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Release notes v1.35 – v1.37

Rogier Bestebroer - November 29, 2018 at 2:37 PM

In the releases of NextChapter v1.35 to v1.37 we have made some nice improvements. The most important developments at a glance are:

Search technology improved

Search technology is a fundamental part of the NextChapter eCommerce platform. Recently, we have made significant technical improvements to the search technology

Search technology now works much faster (50 to 100 times faster on average)

Tasks in backend processes are processed much faster

Adjustments via the NextChapter backend are almost immediately visible online

Instant search (search results as you type) in the webshop now works even faster

Webshops with many products, categories and filters experience even better performance

The search technology has been implemented generically in the platform, so that the improvements apply to all webshops on the NextChapter eCommerce platform

Boost products

In NextChapter we can boost products positively and negatively. This means that we can influence the position of products on the category page and in the search results page of the webshop. NextChapter can boost based on various rules. Examples are boosting based on properties, creation date, relevance, stock and popularity.

An example for a fashion webshop: the new collection can appear higher in the results based on the season code (or entry date), so that visitors to the webshop see these products first. The other way is also possible. At the start of a new season and new collection, you can negatively boost all discounted products so that they are lower in the category and search results page. You can boost products based on various product characteristics. Our support team will help you with the implementation of the product boosts. Contact us for more information.

NextChapter PIM multilingual data source import

The functionalities of the NextChapter PIM (Product Information Management) are also regularly improved. It is now possible to import products from multilingual data sources. Webshops with many products and multilingualism in the webshop can now import all product data in multiple languages in one go and from one source (for example the supplier) into PIM. In PIM, all product data is placed in the correct fields per language. Product data can be further enriched in PIM to be shown online as perfect product information in the webshop.

With perfect and rich product information in all languages you will increase the quality of your webshop. This directly contributes to a better shopping experience and more loyal customers, all resulting in higher online sales.

Sitemap improvements

The sitemap in NextChapter eCommerce has been improved with multi-language sitemap support and multi-site sitemap support. As a result, multi-site webshops and webshops with multiple languages have a better sitemap structure, so that Google can better index these webshops.

Content Search extension

In the previous Release Notes you read that we have expanded the search functionality within NextChapter webshops with search in content pages. This is a unique innovation of the NextChapter platform. The norm in other e-commerce platforms is still that visitors within a webshop can only search by products.

Providing your customers with good, interesting and attractive content is increasingly important in e-commerce. Good content is an important way to distinguish yourself from the competition. By giving advice, inspiration and expert explanations, you gain the trust of your visitors and guide them to an online purchase.

NextChapter eCommerce expands the content parts in which you can search step by step. In addition to searching in category content pages, it is now also possible to search in service content pages.

In the near future, visitors will be able to see content results from landing pages, blog pages and the store pages in the Storelocator 2.0 via the search functionality within the webshop. Content Search must be implemented once, per webshop by us. Do you want to know more? Please contact us.

Microservices architecture

Under the proverbial hood, we are busy renewing and improving the Core technology of the NextChapter platform. The aim is to remain future-proof with NextChapter and to be able to act faster on both business and market developments.

This innovation and improvement means that we are migrating our software to a microservices architecture. As a result, we work with the latest way of software development. This architecture also forms a new basis for the platform. With this step, NextChapter can develop even faster and is more flexible and scalable than ever.

The foundation of the NextChapter microservices architecture is rock solid. Until now, mainly backend and process functionalities have been transferred to microservices. This development will continue to stay teh very best in the foreseeable future. Existing webshops will not be affected by the technical migration. In the near future, the advantages of the microservice architecture will become noticeable.

New NextChapter backend

In line with the microservices architecture, NextChapter is also developing a new backend interface. With the new backend we want to improve the usability for managing NextChapter functionalities. The focus for the new backend is on improving the intuitive experience, flexibility and efficiency for users of the backend.

This new backend will be implemented gradually. Step by step, the new interface will be integrated into the current backend. It will soon be possible that you click on a tab or submenu in the NextChapter backend (such as FAQ) and then work in the renewed backend interface.

In this way, all functionalities will gradually be converted. We will keep you informed of developments and will inform you well about specific adjustments.

NextChapter Team expansion in Spain

To accelerate the aforementioned innovations, developments, implementations and new projects, we have expanded our development team. In the past few months we have welcomed 6 new colleagues. We have set up a NextChapter development team in Palma de Mallorca. As a result, in addition to accelerating growth, we have also built more flexibility into our team.

The team in Mallorca and the team in Amsterdam form one NextChapter development team. Physical distance is no problem at all with modern means of communication. With this step we can accelerate the further development of the NextChapter platform, to support our customers even better in achieving their eCommerce ambitions.

Other

Fixed URL issues with punctuation (such as umlaut)

SEO improvements brand page

MailChimp eCommerce data link extended with categories

Various technical SEO improvements

Migration

Several NextChapter customers have migrated to Order Management 2.0.

Bugs

All issues in all applications have been resolved and live, making the platform error-free.

Rogier Bestebroer

CTO