Shopify announced its Winter ’25 Edition,  titled “The Boring One,” with over 150 updates aimed at transforming merchant capabilities, supercharging customer experiences, and enabling powerful customisations.

Let’s dive into what makes Shopify Winter Edition ’25 a game-changer for businesses of all sizes.

Support for functions in draft orders

For merchants who love flexibility, Shopify now supports functions in draft orders. This means customisations applied during checkout—like unique discounts, alternative payment methods, or tailored delivery options—can seamlessly extend to draft orders too.

Imagine offering personalised bulk-order discounts or exclusive payment terms - The result is a smooth, cohesive experience that builds trust and keeps customers coming back.

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Checkout Blocks: Now on More Pages

Post-purchase customisation had a major upgrade. With checkout blocks now available for the Thank You and Order Status pages, brands can tailor post-purchase interactions with promotions, personalised messages, or even playful branding —all without coding required.

This opens new doors to boost loyalty and upsell opportunities when customer attention is at its peak.

The cart loading speed has also increased by 50%, increasing the checkout process for customers!

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Smarter Analytics, Faster Insights

Shopify's analytics overhaul introduces:

• Real-time performance insights
• Faster, more flexible reporting tools
• Improved usability

This means merchants can quickly pinpoint trends, optimise their stores, and make data-driven decisions as they go. Without having to wait for reports or look through dashboards—this upgrade increases efficiency and is built for speed.

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Shop Campaigns for All Merchants

Originally exclusive to Shopify Plus users, Shop Campaigns (a risk free, pay-per-sale acquisition program)are now available to everyone. Highlights include:

• Win-back campaigns for lapsed customers
• Expanded reach via Google Shopping

Shop Campaigns level the playing field, making powerful customer acquisition and retention tools accessible to every merchant.

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GraphQL as the definitive admin API at Shopify

Shopify has standardised GraphQL as the definitive Admin API, officially relegating REST to legacy status.

Why does this matter? GraphQL simplifies app development with faster performance and reduced complexity. With all new apps required to use GraphQL, developers can create advanced features faster, benefiting merchants with quicker access to innovations.

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Sidekick: Your AI-Powered Admin Assistant

Sidekick is a new personal AI assistant! Eligible merchants can now leverage this AI-powered assistant directly within Shopify Admin. Sidekick helps with everything from task automation to actionable insights, offering personalised suggestions to streamline productivity.

This can be used for analysing performance or brainstorming your next campaign, helping to improve productivity through AI-driven suggestions.

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Theme Blocks for Custom Storefronts

The introduction of Theme Blocks brings newfound flexibility:

• Reusable blocks across multiple sections
• Nested blocks up to 8 levels deep
• Dynamic context-passing

This allows merchants to craft highly tailored, interactive storefronts without compromising ease of use, giving their customers a standout shopping experience.

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From advanced customisations and smarter analytics to AI-driven assistance and low-risk marketing opportunities, this release demonstrates Shopify's focus on leveraging technology to streamline operations and improve customer experiences.

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