Release Notes May 2026
The NextChapter e-commerce platform is continuously improved and innovated. In this release, we share the most important optimizations and innovations from May 2026.
We continuously invest in the development and innovation of the platform. Follow our blog, LinkedIn page and newsletter to stay informed about the latest updates, features and improvements. Would you like to learn more about the release notes or the implementation within your webshop(s) and sales channels? Feel free to contact us.
Over the past few months, we have introduced a wide range of innovations and optimizations across multiple areas, including:
Content management
API
Marketing features
OMS features
PIM
Frontend features
CMS features
Content editor in landing pages
The NextChapter Content Editor is now also available within landing pages, in addition to the previously launched Content Categories and Blogs, further simplifying content management.
Landing page renewal
The landing pages section has been fully renewed, featuring familiar functionalities in a refreshed interface alongside new features.
Test & live checkboxes have been added, allowing you to first review and approve a landing page in the staging environment before publishing it live.
The “view this page” link already existed, but has now become more visible, because:
It is easier to find, as it is displayed at the top of the page.
The “view page” link is now also available in all languages.
If the page is only active on staging, only the staging link will be shown.
If the live page is also active, the live environment link will be displayed as well.
The interface now has a renewed and modern appearance.
Linking products to landing pages now works through Product Collections. This means the “properties” tab is no longer available. Product Collections can now be created based on properties or brands. Product Collections are a highly advanced way of selecting specific groups of products.
The Categories tab remains available without changes. If both a category and a product collection are selected, they will work based on the “AND” principle.
All products previously linked to your landing pages have been converted into a product collection. As a result, there is no visible difference on the webshop, while backend management has become easier and more flexible.
Content editor selected by default for new pages
When creating new pages, including landing pages, content categories and blogs, the NextChapter content editor is now selected by default. The previous editor remains available and can still be selected manually.
The content editor offers more flexibility and functionality, and will become available across all pages within the platform during 2026.
Transactional API
Customer specific pricing
The existing model for customer specific pricing within NextChapter has been expanded with API support. It is now also possible to push customer specific pricing agreements, such as pricing per customer group and product group, through the NextChapter API.
multiˣ Connector
The multiˣ Connector is a new product within the NextChapter multiˣ suite. NextChapter has invested heavily in this development. The goal of the Connector is to give webshop owners visibility into, monitoring of and control over transactional processes.
For example, you can see whether stock data imports have been completed successfully and, if not, understand the reason and often resolve the issue yourself. In addition, workflows can be created, allowing processes to depend on one another, meaning process 2 will only start once process 1 has been completed successfully. This creates a valuable product for IT and e-commerce teams.
Within the Connector, separate system connectors are being developed. These connectors manage the exchange of data between your systems and NextChapter, such as product and stock data from ERP systems.
The Connector is now available within the multiˣ suite and the first connectors have been completed, including the integration with It’s Perfect (ERP). New connectors are currently in development, including an integration with ASPOS (POS/ERP).
Marketing features
Search
A strong onsite search experience is crucial for every webshop. The search technology of NextChapter is known for its strength and stability, and we continue to invest heavily in it.
Technically, the search engine was fully renewed in the previous quarter. This not only allows us to use the latest technologies, but also creates more possibilities.
Autosuggest
In the previous quarter, we launched a new functionality: Autosuggest. This quarter, it has been further optimized and refined.
While typing, a dropdown immediately appears with relevant suggestions based on factors such as relevance, categories, properties and product counts.
Autosuggest is available for direct implementation on your webshop. Please contact your account manager for implementation.
Vector search
In addition, work has started on vector search, a search technology that looks not only at the search term itself, but also at the context and meaning behind the query. This allows even better results to be shown, even when the search query does not exactly match.
Vector search will be rolled out further during 2026.
Price hiding in Google organic results
The rich snippets on the PDP and the data layer have been expanded for scenarios where prices should not be displayed. As a result, prices will no longer appear in Google organic search results.
This is particularly relevant for B2B scenarios where prices are customer specific and only become visible after login.
OMS features
Order reporting expanded with user agent
The order reporting has been expanded with a “user agent” column to provide additional insights into results from specific channels.
Company name visible on customer bank statements
The refund description has been improved. In addition to the existing information, the webshop company name is now also displayed on the customer’s bank statement, making the source of the refund clearer.
PIM
NextChapter has spent significant time improving the technical foundation of the PIM system to prepare it for the future. As a result, there will soon be more room to continue developing new PIM features, such as improved product search functionality.
We are also investing substantial time and attention into applying AI within the PIM technology.
Images API
The NextChapter PIM API has been expanded with new endpoints for image management:
Create image, including alt text and sort order
Update image metadata, including alt text and sort order, for existing images
Bulk create images, allowing up to 20 images in a single request, including alt text and sort order
Frontend features
Return requests configurable per location
It is now possible to configure per stock location whether return requests are allowed through a new “allow return request” setting. This makes it possible to determine per location whether customers may pre register a return in the return portal.
This expansion supports use cases where return labels are requested through the return portal and processed and shipped via an external party. This enables more targeted control over which locations are eligible for return handling.
iDEAL | Wero
Throughout the entire platform, the name and display of iDEAL has been updated to iDEAL | Wero. This change is visible in the OMS for new orders, checkout, reporting and more.
This adjustment is temporary and anticipates the phased transition from iDEAL to Wero over the coming years.
Store locator
The store locator has been technically improved, making locations easier to find when city names exist in multiple countries.
CRM features
Newsletter names visible in CRM
For every customer in the CRM, it is shown whether they are subscribed to one of your webshop newsletters.
The CRM now clearly displays which newsletters a customer is subscribed to, using the specific names configured for the webshop. This ensures the display better matches the actual newsletter names.
Security
NextChapter maintains a continuous focus on security. Updates are continuously implemented to keep the platform safer, more stable and better protected against known vulnerabilities.
Several independent parties regularly perform penetration tests on the NextChapter platform, with excellent results.
Platform maintenance and health
NextChapter continuously focuses on platform maintenance in every release, in the broadest sense of the word. This ensures technical stability and quality, updates or removes outdated components, improves existing code, upgrades underlying technologies to the latest versions and carefully maintains the highest security and privacy standards. The goal is to provide a worry free, stable platform with high quality and strong performance.
In addition, continuous updates, both large and small, are made to the multiˣ suite. There are too many detailed updates to fully explain in the release notes. Behind the scenes, NextChapter continuously improves existing features, interfaces, data, processes and much more. These smaller updates also contribute to maintaining a reliable and well functioning platform.
Bug free
Problems and bugs within the platform are always resolved immediately by our team. As a result, the NextChapter platform remains completely bug free.
Contact
Do you have questions about the Release Notes or the implementation for your webshop(s) and channels? Let us know. Previous Release Notes can be found here.