024 too, which you can see here.