Shopify March Madness ⛹🏽‍♂️

Don't miss these March 2025 Shopify updates: AI, global reach, game-changing developer tools and platform updates.

Vision & Long-term

Lucas Walter from Shopify discusses e-commerce trends in the 41st Exec Talks episode, highlighting Shopify's European expansion, AI integration, rapid platform integrations like TikTok, and successful large-scale migrations, offering valuable insights for businesses and e-commerce enthusiasts.

In another recent podcast, Shopify's president, Harley Finkelstein, emphasized the company's commitment to delivering practical AI solutions for entrepreneurs, focusing on tangible outcomes rather than hype. Shopify's AI strategy centers on empowering businesses to grow, prioritizing impactful innovation over mere buzz.

Platform Updates

1. Shopify's Admin API enables custom ID lookups for more resources, including collections and orders, simplifying integrations and improving data management.

Shopify's 2025-04 API enables custom ID lookups for more resources, simplifying data management with a new "id" metafield.

2. Shopify's new Unified Markets simplifies global sales with features like market inheritance and regional catalogs, requiring API 2025-04 updates for app compatibility. Rolling out in April to compatible apps, with full access by July 2025, it may disrupt outdated apps. Plus merchants can choose their opt-in date (credit for the video bellow to Youness).

3. Shopify has updated its SEO capabilities, allowing merchants using Shopify Markets to customize their robots.txt file with specific crawling rules.

Shopify now allows domain-specific robots.txt rules for better control over search engine crawling in Shopify Markets.

4. Shopify's AI store tool creates custom themes from business descriptions, simplifying store setup for entrepreneurs. Available on Basic plans and up, it accelerates launches and empowers branded online presence, prioritizing sales over web design complexity.

5. Shopify's "Sign in with Shop" allows customers to log in using their Shop app credentials, simplifying the process by eliminating separate passwords or email entries for merchants using new customer accounts.

Shopify's "Sign in with Shop" option on a merchant's login page.

6. Shopify is continuously improving its checkout experience, including smoother step transitions, without requiring any effort from brands. This is notable given the checkout page's critical role and complexity (video at 1x speed).

7. Shopify's new GraphQL APIs and webhooks for Inventory Transfers, now in testing, integrate with external inventory and ERP systems. They simplify transfers (creation, editing, shipping) for improved control and automation, with a stable release planned by July 2025.

Shopify introduces new GraphQL APIs for inventory transfer management, currently in testing for future release.

8. Shopify now supports third-party vaulted credit cards on gateways like Authorize.net, aiding B2B merchants in restricted sectors unable to use Shop Pay, thus broadening payment options.

9. Liquid's new OKLCH support enables richer color control, smoother transitions, and a wider color range for Shopify themes.

Shopify Liquid now supports OKLCH colors.

10. Shopify Flow now includes "Get data" actions to retrieve information about gift cards, locations, and cash tracking sessions for use in workflows. These actions, which return up to 100 matching resources, allow for filtered data retrieval, enhancing workflow automation capabilities

    

    Shopify’s native automation tool Shopify Flow keeps getting better and better

Shopify Partners Highlights

1. PayU's new Shopify plugins, PayU GPO and PayU GPO - BLIK, simplify online payments. GPO allows payment customization, while BLIK enables direct BLIK payments on order confirmation, popular in Poland, streamlining secure payment integration for merchants.

PayU GPO integrates with Shopify for simplified online payments.

2. Openthinking released Etheryx, a unique Shopify theme, continuing their innovative design after the success of Bullet, highlighting independent developer talent.

The Etheryx theme displayed with a modern, edgy profile image.

3. Shopify formalized its bug bounty program, enhancing platform security by inviting ethical hackers to find vulnerabilities. Following 2024's success with 850+ hackers, 2300+ reports, and $2.7M in bounties, this program reinforces security through community collaboration and rewards, demonstrating Shopify's commitment to proactive risk management.

Shopify's Bug Bounty program offers substantial rewards for reported vulnerabilities, with critical issues earning between $90,000 and $200,000.

4. Commerce-UI explains how they used Shopify's Hydrogen to rebuild Lady Gaga's store, creating an immersive experience with 3D showcases and dynamic backgrounds, demonstrating Hydrogen's ability to create highly customized storefronts.

New Shopify Plus Case Studies

• How waterdrop® expanded into 30 countries worldwide with Shopify

• Sculpted by Aimee boosts e-mail capture rates by 275% with Shopify POS

• KEEN achieves 80% cost reduction while accelerating Omnichannel growth

• SANJO moves to Shopify for less maintenance, more innovation and growth

• How Grassland Market built a better local retail experience with Shopify POS

Business News (stock + M&A)

• Shopify has agreed to acquire Vantage Discovery, an AI-powered search startup founded by two former Pinterest engineers

• B2B commerce network Crstl gains funding from Shopify and others

• Shop Circle raises $60M to encircle e-commerce with an app suite

• Shopify transfers its US listing from the NYSE to the Nasdaq