Shopify Unite 2019 - did you catch it all?

Shopify Unite is an annual partner conference which this year was held in Toronto. Unite spans over 2 days + extras and provides insight into where Shopify currently is and, especially, where Shopify is heading.

2019 was the year we saw the most new features and gained the most insight into what Shopify is doing and thinking - undoubtedly the best Unite to date.

Shopify, of course, also showcased its strength and demonstrated the impressive results achieved for the 820,000 merchants.

For Danish Shopify webshops, there were many new announcements to look forward to! Here's a brief overview of the most significant aspects:

- - Sections everywhere

Sections are modules that have until now been used on the homepage of your theme. Now, there's a significant expansion, making sections available on all pages. This will offer unlimited possibilities for customizing your site - really exciting! We expect to see the first themes supporting this in the second half of 2019.

Apps in sections - and checkout

With the new sections, it will be easier and, most importantly, more structured to install apps in the front end. It will also be possible to have apps run in checkout - offering many possibilities from which we expect a lot! In connection with this, Shopify itself provided an example of how easy it will be to offer subscriptions directly in checkout - it looked really promising!

Edit orders - yes, that's right!

One of the most requested features has been the ability to edit orders. This is coming soon. Personally, I haven't missed this feature much as we have previously seen examples of higher error rates when customers can edit orders. It will be interesting to see how this develops.

Multi-language API - Shopify in multiple languages

Another requested feature has been the ability for multiple languages. Shopify has now opened the API for this so developers can create multi-language solutions. We do not yet know the exact timeline for when this will be available, but it will be possible to create a multi-language shop - i.e., multiple languages on the same shop. Many languages on one site will present some challenges, so it will be exciting to see the final solution(s). Generally, the worldwide trend is to prefer multi-storefronts to offer local content and ensure optimal SEO and the effectiveness of local advertising.

Shopify PAY now in Denmark

Shopify's own payment solution is now available in Denmark. This is a really exciting solution if you sell to multiple countries as it allows you to utilize features like Multi-currency and local payments.

Multi-currency for everyone

Multi-currency requires using Shopify PAY and is available for Shopify PLUS. Shopify announced that it will soon be available to all shops. This makes good sense in relation to, for example, multi-language.

Support for video and 3D

There were many minor announcements including some great ones, such as Shopify (soon) supporting video directly on products so you don't need to upload to services like YouTube. You also get everything from the latest 3D and AR functions to more photos per variant (a small thing but quite cool).

Faster webshop - free of charge

There were several understated news items that are quite remarkable. Massive upgrades of servers and technologies will bring significant speed improvements to all Shopify webshops throughout the year. Shopify also showcased the substantial checkout optimizations achieved since the last Unite - improvements that may not always be immediately noticeable.

Entirely new POS

Shopify is fully committed to becoming the world's leading Retail Operating System. This, of course, requires a world-class POS (cash register), and they showcased the first images and videos of the all-new Shopify POS. It looks really promising, particularly the potential to deeply integrate apps into the system.

All new Shopify PLUS

Shopify PLUS is getting a thorough overhaul! Several major updates are coming, especially concerning multiple storefronts. Initially, a central administration interface will provide an overview. This will be followed by product management and, a bit later, synchronization.

Jesper met the man himself