Release Notes Q1 2023
The NextChapter eCommerce platform is constantly being updated and innovated. In the April 2023 Release Notes, we have again listed a number of important improvements & optimizations for you.
We are also continuously working on product development. Keep an eye on our blog, LinkedIn page and newsletter so that you don't miss any of our new developments. Want to know more about the release notes or their implementation in your webshop(s) and channels? Feel free to contact us.
We have done a lot of innovations in the past few months in various areas, such as:
1. Frontend and marketing features
2. Personalization tools
3. NextChapter Core
4. New launches
1. Frontend and Marketing features
Expansion of parameters in Facebook integration
The Facebook integration in NextChapter has been extended with additional parameters.
Facebook measures results (such as orders) in two ways:
Through the Facebook pixel
Via the Facebook conversion API
With these new additional parameters, NextChapter sends more complete data, allowing Facebook to even better match your customers and you can better reach your target audience on Facebook and Instagram.
UTM tagging for transactional emails
Google UTM tags are tags (pieces of text) that can be placed behind a URL or link. This allows you to measure in Google Analytics how many visitors came to your webshop via a campaign or email with the corresponding UTM tag.
You can now easily place UTM tags via the NextChapter back office for transactional emails sent from the NextChapter platform to your customer, such as the Gentle reminder or Stock reminder emails.
This allows you to properly measure in Google Analytics how many customers came back to your webshop via those emails and made purchases.
Extension in Product Options
Product Options is a feature on the product page that allows you to easily upsell and increase the order value. You can sell related products directly to the main product. For example, a cable with a USB charger.
Previously, the number of product options was linked one-to-one with the number of main products sold (2 chargers = 2 cables). Now the number of product options can also be different from the number of main products (2 chargers, 3 cables). If you have the product option feature in your webshop you can manage the setting yourself in the NextChapter back office.
Return reasons in the return portal
In the NextChapter return portal, customers can pre-register their return online. New is that the customer can now fill in a return reason per product.
This allows you to gain automated insight into upcoming returns and a better understanding of return reasons.
Expansion in Product Options
Product Options is a marketing feature on the product page that allows you to easily upsell and increase order value. It allows you to sell related products directly to the main product. For example, a protective cable with a USB charger.
Previously, the number of product options was linked one-to-one with the number of main products sold (2 chargers = 2 cables). Now the number of product options products can also differ from the number of main products (2 chargers, 3 cables). If you have the product options feature in your webshop you can manage the setting yourself in the NextChapter back office.
Unit or content price in affiliate feeds
In affiliate feeds, such as Google Shopping feeds and Channable feeds, you can now choose whether to advertise with the unit price or the content price. For example, the unit price is a pack of laminate that contains 1.75 square meters for €43.75. The content price is €25 per square meter.
Choice of images in product groups
With product groups you give webshop visitors the opportunity to switch between different products that do belong together. For example, the same T-shirt in red, blue and black. To show the different products within the product group, by default the first product image is shown as thumbnail on the product page.
What's new is that you can now decide which product image to show as thumbnail image for switching between products.
New promotion type
You can now apply a new condition in promotion module one that allows you to create a new type of promotion. The condition is in the dropdown and is called "minimum - maximum subtotal".
You can now give graduated discounts based on the order amount. For example, €5 discount for order amount between €0 and €100, €10 discount for order amount between €101 and €200, etc.
DPD collection points
We have added DPD pickup points as a delivery method. If you use DPD as your carrier, you can now give your customer the choice to pick up the package at a DPD pickup point. This delivery method already existed for DHL and PostNL pickup points.
Bringly carrier
Bringly is a sustainable carrier for e-commerce and retail and has now been added to the NextChapter carrier module.
Through the NextChapter carrier module, shipments are automatically forwarded to Bringly. The shipping labels can then be printed quickly and easily from the NextChapter back office. So you don't have to go to the carrier backoffice separately.
2. Personalization tools
Serving your customer personally with personalized product recommendations is becoming increasingly important. Many ecommerce personalization tools have appeared on the market in recent years. More and more shops apply such tools successfully.
NextChapter has integrations with various personalization tools. With these tools you can offer visitors personalized product recommendations that contribute significantly to higher conversions and order amounts.
The integration with these tools involves sending product data and orders to the personalization tools and doing various tracking on the web shop. Below is a brief update:
Clerk.
NextChapter is integrated with Clerk.io. Clerk allows you to show visitors personalized product recommendations via product rails on the homepage, product detail page and shopping cart. Clerk is linked via API so the products are always shown in the existing styling of your webshop.
Retail Rocket
NextChapter is also integrated with Retail Rocket. This also allows you to show personalized product recommendations. At Retail Rocket, the styling of the product rails is recreated in their software and placed on the webshop from their software.
Datatrics
Datatrics is another personalization tool like Clerk and Retail Rocket. Besides product recommendations, Datatrics can also place content (text and images) on your shop to encourage visitors to buy (more).
3. NextChapter Core
Performance
NextChapter has a continuous focus on performance.
New is that performance monitoring is now also available for you as a user of NextChapter via this status page: https://status.nextchapter-ecommerce.com/.
In the unlikely event that you encounter an issue in your webshop, you can check here to see if this could be related to the NextChapter platform. You can also sign up for email updates via the status page.
4. New launches
New webshops from LOOkX
LOOkX Group is a Dutch cosmetics company with an extensive multichannel strategy. LOOkX uses the full NextChapter Suite (PIM, OMS and CMS), with which they manage 5 webshops.
Since the end of last year, we have launched the following 4 webshops for LOOkX:
www.lkxg.nl; Multibrand B2B Webshop with features such as customer-specific assortment, prices and payment methods:
www.lookx.com; B2C brand webshop for the LOOkX brand.
www.solobiomooi.nl; B2C multibrand Webshop, specialist in natural cosmetics
www.janssencosmetics.nl; B2C brand webshop
New marketplace integrations
NextChapter regularly adds new marketplaces. In doing so, we keep expanding the number of channels on which you can sell. All channels use the central platform modules such as PIM, OMS and the technical links with your systems. As a result, with NextChapter you have one centralized platform for your total e-commerce process.
From now on you can also sell on:
Productpine.nl, a Dutch marketplace for sustainable products
Zalando.de (Germany)
Zalando.ie (Ireland)
Zalando.pl (Poland)
Bug-free
Problems and bugs in the platform are always solved immediately by NextChapter. Therefore, the NextChapter Platform is completely bug-free.