Magento has announced the release of new version, Magento 2.3, offering an expanded feature set, along with new integration capabilities for retailers managing campaigns using Amazon or Google Ads, and web-based payment options meant to streamline backend transactional workflows.
This release marks the first since Adobe acquired Magento back in May 2018 for more than $1.6 billion. In the months since, Adobe has taken a hands-off approach allowing Magento to operate with autonomy and fulfill its core mission. That said, Adobe did allow Magento developers to leverage its large stockpile engagement analytics tools to strengthen some of the features found in the updated offering, Contentive reported. So, what should businesses that adopt Magento 2.3, the first platform of the post- Adobe era, expect? Here are some of the key features:
Progressive web application support
PWAs function like native applications but work in traditional browsers, allowing users to access streamlined navigation features they understand without downloading content from online application stores. These unique assets benefit sellers as well by negating the need for native application development, an expensive and time-consuming venture, and boosting website engagement. A good number of retail companies have seen success with PWAs, according to research from Cloud Four, which found that furniture brand West Elm upped the average time spent on its website by 15 percent and observed a 9 percent increase in lift revenue following PWA roll out.
Adopters of Magento 2.3 can follow in the footsteps of their competitors and develop and deploy these applications through the platform’s PWA Studio. Here, development teams can churn out engaging PWAs that include offline and push notification support.
The new iteration of Magento is here.
Versatile website page building tools
Hard-coding effective landing pages is an immensely time-consuming task, even for the most seasoned front-end experts. Additionally, this kind of manual development negatively impacts operational flexibility, preventing retailers from rolling out spur-of-the-moment web campaigns to address new trends or promote products fresh off the assembly line. In today’s fast-moving marketplace, this kind of sluggishness could spell disaster. With this in mind, Magento chose to equip its latest offering with an easy-to-use page builder that allows users to design and deploy feature-rich pages via a simple drag-and-drop interface. From buttons and calls-to-actions to accordions and columns, sellers can harness a whole host of user interface components to quickly create engaging content, all without coding.
Page Builder is currently available in Magento’s Early Adopter Program. Magento Commerce customers interested in being an Early Adopter can contact PageBuilderEAP@adobe.com to request access, and will be available for all Magento Commerce customers as part of the upcoming Magento 2.3.1 release.
Open-source community contributions
In addition to the above features, sellers that adopt Magento 2.3 can take advantage of a number of assets created by members of the open-source development community. For instance, the new iteration of the software includes instant purchase functionality, which enables customers to make one-click buys. It also comes with a Google reCAPTCHA feature ideal for retail companies looking to weed out bots. Finally, Magento 2.3 two-factor authentication for administrators, an important security measure for all ecommerce enterprises.
Additional Roadmap Items For 2019
In addition to the exciting upgrades listed above, available in Magento 2.3, there are 2 other roadmap items for 2019, which Magento plans on releasing separately in the first half of 2019, namely –
Amazon Sales and Google Ad channels
Amazon and Google Ads are salient resources for modern ecommerce businesses. Sellers use the former to extend their retail reach, while using the latter for pay-per-click customer engagement initiatives and marketing campaigns. Amazon is particularly important for third-party retailers, which accounted for approximately 53 percent of all sales recorded via the site in the third quarter of 2018, according to data from Statista.
With it’s release, Magento will enable merchants to effectively harness the power of Amazon and Google Ads through two powerful integration modules. With the Amazon Sales Channel component, users can easily integrate their catalogs with the platform and manage products, orders, SKU overrides and more via the Magento administration panel. Adopters can take advantage of full technical support as well, further easing configuration and management activities involving Amazon-based sales workflows. The Magento Advertising Channel gives sellers the power to import products into the Google Merchant Center and leverage Google Ads to promote them via PPC efforts without leaving the platform administration panel. In the end, these components greatly streamline ecommerce sales and promotional processes.
Efficient online payment functionality
Cart abandonment is a significant problem in the retail space. Here, customers abandon more than three-quarters of their purchases in the first quarter of 2018, according to data compiled by Statista. Over the course of 2017, almost 70 percent of online shopping carts across all industries never made it to checkout, the market and consumer data firm found. Why do consumers so often fail to follow through? Unwieldy or glitch-laden online payment portals are normally to blame. However, sellers have a definitive solution coming via Magento, which will be equipped with a data-driven payment module that allows adopters to cultivate reliable transactional models through a robust set of payment service provider integration options, allowing sellers to meet the transactional needs of all customers and hopefully reduce cart abandonment rates.
Taking advantage of 2.3
Magento plans to release version 2.3 of the platform at the conclusion of 2018, while Page Builder, Amazon Sales Channel and Advertising Channel are slated for availability in 2019. Sellers intending to implement Magento 2.3 and these features might consider contacting a proven ecommerce development agency like Pixafy.
We work with retail organizations of all sizes, leveraging our award-winning development team to produce online shopping experiences that engage customers and boost the bottom line. Connect with us today to learn more about our work and how we can help your business get the most out of Magento 2.3 and see real return on investment.
