This is an updated version of a blog post that was published first in September 2019.
Shop system or content management system? While just a few years ago, this question needed a definite answer, there is now an ongoing trend towards a combination of content and commerce.
The interconnectedness of the shop system and content management is among Shopware’s key features. The Shopping Worlds in Shopware 5 were created to meet the increasing expectations that online shoppers have when it comes to modern online shopping. Individuality, outstanding shopping experiences, and emotional storytelling promote customer loyalty and contribute to increased conversion rates.
With the new Shopping Experiences in Shopware 6, we have taken the issue of content management to the next level and further intensified customer centricity.
Our vision of content management
Shopping Worlds from Shopware 5 is a success story. It is a very popular and well-known feature, and is, to this day, an ideal basis for successful content commerce. Over the years, we have gathered plenty of experience and feedback from the community. We have pooled this knowledge for developing Shopware 6, and have even thought ahead a few steps.
We want our ecommerce solution to be as good at content commerce as a pure CMS, because we believe that online retailing and content management cannot be separated. We are committed to providing uniform user experiences and to guiding users through the purchasing process with personalised content. This process begins with the customer’s first contact with the product: We reach customers where they happen to be at the time they discover the product (see also: Headless commerce with Shopware 6). From the POS, the blog, or the Instagram feed, customers are taken directly to Shopping Experience and a consistent product story that will take them all the way to the checkout.
Shopware 6 facilitates this future-oriented customer journey.
A design tool for freedom and creativity
The new Shopping Experiences feature is a vast working platform for users in which new layouts can be easily created. All settings are available at a glance; there is no need for any advance planning regarding the grid, the number of columns and lines, etc. Only the name and the type of the Shopping Experience (landing page, category page, etc.) must be specified.
The standardly predefined blocks can be dragged and dropped into the preview editor of the work space and freely moved around and adjusted at any time. Automatically inserted placeholder content provides users with a realistic idea of the Shopping Experience environment they are creating early on, making the creation process simpler and faster.
Each individual element is fully responsive, which means that the Shopping Experience automatically display correctly on any device. Bit by bit, and block by block, personalised and individual layouts can be created. And if the Shopping Experience starts to get very long from combining so many blocks, there is a navigator in the settings bar that provides an overview.
In addition to traditional landing pages, this simple approach can be used to design category pages and shop pages. What is particularly helpful is that a single layout can be assigned to any number of categories making it unnecessary to design an individual Shopping Experience for each category.
Shopping Experiences and Rule Builder – two perfectly balanced features
With Shopware 6, we are introducing shop operators to a number of new features that are a great match for the Shopping Experiences feature.
The Rule Builder, for example, allows very specific customer targeting when used in combination with Shopping Experiences. Based on predefined rules, particular Shopping Experiences or layouts can be displayed for the different target groups with customised layouts and offerings to premium customers, new customers, or other customer groups based on the Rule Builder specifications. In addition to that, rules can be used for numerous promotions. Find out everything about the possibilities here.
Going international made easy
Shopware 6 has been designed to allow for flexible and simple international use. This approach is also reflected in the Shopping Experiences.
All languages determined in the shop settings are also available in the Shopping Experiences, and can be selected as the display language. The desired content can therefore be entered in the target language directly into the individual blocks and then be more specifically tailored towards the individual target groups. Using the Rule Builder, it is also possible to display a designated Shopping Experience with its own layout for each country.
Shopping Experiences in a nutshell | status quo
- Flexible and simple handling via a drag & drop editor
- Predefined blocks are part of the standard package
- Preview editor and placeholder content to allow for optimised visualisation
- Responsiveness: all elements know how to behave on any device
- Navigator tool as a guide for pages with multiple blocks or long Shopping Experiences
- Layouts can be assigned multiple times
- Data mapping: content is filled in automatically
- Easy translation options for using Shopping Experiences internationally
Much has been added in later iterations:
Shopping Exeriences make creating content so much fun, and they are a powerful feature since the initial release of Shopware 6. Dynamic data exchange, significantly reduced complexity of work steps, and comprehensive design options excite even non-programmers.
Since the release of Shopware 6, the Shopware roadmap has of course been pursued further and further, so that the range of functions of the Shopping Experiences has grown considerably in the meantime. The following elements have been added subsequently:
More Layouts
It is now possible to design even more types of pages with the Shopping Experiences feature. In creating your unique online presence, you are also able to individually adapt product detail pages. Along with this, many new elements can also be used in other layouts, such as Buybox or Cross-Selling.
Storytelling
Once again we want Shopware 6 to take customers on an emotional journey through the online store. Storytelling allows for unique brand experiences and is now a fixed staple of the Shopping Experiences feature as well. The Storytelling feature allows you to guide your customers through your store pages using a scrolling navigation. This feature is available for the Evolve and Beyond plan.
Quick view
While visiting a Shopping Experiences page, customers should always be able to receive further information about a product without interrupting their journey. Customers can return from the quick view to their original position at any time, which keeps the unity of journey, story, and emotions. This feature is now part of the Evolve and Beyond plan.
Versioning and release processes
The Shopware Publisher is a particularly useful feature available to all users of the Evolve and Beyond plan. It allows you to create drafts of an existing layout and editing existing Shopping Experiences without changing the live version of a layout. In addition, an activity feed shows you who has already worked on the layouts and a preview makes it possible for you to view unpublished layouts in the storefront. The Shopware Publisher will be enhanced with more practical features in future iterations.
Assigning a layout directly from the Designer
These features are still on the roadmap:
Entity management | data record management
Powerful content management is necessary to be able to really address all target groups in a professional and targeted manner and to handle all new business cases. "Shopping Experiences" is one of your most powerful tools for designing unique landing pages. To offer even better usability, we would like to implement an entity management solution (data record management). In line with our motto “config over coding”, new entities could then be created and managed within the administration without needing to touch any code.
Further information
The Shopware roadmap shows the current development status at all times and provides for an overview of upcoming releases. Want to make sure you don’t miss anything? Then subscribe to our Release Update newsletter and check out the Release News regularly!
