As the largest annual update of the world’s biggest eCommerce platform, there’s always a huge amount of buzz around Shopify’s Summer Editions, which this year introduced over 150 features. With so many new tools and enhancements, it’s easy for retailers to get lost in the details, so to bring you up to speed with the improvements now that they’re bedded in, here we’ve highlighted the standout features that will deliver the most impact. Covering everything from enterprise capabilities to internationalisation, this rollout not only adds more to the platform, but also empowers retailers to do more, so let’s dive in and see what the changes could mean for your business. 

All eyes on enterprise 

A noticeable theme throughout this year's summer release is Shopify’s push to become the strongest contender in the enterprise market, which means strengthening its flexibility for large-scale retailers and their customers. In line with this focus, the update includes many small but meaningful additions that tick the right boxes for big brands - particularly those with rigid procurement requirements - such as improved granularity of user roles and permissions, and a new Microsoft Business Central connector. 

The Shopify checkout has also been extended to better suit the needs of growing businesses. As well as ensuring that retailers meet the latest payment card security standards in advance of the PCI DSS v4 deadline - currently set for April 2025 - the enhanced checkout now also offers split shipping. In addition to showing shoppers when their order will be dispatched in more than one shipment, it also enables customers to choose between the lowest priced delivery option, the fastest option, or custom shipping options set by the retailer.

More bang out of the box 

There’s a Shopify app for just about everything - which is sometimes framed as both a strength and a criticism - so it’s been interesting to see the platform extend its out of the box feature set, reducing retailer reliance on third party tools. A prime example of this in the latest update is Shopify’s overhauled Managed Markets (previously known as Markets Pro)- an inbuilt tool that simplifies the process of international selling. Currently exclusive to merchants in the continental US, the functionality now enables brands to Include duties and import taxes directly within product prices, and also offers a much improved user experience when editing orders and catalogue restrictions. 

Additionally, Shopify’s search and discovery capabilities now include AI driven sorting plus the option to filter by product image, and its analytics tools have been rebuilt from the ground up to cover both onsite and offsite performance tracking. A number of apps that previously incurred additional charges are now also available for free, including Checkout Blocks - which supports epic checkout customisations - and the Combined Listings App, 

International expansions

For merchants that previously had no choice but to manage multiple storefronts, this year’s Summer Editions has removed a number of obstacles to ease the process of selling across international markets. As a result, expanding into a new region within an existing market is now much faster, with brands simply needing to make minor tweaks instead of creating new markets from scratch. Merchants can also now localise cookie banners in 32 different languages, and a few country specific quirks - such as the need to display product prices in units - have been catered for. 

Shopify Plus brands can now also have multiple Shopify Payments accounts tied to each of their business entities in one Shopify store, however right now, this new option is currently only available by request.

B2B that means business

Historically, Shopify has sometimes struggled to compete against specialist platforms in the B2B space, but more recently it’s ramped up its commercial trade offering - particularly over the last year. With that in mind, it’s no surprise that the 2024 Editions release features a whole section dedicated to B2B, with new and improved functionality that aims to make life easier for brands that primarily sell to other businesses.

Alongside a well-designed Trade theme that’s available for free, its updated functionality means merchants can now set trade pricing per country with Shopify Markets, and even charge deposits. Headless B2B storefronts are also supported following the update, and the platform is doubling down on Shopify Collective - a tool that enables Shopify stores to sell each other’s products - by releasing a number of new features that make it easier for retailers to use. 

Sell everything, everywhere

Shopify was once an eCommerce platform first, with everything else second, however its POS solution benefitted from 14 dedicated updates in Editions this year. Notably, the platform also released updates purely focused on other sales channels, and through Marketplace Connect partnerships with retail giants such as Target and Amazon, Shopify is now fully embracing omnichannel opportunities. 

Shop Minis also received updates that allow merchants to enhance their in-app experience and improve conversion through pre-built apps or an SDK, and the rollout of two major updates that connect online orders with in-store fulfilment promise to offer a streamlined omnichannel experience. With the new pick up in store functionality, brands with multiple physical stores can now easily enable products to be transferred to the right branch for customer collection, and for merchants using Shopify point of sale, there’s also a ship from store fulfilment workflow. 

Ones to watch

Giving brands greater design flexibility than ever before, Shopify has introduced Theme Blocks, which are  reusable blocks that can be nested up to eight levels deep and used  across the store's theme. As part of the update, it’s also rolled out style settings that feature a new set of breakpoint-aware customisation settings in themes that map directly to CSS properties. This makes it much easier for theme developers to provide styling flexibility for merchants. 

Shopify Magic - a suite of generative AI tools launched last April - also continues to gather steam, ushering in a new wave of automated features for online businesses. Thousands of stores are already using Sidekick, the platform’s  admin-based AI assistant, and with the latest update Shopify has unlocked AI media editing on mobile as well as AI-suggested responses for customer enquiries, reducing manual tasks for retailers by leveraging the latest technology. 

Head over to Shopify to catch up on the full Summer Editions announcement, or get in touch with our eCommerce experts to find out more about how the latest update can benefit your business.