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Shopify’s “Boring” Update Isn’t Boring at All: See the New Features Now

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Published on December 17, 2024

Despite what the name suggests, Shopify’s “Boring Edition” update for Winter ‘25 won’t make you yawn. Though Shopify hasn’t added any new flashy features to its ecommerce builder, it has implemented over 150 updates to boost the platform’s performance and reliability for merchants.

With many businesses still recovering from the aftermath of the Black Friday weekend, having a dependable and responsive online store is more important than ever. To match merchant needs, Shopify has listened carefully to its user base and streamlined its builder, which includes speedier loading times and an improved POS.

But what are the highlights from this update and how might they benefit your business? Let’s showcase our favorite updates from Shopify’s “boring” edition below to find out:

An Optimized Checkout For More Conversions

Shopify might’ve optimized its all–in-one checkout page in the past, but it still makes continual changes to its cart infrastructure to keep merchants happy and stay ahead of the competition – the “boring” update has been no different. This time, Shopify has:

Increased cart load times by 50%
Increased checkout button load times by 58.8%
Enabled merchants on all plans to customize the checkout experience from the free Checkout Blocks app

Screenshot of adding a support block to checkout via Shopify's dashboard — From my dashboard, I could customize checkout by adding a support block that enables customers to contact me at checkout. Source: Website Builder Expert

Improved POS for Integrated In-Person Sales

To bridge the gap between in-person and online sales, Shopify has given its POS capabilities another boost. If you’re currently operating between a physical store and an ecommerce site, the “Boring Edition” update now enables you to:

Add a split screen display, so you can display your cart alongside search results on your POS hardware
Manage bundles through Shopify’s POS
Let retail staff process refunds without a receipt or order number
Accept offline payments (even if your network is down)
View and edit customer metafields, helping you capture more information about your customers and their preferences

Screenshot of Shopify POS screens showcasing checkout and cart screens from the user pov — From this official imagery, you can see Shopify’s streamlined POS interface. It’s designed to make it easier for staff and shoppers to see the information that they need as soon as possible. Source: Website Builder Expert

A Revamped Shopify Search & Discovery App

If you’re already a Shopify user, you might be familiar with its Search & Discovery app that helps customers find the products they need – and fast. For the “Boring Edition” update, this feature has had an upgrade. You’ll now be able to:

Order your filter values based on importance
Filter via your category metafields, so you can add more relevant filters to your storefront
Decide whether you want parent and child products to appear in search or item recommendations

Screenshot of changing order values from Shopify's dashboard — When ordering my filter values, I could also use Shopify’s AI feature to suggest an order for me based on customer expectations. Source: Website Builder Expert

Shopify Finally Rolls Out Anticipated Features

Last but not least, Shopify is rolling out a number of exciting features that’ve been in the pipeline for quite some time. This includes:

Markets – Shopify’s unified selling solution – spanning international expansion, retail, and B2B – will start rolling out to all merchants in the next few months
Shopify’s AI Sidekick – First unveiled in 2023, Shopify’s AI assistant that can help you improve your store will be rolled out to merchants around the world
Staff access controls – If you need to give staff members different access features depending on their role, Shopify have begun rolling out this feature
New analytics – Personalized store analytics based on custom metrics and dimensions are currently rolling out to all merchants

Screenshot of the "Markets" tab from Shopify's dashboard showcasing a list of 209 international markets — From the “Markets” tab, I could select international markets from a list with 209 countries in total. In the coming months, Shopify will soon start adding retail and B2B features to the mix. Source: Website Builder Expert

However, this is only a small fraction of the updates that Shopify has revealed. For the full list of changes, you can view Shopify’s official “boring” edition updates page now.

Written by:

Holly Choules Writer

Holly Choules is a Writer at Website Builder Expert with a background in researching and crafting engaging content for digital platforms. In previous roles, she has demonstrated her wordsmith skills by writing for public facing brands in a range of industries. After gaining hands-on experience using leading website builders, like Wix and WordPress, she is now keen to share her findings through informative, easy-to-follow articles that help small business owners get online and grow their presence. Since joining the team in 2024 and transitioning into the tech sphere, Holly is passionate about applying her three years of content writing experience and upholding Website Builder Expert’s position as an authoritative source on website builders, ecommerce, and digital marketing.