This is what has changed in Shopware 6 since the last update!

Today we take a look at the Shopware 6 update and briefly explain what has changed since the release of the update. If you have any further questions about Shopware Shop or e-commerce, please feel free to contact us. We at EXWE are at your side as a strong partner and now have fun with our article:

1. Why should you switch from Shopware 5 to Shopware 6?
2. What has happened since the Shopware 6 release
3. General Shopware Updates
4. Administration within the Shopware online shop
5. Listing and presentation of products
6. Listing and presentation of products
7. Improvements for the B2B area
8. User-friendliness and optimizations in the customer area
9. Shopware developer updates
10. Plugin development in Shopware 6
11. Where can you find the latest updates of the software?
12. What you can do if you are missing a feature in Shopware 6
13. Conclusion

Shopware 6 update - what has happened since the release?

At the end of 2019, Shopware launched with the new version Shopware 6, slowly replacing the previous version Shopware 5. Since the release is a completely new software, the change does not only require a simple update. To be able to use Shopware 6, your store must be moved completely. You lack the technical know-how? This is where the professionals from our Shopware agency can help you!

In August 2020, we already gave you a comparison of the old version Shopware 5 with the new release Shopware 6 on our blog. At that time, we recommended you to wait with the change until Shopware 6 has established itself and the first bug fixes and features have been released. Now a longer time has passed and we asked ourselves what has actually happened since then.

Why should you switch from Shopware 5 to Shopware 6?

As an online store owner of Shopware 5 version, you will be forced to make a switch to Shopware 6 in the future. Because Shopware 5 will soon no longer be maintained. Until now, there were still new releases and features, but this will be discontinued from July 2021. Still, don't panic, you don't need to stress. Until July 2022, the Shopware developers will make bug fixes and until July 2024 there will be security updates. So you still have time to make the switch. Once you have successfully completed the move from five to six, you can look forward to the new software and further optimize your store.

What has happened since the Shopware 6 release

Shopware's developers have been working on improvements and new features every day since the launch of the latest version and will continue to do so. So it's clear that a lot has improved and changed to date. In the meantime Shopware is already at version 6.4, which is the biggest update so far. Besides 6.4.1.1 there is already 6.4.1.2. From this you might notice that there have been many smaller updates in the meantime: From 6.1.0 to 6.1.6, from 6.2. to 6.2.3, from 6.3.0.0 to 6.3.5.4 and finally from 6.4 to 6.4.1.2. Also in the future more versions will be released. We have compiled the most important changes around Shopware 6 for you here. We distinguish general updates from developer and plugin updates.

General Shopware Updates

The general updates concern for example the usability or the administration of the webshop. For a better overview of the general developments of Shopware 6, we have sorted them again into individual categories.

Administration within the Shopware online shop

In order to better manage and customize the store internally, Shopware has released several improvements in recent months. Particularly in demand was the creation of a rights and role management, incidentally also called ACL. ACL stands for Access Control List. With this feature you can give your employees certain rights for the administration of your store. For this you assign the accesses of the users to different roles. In the field "Job Title" you can enter the job name of the respective user. The rights and role management ensures better security and a delimitation of responsibilities in your team.

Another innovation has been made in the area of document creation. Now data for documents such as invoices is taken from the respective purchase orders and not from the customer accounts. This ensures that all your documents remain correct even if the customer changes data in their account. This was not the case in the initial versions of Shopware 6.

Listing and presentation of products

The listing of products as well as the presentation has also been improved. Now you, as a store owner, can create a template to define the main features of a product. In the EU, it is a legal requirement that the essential features are listed during check-out and in the order overview. Essential features include basic price, color, size, material, quality, etc.

Also, you can now place your listings individually in your webshop. If you just want to sell all your summer products, you can put them on top. You can set and define these sortings in the administration.

The search functions in your e-commerce online store can also be customized to your needs. Define whether search terms are found with an AND or an OR link. You can also define which fields are eligible for the search.

Improvements for B2B

If your customers are not end customers, but dealers, then they can now also register as dealers in your store. However, this is only possible via a special link that you can provide to your customers. In turn, it is possible for you to give special discounts to this group of customers.

Furthermore, the handling of the VAT ID for your Shopware store has been improved. You can set the VAT ID as a mandatory field for your B2B customers. In addition, you can also specify whether companies can buy from you tax-free. This can also be defined for certain countries.

User-friendliness and optimizations in the customer area

To ensure that your customers have a pleasant experience when they visit your Shopware online store, some usability improvements have been made. For example, the filter option in the product search has been improved. Now, only filter combinations are possible that also provide results in your store. After all, how frustrating is it for your customer when he sets filter options but no matching products are displayed?

On top, your customer can restore his shopping cart while shopping. After all, your customers aren't always ready to buy right away when they add products to their shopping cart. All it takes is a ring at the door and the shopping experience is interrupted. Any number of reasons can cause your customer to get distracted. Then, when he's reminded of your online store again, it's super convenient if all the products from the shopping cart are still there. However, this requires registered users.

In addition, your customers can now create a watch list. The products are saved for the next purchase. It does not matter if it is a normal product or a variant product.

Shopware developer updates

Shopware always releases updates for developers individually. The most important developments of the last months concerned the Sales Channel API and the Store API. This is because the Sales Channel API was completely replaced by the Store API in spring 2021. Developers had to convert apps and plugins to the Store API in order to keep all functions compatible. In addition, with the biggest update, the release of Shopware version 6.4. also became compatible with the latest version PHP 8.0. Now the lowest required PHP version is 7.4.

Plugin development in Shopware 6

In August 2020, we told you in our article about 200 existing plugins. In the meantime, however, a lot has happened there. In Shopware Shop you will now find under Shopware 6 over 2200 plugins that can add functionality to your online store. Also under the updates of Shopware itself there are some changes to the plugins. For example, Shopware has released the Unified Language Plugin with the update for February 2021. With this plugin, from now on you don't have to install a plugin for every language you want your online store to have. The Unified Language Plugin has a selection of many language packs that can be used for administration and for the e-commerce store from the customer's point of view.

Where can you find the latest updates of the software?

There will always be new updates of Shopware 6. You can easily read about them on the Shopware website. Every month, the new releases are compiled in an article on the Shopware blog. There you will find the general news and the news especially for developers. Because since the second half of 2020, there is a corresponding release cycle. Every month a new Shopware 6 version comes out. So you can use the innovations in your webshop much faster!

What you can do if you are missing a function in Shopware 6

If you are missing a feature or have a request for improvement, you can use the Shopware Issue Tracker . There you can create a ticket with your request or view already created tickets on the topic and vote for it. Particularly requested functions could then be considered in the next release. If you need an individual and more complex function, an own plugin could be the solution for you. We would be happy to create an individual plugin that meets your needs. Please contact us for a first non-binding consultation. Do you have any further questions or problems with Shopware? As a certified Shopware partner, we are always available to help and advise you.

Conclusion

As you can see, Shopware is always making changes to the latest version. These affect all areas: Administration, Products, Customers, B2B, Developers, Plugins and Apps. We have only given you a rough overview of the most important changes here. In the meantime, Shopware 6 has been on the market long enough that it is now worth switching from Shopware 5 to Shopware 6. The biggest problems have already been fixed and the most important features have been added. So you don't have to worry about the changeover. If you have any questions or need help switching your store from Shopware 5 to Shopware 6, feel free to send us an email to info@exwe.de and our developers will bring your store to a new level!