What Is Shopify 2.0 And How Will It Change Things?

As we welcome in the new year, we are also excited to embrace Shopify 2.0. The upgrade was announced in 2021 at the Shopify Unite conference, and the reason it has captured the attention of so many people is that it will makes using the platform easier and more efficient. What's not to like about that? In this article we'll take a look at some of the key benefits and changes to Shopify, and how they'll improve the user experience for both businesses and customers.

Revised User Interface And Functionality

First on our list to explore are the changes to the UI and functionality of the Shopify platform. Now, a lot of people fear change because it means the hassle of re-training, and getting used to a new ways of working – not so with Shopify 2.0. One of the key features of 2.0 is that they have revised the theme editor. This means that it is easier for you to review the hierarchy of your website, navigate the back office systems, and therefore gain a better understanding of how it all works. Sites like WordPress already have this functionality, and so Shopify is making sure that they keep up with the current standard. As well as making things clearer for you, the changes mean that when you are updating your Shopify website it shouldn't take as long for your team, and it is more intuitive; saving you valuable time and money.

Customisation Is Key

Speaking of updating your website, you'll be pleased to know that in Shopify 2.0 the use of modular blocks has been extended, so that you have more freedom to customise your content. In the 1.0 version the blocks were only available on the home page, meaning that bespoke customisation was limited. In the new version you will be able to have the flexibility to use these building blocks across your entire store! This is fantastic news as now you can use your USP and branding to stand out from your competitors, rather than just relying on your homepage/ landing page to engage customers.

Digging Down Deeper...

It's not just the UI and basic function of the website that has been refined. There have been upgrades to the developer tools on Shopify. This means that from a dev point of view things can work more efficiently, therefore making life easier for your employees, and also saving you turnaround time! Specifically there have been changes made to 'Liquid' which is the Shopify coding language. Within Online Store 2.0 businesses can add Liquid directly via the theme editor – this was not an option in the previous versions of the platform. Helpful changes such as this, throughout the upgrade, will definitely cement loyalty to the Shopify platform, as it proves they stay ahead of the game and care about their users.

Metafields Have Been Improved

A metafield is a piece of information (usually text) that apps can attach to customer orders, projects, and other parts of Shopify. The reason we are so excited about the 2.0 upgrade, is that adding metafields has now become ten times easier! This information could be very important to your customer, and essentially seal the deal on a sale. Metafields can include added value such as a clothes sizing chart or a list of allergies/ingredients, so they are definitely a key component to any Shopify website. Previously developers had to 'hard code' the items into the site, but now this can be done by using the updated Theme Editor. Once again, saving you time, effort and crucially giving a great shopping experience to your customers.

Enhancing The Customer Experience

Speaking of the shopping and browsing experience for your customers (and potential buyers!) Shopify 2.0 has greatly improved loading times. Did you know that the new store-front theme development, called Dawn, is at least 35% faster at loading than the original 1.0 version Debut? In this modern time of online efficiency, and consumers with shorter attention spans, it has been discovered that if a person has to wait more than 1 second for a page to load on their device (e.g. the load time takes 1 – 3 seconds instead of instantly) the website is likely to see a bounce rate of approximately 32%... That's over a quarter of your potential customers abandoning their session. So, faster loading times equals more opportunity to win consumers over.

These are just some of the interesting and useful improvements that Shopify 2.0 brings to the table for merchants, developers and customers alike. The great news is that the upgrade has been available since 2021 and has gained a positive reception from its users. If you would like to find out more about the benefits of upgrading to the new version, please don't hesitate to contact us for more information.