At OroCommerce, we like to think that new beginnings should bring not only changes but also exciting new features. We’re talking about the OroCommerce LTS 4.1 release and a long list of revamps and updates it brings to virtually every corner of your OroCommerce.
Our ultimate goal is to constantly raise the productivity bar for our customers. We streamlined commands for easier navigation, improved the dashboard and put special emphasis on B2C eCommerce. This update also touches on the way your data is managed, filtered, and exported. The CMS saw its share of workflow improvements – not to mention new widgets. Lastly, we’ve introduced Symfony 4.4 LTS, made significant upgrades to the back-end, launched integrations and API improvements to give our much-valued customers a better experience.
A big thank you to our partners, developers, clients, end-users and members of our community for their invaluable thoughts, feedback, and suggestions which made this update possible. Without further ado, here’s what you’ll be able to do with the new OroCommerce:
Analytics, Navigation & Data Management
Google Tag Manager and Google Analytics Enhanced Ecommerce
Google Tag Manager offers many benefits to webmasters such as controlling tags from one place, faster deployment of tracking codes, a library of testing tools, and more. It’s available for free in the OroCommerce marketplace.
You can now use your Google Tag Manager (more in our documentation) to add tracking tags to your OroCommerce store pages to better track product views, page views, clicks, and so on. Know when customers make changes to their shopping carts, initiate the checkout or refund process. Additionally, you can make use of Google’s Enhanced eCommerce to complement your Google Analytics reports with a more detailed view of the customer journey.
OroCommerce LTS 4.1 allows you to export the data you need
No more fumbling around your database or cherry-picking specific lines in the exported file. You’ll now be able to export only the data you filter out, improving productivity and overall data integrity. This time-saver will definitely be appreciated by those with large databases and complex product trees.
Export only the required products for quick edits or updates in your ERP, as well as import them back in the same manner. Rest assured all your back-office components and website pages will be updated automatically with the new data.
Login to the store on behalf of your users
Give select admin users the ability to log in under a customer user’s account in the store’s front-end. This prevents unauthorized use while being useful in customer service cases. Team members with the right permissions can simply use the “Login as Customer” button and select the desired user, experiencing the store from their point of view.
OroCommerce LTS 4.1 CMS Capabilities
A new, powerful WYSIWYG editor
Unleash your creative spirit when working with content. Format content, add multimedia, call to action buttons and more in the form of widgets.
Adding videos to your page and ensuring they look great on any device has gotten even more intuitive. Aside from embedding videos, you can preview and optimize content in the mobile device preview without leaving the editor itself.
Role-based content editing permissions
Everyone’s got their own requirements when it comes to content security, so we give you more control here, too. Set appropriate permissions for different user roles on your team (eg. content admin, manager, editor) and specify who can insert external HTML or embed videos from third parties. Your IT department or a front end developer can be given permissions to insert their own code into the source editor and our systems will not append or strip submitted HTML, CSS or code generated by third-party tools, allowing them to create original, memorable pages.
Drafts and Publication workflows
It’s now easier to manage revisions to your landing pages. Create multiple drafts of a particular page and assign different roles responsible for every stage of the draft. For example, content editors could be given the ability to only save drafts; content managers could approve them; while content admins could be responsible for publishing any changes. Developers can enable similar draft/revision management functionality for other entities in the system as well.
Introducing new content widgets
Our new and improved widgets can be used to embed pieces of structured content into any WYSIWYG fields. For example, you can include a product snippet, along with its prices and “Add to Cart” button on a landing page. Similarly, you can configure images for a custom promotional slider and use this slider in other content blocks and landing pages. By arranging these elements in the desired fashion, it’s easier than ever to create a professional-looking store.
Widgets are dynamic, regardless of where you choose to place them. Meaning, if you create a product segment, it will update whenever its underlying segment or any products in that segment are modified. The pricing, quantity tiers, and product availability will take into account the customer’s custom pricing when displayed.
Upload, link and manage permissions of content files
Don’t feel held back by your storefront again. We’re giving you the tools to communicate your message with a wide variety of supported file types. Upload, link and manage files anywhere in your storefront: your landing, lists, and product pages. Work with images, media, PDF, document files, and many other content types.
Set up a B2C website with OroCommerce LTS 4.1
If you feel that the default B2B setup is overkill for your needs, or your store serves one specific end-user at a time, you can now quickly reconfigure your website for B2C duty. Doing so changes some of the key store components to better appeal to B2C selling – think traditional shopping carts, forms, and marketing material. Learn more about the benefits of OroCommerce for B2C and try out our live, fully working demo.
This function also works for existing B2B websites via a handy button in your settings that configures how your store works in just a few steps.
Technology & Developer Experience
The upgrade to Symfony 4.4 LTS brings with it a laundry list of improvements, ranging from increased performance, security, and reliability. We made Developers’ lives easier with a full integration of WebPack and Babel for use in building storefronts and web themes. Lastly, we implemented additional configurations including headless architecture and ways to authenticate and integrate with enterprise ERPs, middleware and more.
A storefront API for even more customization
We’re giving developers a better interface for building digital B2B relationships like never before. Use your OMS, ERP or procurement data in your eCommerce store to improve automation and gain more visibility into customer and product data. Integrate pricing, order or catalog data according to your needs or connect ERP data from multiple sources into the format you require.
The API also supports headless architecture that allows B2B merchants and their customers to build applications ideally suited for their workflows. The storefront API works with:
- OAuth 2.0
- Accounts
- User profiles
- Shopping lists
- Web catalogs
- Master catalogs
- Products searches
- Product data
- Order creation
- Order history
Setup in OroCommerce LTS 4.1
Products within organizations are now arranged more logically with products being limited to organizations they’re in. Product catalogs are not shared across organizations, so switching between organizations will not display unrelated products. Last but not least, there are numerous localization improvements our international customers will appreciate.
Give OroCommerce LTS 4.1 a Try!
To get started with the latest version of OroCommerce, follow the installation or upgrade instructions, download a virtual machine, or simply visit our public demo website.
Got any thoughts or feedback about this update? Perhaps a great feature or improvement request on your mind? Just let us know in the Oro Community Slack channel. We offer resources and participate in other communities for your convenience. In either case, we’ll be happy to hear from you and get back to you as soon as possible.
