This year's Shopify conference, Unite 2018, just wrapped up after an exciting few days of updates and enhancements that are sure to take the commerce experience to the next level. The conference took place in Toronto, Ontario on May 7-9. Talks centered around the impact of global growth on today's businesses and what Shopify is doing to help improve the overall experience. Below, you'll find some key highlights on just a handful of new things coming to Shopify.
Shopify announces a first-ever multilingual beta platform
Keynote speaker, Tobias Lütke, announced the release of an early beta in six languages. Users will be able to get their store started and complete day to day tasks in their own language. Some areas, including the mobile app, are still in English, but Shopify is working hard to continue to improve the experience. Users can help improve their experience by providing feedback on the provided form in Shopify. Those who wish to use the beta can simply sign up and select their desired language.
Shopify reinforces the importance of multi-channel retail
Despite the closing of many retailers, including major brands, retail is not going away anytime soon. VP of product, Satish Kanwar, discussed how it is more important than ever to have a streamlined process for the success of multi-channel retail. Shopify is working hard to ensure that regardless of whether the customer ultimately buys on-line or in person, that they have the most successful experience possible. One of the ways they are making this is a reality is with new POS hardware and features. In the fall of 2018, Shopify will introduce its new Tap & Chip Reader. This tool will accept tap payments as well as chip cards in a safe environment. This will free up time for merchants to spend more face to face time with their customers. In addition, it integrates with Shopify's POS system to create a seamless experience for the seller to sell product, manage inventory and get paid all in one place.
There are multiple enhancements coming to the POS system as well, including the ability to tip at the point of sale. A new app called "Customer View" will also be released this fall and will allow the customer a full view of the product and price, as well as provide an opportunity to tip and choose how to receive their receipt. In addition, the ability to return online purchases in-store will become more seamless.
A huge initiative was announced to manage inventory across multiple locations
Lynsey Thornton said that Shopify's biggest initiative to date is Locations. Releasing this summer, Locations will allow for managing inventory across multiple locations. This is a huge step that will allow retailers to add locations, even on the mobile app, and be able to see everything they have in one place. Learn more about Locations and when it will be available here.
Shopify Ping
An upcoming feature release includes Shopify Ping which acknowledges the importance of today's smartphone by integrating customer conversations and marketing workflows into a single app. Facebook Messenger, Rep.ai, Chat Kit, and more all combine in one place in the Shopify Ping app. It also allows the seller to work on their marketing efforts in the same app.
Fraud protection
A new feature, Fraud Protect, is being released for Shopify Payments. When utilized, Fraud Protect analyzes each purchase for fraud and makes a protect decision. This saves sellers a huge amount of time, giving them more time to focus on selling their actual product. Shopify stands behind this product and will reimburse the chargeback costs if an order ends up being fraudulent.
Re-designed developer experience
A new developer platform feature, app extensions, was also announced. The goal is to simplify the process for a merchant's experience in the dashboard making more available in one place. In addition, Shopify aims to automate many functions that are currently manual with the introduction of Shopify Flow. This platform brings apps together through connectors for Shopify Flow. Sign up early for this feature by clicking here.
The buzz was electric, and these are just a handful of the many ways Shopify continues to help simplify business. To learn more about these and many other exciting new features, click any of the links below:
- https://www.shopify.com/blog/sell-more
- https://www.shopify.com/blog/sell-simply
- https://www.shopify.com/blog/shopify-localized
- https://www.shopify.com/blog/own-your-time
At Nicely Built, one of our areas of expertise is Shopify. We pride ourselves on developing sharp, custom websites so you can get the most out of your online presence.
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