January 2024 was a bustling month for Shopware 6, marked by an array of releases that went beyond the usual minor updates. We introduced the Release Candidate for Shopware 6.6, setting the stage for its final launch in March. But the spotlight now turns to the innovations rolled out for Shopware 6.5. This update brought a suite of novel features, including advanced AR and 3D functionalities, performance improvements, an AI-driven image search for your online storefront, and refined B2B functionalities in both Employee and Quote Management.
A quick note: This January roundup showcases all the highlights that were published this month – including those rolled out for the Shopware Cloud. Therefore, you will find a note for each feature indicating which form it refers to: self-hosted and/or Cloud.
Dive in, explore, and get inspired by the details in each section and our video!
Overview:
Spatial Commerce: New AR and 3D features
Spatial Commerce is an emerging topic that is gaining more and more importance. Embrace the future with the latest Shopware updates, bringing 3D functionalities to your digital storefront.
Merchants can now upload 3D files in GLB format and assign them to their products. These 3D visuals come to life on your product detail pages, ready for augmented reality (AR) experiences. Imagine this: Your customers can virtually place products, like furniture, in their own space, transforming how they interact and connect with your offerings.
Perfect for mobile-savvy users, this feature shines on devices with cameras. Desktop shoppers aren’t left out either - they can effortlessly switch to a mobile view by scanning a QR code, unlocking the 3D experience right on their smartphones or tablets.
Why it's a game-changer for you, the online merchant:
Wow factor: Elevate interaction and time spent on your site with immersive 3D renderings.
Aha moment: Offer a more tangible, realistic product view, reducing return rates substantially.
Dive into our documentation to discover how to upload 3D product images and what to consider.
In this video, Dennis shows you the highlight features of January.
Shopware 6.6 RC
The Release Candidate for Shopware 6.6 is now available. We’ve summarized all the essential information about it in the linked blog post.
Updates for 6.5.8.x
In January, we released Shopware 6.5.8.0 to 6.5.8.2. These releases include performance improvements, an update to PHP 8.3, and much more. For detailed information, it's best to take a look at our Release Notes for developers:
This section is about features that are not included in the Community Edition. Take a look at our overview to compare the different Shopware plans and activate the Shopware Commercial extension to use the commercial features.
Employee Management: New approval process for orders in B2B
Employee Management is a feature of the B2B Components and has been available for Shopware Evolve and Beyond since October 2023. This tool is tailor-made for the complex structures of B2B operations, allowing for customized role and permission settings. It's especially handy in scenarios where multiple employees, each with unique responsibilities, are involved in purchasing decisions. B2B Employee Management enables your clients to set up specific logins for their staff, increasing both control and security.
This feature is now receiving an update. B2B customers can now adjust permissions to ensure that orders are only executed following approval from an authorized person. This new level of management is thoroughly detailed in our B2B Employee Management documentation, which guides you through all the configuration steps.
Please note: This advanced conditional approval process is currently compatible only with extensions from our plugin or app systems. But stay tuned for our next update, which is set to introduce a user-friendly interface akin to the Rule Builder. However, this new order approval mechanism is not yet compatible with Quote Management.
Customized offers in B2B context: New features for quote management
At the end of last year, we released Quote Management as part of the B2B Components, available from Shopware Evolve. Quote Management simplifies the buying and negotiating process for B2B merchants and their clients, allowing for quick and efficient exchange of customized proposals for products and bulk orders.
To make this crucial B2B process even smoother, we've enhanced Quote Management with additional features. As a B2B merchant, here’s what you gain:
Enhanced communication: You and your business customers can now leave comments on offers and inquiries.
Comprehensive insight: Gain a complete view of all offers in the customer info section, along with detailed insights into both purchasing and selling prices within the offer listing. Your business customers can also access all relevant documents related to an offer request.
Additional Products: You can now send offers for products that are not regularly available in the shop by utilizing a free text field to describe and price them.
Offers in PDF Format: You can create a PDF file for each offer and customize the template according to your preferences.
More Control: Your business customers can specify which of their employees can create offer requests and which cannot. (Note: This requires the use of Employee Management.)
Learn more about the essential features surrounding offer creation in our documentation.
New AI Copilot Feature: Search by image
Shopware's AI Copilot, accessible from Shopware Rise, is your digital sidekick, offering a range of AI-powered tools to streamline your day-to-day as an online merchant. Not just for you, your customers also benefit from some of these features, and now, a new one has been added: Search by image.
This innovative feature transforms the way your customers shop online. With the power of visual search, they can now find products simply by uploading an image from their smartphone, tablet, or computer. The AI leaps into action, scouring your inventory for products that match the visual cues in the image. The result? Personalized recommendations that closely resemble the uploaded photo.
Imagine the delight of your customers when they spot a must-have jacket on someone. With just a snapshot, they can instantly search for similar jackets in your store, combining convenience with the thrill of discovery.
3D viewer for Shopping Experiences
To maximize the potential of the new AR and 3D features described above, we've added the capability to integrate 3D objects outside of the product detail page in the commercial versions of Shopware. Whether on landing pages, product, or category pages – captivate your shop visitors with engaging and interactive 3D visualizations. Simply use the visual page builder for Shopping Experiences to drag and drop 3D element blocks to your chosen spots. Your webshop visitors can engage with these 3D models via QR codes, bringing them to life in their own space through augmented reality.
We extend our heartfelt thanks to all GitHub contributors for their pull requests that have been incorporated into this version. 💙
