What is New in Shopify: Updates That Benefit Your Creative Business

Shopify is ever-evolving and its latest updates are especially helpful for independent brands who want a straightforward sales process. Whether you run a ceramics studio, a jewellery brand, or a craft-led publishing house, these improvements are designed to make your online store faster, smarter and more intuitive for your customers to shop.The key updates that are worth knowing about make Shopify more flexible, more powerful, and better suited to the needs of creative businesses. If you are already using Shopify, many of these features are ready to explore and apply. And if you’d like help setting them up or are planning a refresh…you know who to call.

1. Combined Listings App

If you sell products with variations like colours, materials, or formats, this new feature is a winning solution.

What it does
Combined Listings allows you to display product variants as individual listings, each with its own images, URL, and description (much better for your SEO score). On the backend, inventory is still managed as a single product. WIN!

Why it matters
Your customers can browse variations as if they are distinct products, which feels clearer and more refined. It's especially useful if your pieces are highly visual or vary in storytelling detail across each version.

However…use this wisely, having swatch variations on your PDP makes it easier for your customers to shop. I know it will pad out your product collections pages, BUT it doesn’t make decision making any easier. Consider which products would benefit most from this. Most likely, higher ticket product listings.

2. Faster Storefronts

Shopify has improved the speed and performance of its storefronts across all themes (WHOOP), not just for those using Hydrogen and Oxygen (Shopify’s custom front end and global hosting setup).

What it does
These updates ensure your website loads faster, especially on mobile and in global markets. Such an impactful update. What you can do now is update your theme to the latest version, especially if you don't have a 2.0 theme. If you need a hand with this do get in touch. We can book you in for a Website Optimisation session to supercharge your Shopify store. We will walk you through the steps and then get you back up and running. You’ll feel much more confident about your Shopify store once it’s done.

Why it matters
Site speed has a direct impact on conversions. A faster site means smoother browsing, quicker checkout, and a better overall experience for your customers.

3. Built-In AI for Product Descriptions

Shopify now includes native AI tools to help you write product descriptions and other content directly within your dashboard.

What it does
It uses your existing product information to generate tailored descriptions, email content, and more.

Why it matters
If writing isn’t your favourite part of running a shop, this tool can help you keep things consistent and professional, while saving time.

CAVEAT
Use AI carefully, your brand’s tone of voice can get lost in translation and you will lose that sense of YOU. Use it to trouble shoot your product description.Be cautious when using AI for product descriptions; your brand's unique tone and voice can easily be lost, impacting customer connection. AI can be a helpful tool for troubleshooting and refining your descriptions, but ensure your brand's personality shines through.

4. Improved Search and Filtering

Search and discovery plays an integral role in your customers finding what they need. Shopify's Search & Discovery app has been significantly upgraded to address the pain we have all felt when website search functionaliuty sucks. It now offers smarter search results and more refined filtering options to ensure your customers can always find what they're looking for.

What it does
You can now create filters based on custom fields, recommend products more intelligently, and control what appears when customers use search.

Why it matters
If your collection is growing, straightforward and clear filtering helps people find exactly what they’re looking for. This leads to a better experience and higher conversion rate ‘ca-ching’.

CAVEAT
This is complex to set up, be in touch if you want us to work on this for you.

5. Customisable Checkout (for Shopify Plus)

Shopify is rolling out deeper checkout customisation, available to Plus users.

What it does
You can now adjust the look and feel of your checkout, show personalised content, and integrate new features like upsells or surveys.

Why it matters
This is a powerful way to create a branded customer journey all the way through to post-purchase. It’s ideal for high-end brands who want every touchpoint to feel considered.