New Features in Adobe Commerce in 2023, Monogo E-commerce News, 42
It is worth mentioning right away that the novelties described below mainly concern the Commerce version, i.e. the paid version. Magento offers a free version in parallel. The licence price is calculated individually by Adobe. In my experience, licence prices are not overwhelming. It is worth taking an interest in the pricing, because in return we get really attractive features that will certainly have a chance to contribute to better conversion in the online shop.
Magento sticks to a set release cycle, which can be previewed on this page. Looking at the release calendar, you can see that major releases are once a year. In between, on the other hand, there are releases of a smaller functional scope almost every month. Often these are patches, i.e. security fixes or those that fix bugs.
Another interesting source of information is the page showing the main features of Adobe Commerce. Of the many, mainly my attention is drawn to: Live Search, Product Recommendation, Buy Online Pickup In-Store. Others worth noting are Page Builder drag-and-drop content management, Multi-Source Inventory management, Catalog Service for Adobe Commerce.
Live Search powered by Adobe Sensei
It is well known that customers love efficient search engines. The kind that can recognise phrases typed in even with errors. And if, on top of that, the search engine can provide recommendations and a bit of personalisation, that's great. And this is exactly how live search works. The search engine is powered by AI from Adobe, Sensei.
Many of the shops we work with are investing in a very good user experience using search. Not surprisingly, this leads to higher conversions. By paying for an Adobe Commerce licence, you get the ability to plug in an AI-powered search engine for free.
Product Recommendations powered by Adobe Sensei (B2C & B2B)
Another product that Adobe Commerce provides in the licence package is product recommendations. Here again, the supporting engine is Adobe Sensei.
Customers at different stages of the purchase path can receive product recommendations. Whether in the shopping cart, in a category or on a product card after adding to the cart. The places to use recommendations are many in e-commerce. A good strategy of suggesting to customers what they can still buy leads to an increased average basket value.
Buy Online Pickup In-Store
Omnichannel is the dream of many retailers who have not only e-commerce but also in-store shops. With Buy Online Pickup In-Store from Magento, getting into omnichannel can be both easy and cheap. Cheap because it comes with a licence, and simple because it just is.
If we look at other Magento options, especially in-store inventory, the introduction of the option, buy now, pick up in an hour, becomes viable to implement very quickly. And this is the first step towards an omnichannel experience. Experiences like this are behind the sales increases!
What if I don't have Magento?
Many customers we speak to who have other e-commerce engines indicate that the reason for looking around in the market for alternatives is the small portfolio of functionality or the instability of the platform. Magento addresses these and many other issues. All in all, no wonder, it has been on the market for a very long time.
At Monogo, every now and then we approach to see how the alternatives stand. Virtually every time, we come to the same conclusions. Good marketing of the alternatives does not go hand in hand with stability and features. Something we are used to when implementing Magento is often not covered in alternative systems.
This is why we have invariably implemented B2C and B2B platforms on Magento for many years. Above all, because we know that once implemented, customers can invest in the business with peace of mind, and the engine will definitely work. That's why it's worth considering switching to an engine that is not so much for technology enthusiasts as a serious business, looking after customers and driving the biggest brands in the e-commerce world.