Shopify rolled out several new features for both online and offline to serve digitally native brands that get their start on the Canadian commerce platform provider.
Announcing the upgrades and new capabilities at its Unite annual conference taking place from June 18-20, Shopify said “qualifying merchants” are invited to apply for early access to Shopify Fulfillment Network, which leverages machine learning and smart allocation technology to identify the closest fulfillment center and calculate the optimum stock quantities to hold at each location so that orders can reach customers quickly and at the lowest cost.
“After your customer completes checkout, Shopify Fulfillment Network takes care of everything else, while putting your brand and customer experience front and center,” the company said in a statement.
Shopify also recognizes that as digitally native brands make the leap into brick-and-mortar, they need seamless, modern tools to elevate their footprint in physical retail. Available for sale later this year, the next generation of Shopify POS is faster, more intuitive and easier to scale up than previous versions, the company said.
While the new POS was designed to serve clients with complex brick-and-mortar operations, Shopify said the software facilitates easier navigation with a streamlined user interface to aid clients with high-traffic retail locations.
Brands selling across borders can reach new audiences now that Shopify added support for 11 new languages, released an API that allows language translation and enables clients to sell multiple global currencies while getting paid in their local currency.
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A nod to the growing popularity of automated retail subscriptions, Shopify now gives brands a way to integrate subscription payment solutions directly within Shopify checkout.
Enterprise-level clients that use the more robust Shopify Plus offering can take advantage of tools that simplify their operations.
“By automating repetitive tasks, our enterprise merchants will save time, enabling them to test new ideas with ease and innovate on a global scale, while delivering consistent and personalized customer experiences across every store,” Shopify said.
The enhanced Shopify Plus offers a single view of the business, giving clients greater control and wider visibility across their store fleets.
And to further streamline processes, Shopify now gives brands a way to design their e-commerce stores without having to edit code themselves. The customization features that clients could use to tailor their homepages now can be used on any page on their site, Shopify said.
The company is also helping brands showcase their products in 3-D, video and augmented reality.
“With new, more realistic and detailed visuals, merchants will be able to showcase their products in more engaging, interactive ways that will instill customer confidence as they shop online,” Shopify said.