Shopify Winter '25 Edition: Top 10 Updates You Can't Miss

Running an e-commerce store means keeping pace with an ever-changing industry—a challenge that demands time, focus, and the right tools. To lighten the load, Shopify’s Winter ’25 Edition introduces a host of updates designed to simplify operations, enhance customer experience, and give merchants a competitive edge.

In this blog, we’ve distilled the key highlights from this edition into an easy-to-follow blog tailored for merchants like you. From checkout upgrades and automation to global selling features, these updates are built to help you streamline your business and scale with confidence.

Shopify Checkout: Now Faster and More Powerful

Shopify has enhanced its cart infrastructure, delivering up to 50% faster load speeds. With expanded features like Checkout Blocks (now on all plans for customized thank-you pages) and integrated chat apps in the checkout process, Shopify makes creating seamless, tailored experiences easier than ever.

Key updates include:

• Extended Checkout Expiration: Increased cart lifetime to boost customer conversion.

• Split Shipping: Now available for all merchants and compatible with third-party fulfillment apps like ShipStation and ShipBob.

• Accelerated Checkout Preview: View accelerated checkout buttons (Shop Pay, PayPal, Apple Pay, and more) directly in the editor.

Updates to draft orders add even more flexibility:

• Checkout Customizations: Use Checkout UI extensions for personalized invoice checkouts.

• B2B Bundle Options: Customize product assortments and purchasing options for bundle orders.

• Functions Support: Advanced checkout rules, payment customizations, and delivery options now available within draft orders.

Unified Customer Accounts: Enhancing the Customer Journey

A seamless customer experience starts with easy login. Shopify’s new Customer Account Extensions provide a unified, customizable experience, powered by high-quality apps and fully managed by merchants.

How it helps:

• Order & Return Management: Customers can easily handle orders and returns through passwordless logins.

• Stronger Customer Relationships: Tools like Zigpoll collect feedback and store insights directly in customer records.

• Effortless Personalization: Build fully branded, personalized customer accounts in minutes, no coding required.

• Enhanced B2B Features: Tailored experiences for wholesale customers, including tools for quotes, invoicing, and bulk orders.

Shopify Flow: Smarter Automation

Shopify Flow automates the repetitive tasks that can bog down your operations, giving you more time to focus on growing your business. With its latest updates, Flow makes streamlining processes like inventory management, returns, and marketing campaigns easier and more efficient than ever.

• Returns and Exchanges: Automate tasks like approving or canceling returns.

• Marketing Automation: Pre-made templates for campaigns like abandoned cart reminders.

• Segment Triggers: Trigger workflows when customers join or leave specific segments.

Streamlined Fulfillment

Shopify’s updated fulfillment and delivery settings now accommodate a wider range of order sources, creating a more cohesive and efficient system for merchants. By extending fulfillment logic to third-party platforms like Facebook and Amazon, as well as draft and subscription orders, Shopify enables seamless management of all order types from a single dashboard.

Key updates include:

• Third-Party Channels: Fulfillment rules now apply to orders from platforms like Facebook and Amazon.

• Draft Order Invoices: Delivery logic extends to invoice-based orders.

• Subscription Orders: Keep settings consistent for recurring purchases.

Shop Campaigns: Marketing Made Simple

Shop Campaigns take customer acquisition to the next level with pay-per-conversion pricing. Leading brands report up to 24% of new customer growth coming directly from this program. Now available to all Shopify plans in the U.S. and Canada, it’s a simple way to scale smarter.

Product Bundles: Better Tools for Higher AOV

Robust management features and in-depth analytics provide the tools needed to create impactful product bundles that increase average order value and improve operations. These enhancements allow merchants to strategically use bundles to increase average order value (AOV), clear inventory efficiently, and offer tailored promotions that resonate with customers, driving both short-term and long-term growth.

• Enhanced Reporting: Get detailed insights into bundle performance.

• POS Integration: Publish bundles directly to Shopify POS to boost in-store sales.

POS Updates: Smoother In-Person Selling

Shopify POS continues to revolutionize in-person selling, empowering merchants to seamlessly integrate their online and offline operations. With innovative features that enhance flexibility, streamline workflows, and deliver a more intuitive checkout process, Shopify is setting a new standard for retail. These updates are designed to help merchants create a connected, efficient, and customer-focused shopping experience that drives in-store success:

• POS for Bundles: Manage bundles seamlessly in-store.

• Split Screen Selling: View search results and cart simultaneously.

• Offline Payments: Accept payments anywhere, even without connectivity.

Global Commerce: Simplified International Selling

Merchants can now connect with international audiences effortlessly, leveraging advanced features that make cross-border selling efficient and scalable:

• Everyday Language Search: Semantic search enables natural language queries.

• All-Inclusive Pricing: Include duties and taxes in product prices.

• Expanded Payment Options: Support for more local payment methods.

Sidekick: Your AI Commerce Assistant

Sidekick, Shopify's AI-powered commerce assistant, is now available to English-speaking merchants worldwide, bringing advanced technology to simplify and supercharge daily operations. This intelligent assistant is designed to streamline workflows, provide instant support, and deliver actionable insights tailored to your business needs.

With over 150 updates, this list captures just a snapshot of the exciting improvements Shopify has rolled out. Each feature is designed to help merchants like you achieve more with ease. If you’d like to learn more about a particular update or explore how these changes can elevate your store, the Avex team is here to assist. 

Be sure to explore the full range of updates—you might discover just the tool you need to unlock your store’s next big opportunity.