Shopify Unite 2021: New Features / Announcements & what's Next for Shopify in 2021

eCommerce merchants, agencies, developers & experts, it's time to get excited for Shopify Unite 2021!
Just hours away, we can't wait to see what Shopify has in store for us and what awesome new features they will be announcing!

Introducing Shopify Unite 2021

Shopify Unite is an annual event organized by Shopify for a worldwide community of developers, filled with announcements and new features that are shaping the future of eCommerce every year.

We will be covering everything related to Shopify Unite 2021 on this blog article and we will update it as soon as news arrive!

Stay tuned with us for the latest updates regarding Shopify Unite 2021.

We will be posting live on Twitter, give us a follow and reach out to us there!  

New features announced at Shopify Unite 2021

Online Store 2.0:

Themes & Editors

• Themes become entirely modular. Add reusable sections & blocks to every single pages of your Shopify store and make your store shine to your liking!
• Metafields everywhere! Store any types of metafields directly inside your Shopify store admin panel.

Store Content

• New content management platform working hands in hands with the recently announced metafields

Developer Tooling

• New Theme App Extension: Apps can add their own blocks without touching the theme's code.
• New Open-Source Shopify Theme: Dawn, including all features introduced in Online Store 2.0
• Connect with Github seamlessly. Load your theme instantly directly within Shopify's dashboard.
• Storefront API gets new features: Location-based currency, custom selling plans
• Cart added to the storefront API

Checkout Extensions

• Build custom apps for checkout. Improve user's UX & UI on the checkout page.
• Post-purchase checkout extensions are available.

Partners / App Developers

• The Shopify App Store now offers more personalized and curated experiences. App developers can expect new features coming soon related to building creatives / Shopify ads and reaching the right audience.
• It's now possible to manage app refunds and view app billing & payouts in the partner dashboard.
• The first 1,000,000$ is free or revenue share, resetting every year. App developers who make more than 1,000,000 will see their the revenue share drop from 20% to 15%.
• New docs have been released, along with hundred of tutorials for building apps on Shopify.

What to expect in Shopify Unite 2022?

This year we have seen the most innovative and prominent updates in the history of Shopify. Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated thousands of business migration to e-Commerce, which brought some changes in Shopify’s approach to offer a better shopping experience. What is indisputably clear is that every update announced in the Shopify Unite opened up new opportunities for Shopify small business owners to sell better, and simplify the native store setups.

To sum up, 2021 has been a transformative year for retail businesses. What can we expect in the next Shopify Unite event in 2022?

As e-Commerce continues its upward trend, the competition will intensify in 2022 and retailers will have to take the next step in the brand's growth strategy to Survive and Thrive in a post-pandemic world. Shopify now promises to provide the tools that “create a world of possibilities for small businesses on Shopify” and support businesses at every stage of development.

The future is uncertain, and we can’t wait for the next Unite announcements with even more powerful tools and customized solutions to help develop business that offers the best-in-class shopping experience to your customers. Stay tuned for the new features which will be announced in January 2022.

Meanwhile, if you haven't made it to the Shopify Unite 2021, check out the recording of the event below.

You can also join their Discord group to connect with Shopify Developers and Partners, and stay updated with the latest announcements from Shopify.