Chris Grant (he/him) June 19, 2024 A 3 minute read

WooCommerce 9.0: Transforming Small Business E-commerce

As a small business owner, staying competitive in the digital marketplace is essential. WooCommerce, a leading e-commerce platform, has just launched its latest version, WooCommerce 9.0, packed with features designed to enhance the shopping experience for both you and your customers.

Enhancing the Checkout Experience

The checkout process is critical for conversion rates, and WooCommerce 9.0 brings several improvements to ensure it’s as smooth as possible:

  • Refreshed Order Summary: The order summary now remains visible on desktop devices throughout the checkout process, with plans to extend this feature to mobile devices soon.
  • Clearer Local Pickup Options: Improved display of local pickup options makes it easier for customers to select this delivery method.
  • Optimised Address Form Layout: The address form has been redesigned for better usability, including the ability to require Address Line 2 and present it as an inline button when optional.
  • Accessibility Enhancements: Significant improvements have been made to ensure the checkout process is more accessible to everyone, based on user feedback and expert consultations.

Improved Product Collection Blocks

Product Collection Blocks are now out of beta, offering small businesses better control over product displays:

  • Distinct Collections: There’s now a clear distinction between general product catalogues and special collections like “On Sale” or “New Arrivals,” ensuring that filters don’t affect these specialized displays.
  • Preview Mode: A new preview mode in the Product Editor allows you to see exactly how collections will look on the front end, making it easier to perfect your product displays.

High-Performance Order Storage (HPOS)

To meet the demands of growing data, WooCommerce 9.0 introduces Full-Text Search (FTS) indexes as part of the HPOS initiative:

  • Faster Search Results: Benchmark tests show significant improvements in search speeds, with some order searches reducing from over 3000ms to under 700ms.
  • Scalability: Utilising advanced MySQL indexing techniques, this feature ensures your store can handle large volumes of data more efficiently.

New REST API Endpoint for Refunds

The introduction of a new REST API endpoint for refunds (wc/v3/refunds) simplifies data retrieval:

  • Streamlined Data Retrieval: This endpoint allows you to obtain a list of refunds sorted by date and filtered by date range, without needing to link them to corresponding orders.
  • Consistency Across Applications: Ensuring uniformity in data handling, the returned data matches that of the orders endpoint.

Security and System Updates

Security is a top priority in WooCommerce 9.0, with several important fixes and updates:

  • Enhanced Security: Sensitive information in System Status Reports (SSRs) is now redacted, preventing exposure in public reports. Additionally, vulnerabilities in registration and checkout forms have been addressed.
  • Improved Readability: SSRs now feature a collapsible section for issues and better formatting for easier reading.

Other Noteworthy Updates

WooCommerce 9.0 includes numerous other features to enhance your store’s performance:

  • Classic Block Template Renaming: Blocks representing classic templates have been renamed to reduce confusion.
  • Accessibility Improvements: The main HTML tag in several block templates has been updated to improve support for assistive technologies.
  • System Settings Adjustments: Changes to text-based settings fields ensure consistent behaviour across various checkout and payment methods.

Conclusion

WooCommerce 9.0 is a significant update, bringing numerous features designed to help small business owners provide a better shopping experience for their customers. From a more accessible checkout process to improved product display controls and enhanced security measures, this update ensures that your online store remains competitive and user-friendly.

For more detailed information and to download the update, visit the official release post.

Embrace WooCommerce 9.0 to elevate your e-commerce business and offer your customers an unparalleled shopping experience.