Discover the Hottest Shopify Updates in August Release

Entrepreneurs work hard to survive in years of intense competition, finding the market both challenging and, in some ways, easier to enter. Sometimes it takes years of hard work to gain enough traction for a comfortable income. They are driven by a desire to build something meaningful, the thrill of experimentation, and a passion to make an impact. Shopify supports this drive by backing the next generation of entrepreneurs, the world’s leading brands, and everyone in between.

Let's discover what's new in Shopify’s August agenda for merchants, making their businesses easier every month.

Update: Moving to hCaptcha on the /challenge page

We’re excited to let you know that Shopify is updating the fallback CAPTCHA challenge on the /challenge page. To switch from the old reCAPTCHA v2 to a new, interactive hCaptcha, follow the recent change from reCAPTCHA v3 to hCaptcha on Storefronts.

Easier view of order items for bulk shipping labels

Now, buying shipping labels in bulk is easier than ever before. You can view all the product information directly in the bulk purchase table — no need to click through separate lists for each order. This change saves you time when picking, packing, and choosing the right package.

New unified file editor now available in admin

Shopify introduced a unified file editor that’s now available across several areas:

• Product Detail Page
• Content > Files
• Online Store Editor
• Email App

This new feature provides a consistent way of editing files throughout the admin interface. It’s now generally available.

For more details, check out the unified file editor in the Shopify Help Center.

Suggested replies are now available in Shopify inbox

Shopify announced that suggested replies are now live for eligible merchants using Shopify Inbox! With the help of AI, suggested replies will automatically generate responses based on your store’s existing information whenever a shopper sends a message. You can choose to send these replies as they are or make edits before sending them.

Suggested replies are turned on by default for eligible merchants. To disable them, go to Inbox > Settings > Message Preferences.

Deadline passed: How to handle your checkout extensibility upgrade

The August 13, 2024, deadline for the Checkout Extensibility upgrade has passed. Here’s what this means for merchants and how we can help:

• If you're still using outdated checkout.liquid code on your Information, Shipping, and Payments pages, you now face restrictions and must upgrade to Checkout Extensibility immediately.
• Starting January 6, 2025, Shopify will begin automatically upgrading stores to Checkout Extensibility. Any customizations made with checkout.liquid will be lost.

We prepared a full guide on migrating to Checkout Extensibility without any pitfalls. You can download it here. Need our assistance? Let us know how we can support you through this transition.

Shopify Pixel Helper now displays error messages

Do you know that Shopify has enhanced the Shopify Pixel Helper by adding error messages to help you debug your custom pixels more efficiently? The Pixel Helper will now show uncaught errors that occur at the top level or in the callback function. Top-level errors will appear when the Pixel Helper loads, while callback errors can be viewed by expanding events marked with a red dot.

Easily remove products in bulk

There are three simple filters: product type, product vendor, and tag, which are available for suppliers to remove multiple products from their price lists. These filters make it easier to manage products, allowing suppliers to add or remove items quickly and accurately.

Previously, suppliers had to use keywords in the search bar to find and remove specific products from their price lists.

Shipping labels now track customs forms printing status

What’s new? Discover labels in Shopify Admin to track required document printing when purchasing shipping labels.

For international shipments to non-paperless trade countries, customs forms must be printed and attached to the parcel. Now, merchants can easily see if customs forms are required for their international labels.

If the customs form isn’t marked as required, there’s no need to print or attach it—it's already included in the barcode for carriers and customs agents.

New tools for managing returns

You can now automate return processes more efficiently with new triggers, actions, and templates to streamline your workflows.

1. New triggers: In addition to Refund created, Flow now supports more return activities, including Return approved, Return cancelled, Return closed, Return declined, Return reopened, and Return requested. This makes it easier to keep track of different return statuses.
2. New action: A Cancel return action is now available to help manage situations where buyers don’t send products back.
3. New templates: The Shopify team has added several templates to help you automate return workflows quickly:

• Release exchange items when a return is closed: Automatically release exchange items if there’s no outstanding balance on the order after the return is closed.
• Cancel inactive returns: Automatically cancel any return that hasn't been refunded or restocked within a specific time frame.
• Get notified on Slack when a return is requested. Receive a custom Slack notification whenever a customer requests a return from their account.

For more details, read the Flow documentation. If you have questions or feedback, visit the Shopify community.

Shopify collective introduces a new unified shipping profile

Starting August 19, retailers will use a new, unified Shopify Collective shipping profile. Now, it combines all Collective products into one. This replaces the old separate shipping profiles for each supplier.

With this update, retailers can automatically get and apply suppliers' shipping rates directly at checkout.

Earlier, each time a retailer imported products, a new shipping profile was created for each supplier, and rates had to be updated manually. The new unified profile makes it easier by eliminating the need for manual updates.

YouTube shopping affiliate program now available for eligible merchants

Eligible US Shopify Plus and Advanced merchants can now join the YouTube Shopping affiliate program through the Google & YouTube app on Shopify. This program lets you sync your Shopify products with YouTube, so thousands of eligible creators can tag them in their videos. You can manage the program and view analytics, content, and products directly from Google Merchant Center.

Learn more about the program in the Google Help Center.

New custom shipping rates

Starting August 27, suppliers can set custom shipping rates for each price list. This new feature allows you to choose flat or calculated shipping rates, giving you more control over how much retailers pay for shipping based on different products.

You can select ‘Calculated at checkout’ to use rates from your shipping profiles or set flat rates for each shipping zone. Retailers will then pass these costs on to customers with live rate-fetching at checkout.

Where to set your rates: Check the new ‘Shipping’ section when creating or editing a price list. Retailers will be notified if you change shipping rates or how shipping is calculated for your Collective products.

Collective retailers can now fetch live shipping rates at checkout

Collective retailers now have a simplified shipping profile that lets you fetch your suppliers’ shipping rates in real-time and apply them directly to customer orders at checkout.

Suppliers can set flat or calculated shipping rates for different products in their price lists. With calculated rates, shipping costs are determined live based on rules set by the supplier — like offering "free shipping for orders over" a certain amount. This can help you encourage larger orders and reduce cart abandonment.

Retailers can still control which shipping rates are shown to customers at checkout and customize them with shipping profiles or free shipping discounts.

BanContact is now available in managed markets

Shopify added BanContact to Managed Markets. This popular debit payment method is widely used in Belgium, making it easier for Belgian customers to pay.

Split shipping in checkout now is available for everyone

Starting August 30, 2024, all merchants can now use split shipping at checkout. If you have more than one shipping profile or location, you can enable this feature via Settings > Shipping and delivery.

Buyers will see if their order comes in multiple packages and can choose to speed up delivery for any of them if it's an option. This feature makes the checkout process clearer and gives buyers more choices.

Learn more about split shipping in the Shopify Help Center.

Shopify is a top global commerce company providing essential online tools for businesses of all sizes. DigitalSuits is a trusted Shopify& Shopify Plus partner that offers solutions to start, grow, market, and manage retail businesses. At DigitalSuits, we’re here to help you tackle the challenges of commerce and achieve your goals. Ready to improve your strategy? Let’s chat.