Release notes v1.65 – v1.69
In the releases of the NextChapter platform v1.65 to v1.69 we have made important improvements. In Q2 we worked a lot on the backbone, which significantly expanded PIM and various features in the order process. We have also expanded our B2B solution and the technical core has been upgraded, making the platform even more stable and faster. In Q3 and Q4, the focus will be on Artificial Intelligence (AI), marketing automation, merchandising and marketplaces.
Feature: product USPs
Product-specific USPs can now be entered per product. These product USPs can be shown on the product detail pages (PDP) in a webshop, but are also very useful for marketplaces such as Amazon. Amazon values products with USP bullet points higher than products without this product information.
Store locator country selection
A country selection has been added in the store locator to be able to show only the points of sale of a selected country in the list view. For international webshops with stores in several countries, this is an important improvement in user-friendliness.
PIM
We have implemented various improvements and new functionalities in PIM.
Additional languages
PIM is now also suitable for product data in Spanish and Italian.
Permissions and Roles Enhancements
The role and rights structure in PIM has been expanded considerably.
Specific products for specific users
In PIM it can now be determined which (part of the) assortment a user can see and edit. This means that, for example, for a super user all products are available in PIM, but that for a category manager only a certain selection of the range can be viewed and edited.
The selection of assortment per PIM user can take place in several ways. Firstly, the assortment per user can be filtered on various properties, product categories, brands, etc. Secondly, matching can also be done on an external feed with product data, such as a feed from a cash register or a feed from a supplier.
For example, the user may only see and edit products that match his/her cash register (POS). The same example can apply to a match on products from a supplier. Only the products that match such a feed become available in PIM for this user.
The functionality this creates is that product data can be enriched by people outside your own direct organization. They can then enrich products that are related to them, or for which they have permission.
Standardization of values
A property (such as color) contains many values (such as red and blue). From now on it is possible to set per user role which fixed values can be selected per property when enriching content. In the “jungle” of values (for example, 500 colors with very different names) you want to ensure that all users can choose from the same defined list of, for example, 25 colors. This makes the content enrichment uniform and you also monitor the consistency and quality of the article data.
Permanently delete products
Product status management has been expanded. Products can now be removed in bulk based on product properties. Products in the 'deleted' status can now also be permanently (irreversibly) deleted, as a result of which those products disappear from PIM.
Innovation technical core
The underlying technology of the NextChapter platform is continuously innovated. In recent releases we have upgraded the technical core of PIM so that the system uses the most current technology. Our customers don't notice this. The result is that the PIM has become even better and faster, and of course that we continue to live up to our promise of “a subscription to innovation”.
Order allocation
NextChapter's order allocation module assigns orders to stock locations, which then deliver the orders. Various business rulings are used for this. This module has been expanded in two respects.
Postcode areas
It is now possible to allocate orders to locations based on postcode areas. For example, the postcode areas can run parallel to the postcode areas of HAH folders, or a geographical division based on postcodes that is used internally.
Allocate manually
It may happen that a stock location unexpectedly has to cancel an accepted order, for example in the event of a defective product. Customer service or another super user can now manually reassign that canceled order to a different stock location.
order management
Various improvements have been made in Order Management such as more statuses, sorting, filters and showing more data.
The order shows a clear overview of the status per item(s) in the order (shipped, returned, cancelled).
The returns and refund tabs have been moved to separate sections to improve the overview.
Automatic refund of costs
When an order with multiple items is returned in full, it is required by law that the webshop refunds any payment and shipping costs to the customer. NextChapter can now perform this process for returns and refunds automatically (however, manual handling is still possible).
If part of the order is returned, the refund of any payment and shipping costs will not apply. However, it is also possible that customers return an order with multiple items in parts. These costs do not have to be refunded on the first return, but if the rest of the order is returned later. In NextChapter, payment and shipping costs can now be automatically credited and refunded when the entire order is returned.
Time refunds
It is now possible to time the refund process. This means that returns can be made during the day, but that all credit invoices and refunds are only processed as a batch at the end of the day and refunded via the PSP. This creates a period of time between the return and refund processing, so that checks and corrections can still be carried out.
B2B Features
Two important B2B features have become available in the platform. In Q3 we will add even more features.
Upload order lists
It is now possible to upload order lists as an Excel file in a B2B webshop. In this way it is easy to place a large order in the B2B webshop from an external source (for example an export from a cash register or ERP system). The uploaded order list is visible within the account. The list is validated on the active assortment. The products in the order list are automatically separated between active and inactive products. If applicable, the replacement product is shown for an inactive product. With regard to quantities, the order units of products are taken into account. The order list can then be added to the shopping cart in one operation. Multiple order lists can be added to the shopping cart and then place the order.
E-mail shopping cart
It is now possible to email a filled shopping cart to an email address. This function is useful for, for example, having an order checked by a colleague or a supervisor.
In the email, the recipient sees the contents of the shopping cart and the order can be checked. From the email, the products can then be put back into the shopping cart of the webshop. If this is done by a user other than the compiler of the initial shopping cart, the products will be ordered under the account of the 2nd user.
Artificial Intelligence
We have made various improvements in AI technology for performance and monitoring. In Q3, AI is one of the main priorities; We will provide detailed information about this in the next release notes.
Performance and peak loads
Since the situation surrounding COVID-19, the traffic in various web shops and therefore the pressure on the platform has increased significantly. We have made upgrades in the overall architecture (including hosting) to guarantee performance and to cope with peak loads.
Security
The NextChapter platform is periodically screened for security by parties such as Thuiswinkel.org. NextChapter has recently been well reviewed and there are no security risks.
Other improvements
Marketplace extensions with Amazon NL, ES, FR;
Integration Squeezely;
Integration review party Webwinkelkeur;
Instagram now runs on the new Instagram API;
No index, no follow at category, brand and landing page level;
Improvements in the Content Security Policy feature;
Reports limited to 60 days to ensure platform performance;
Real-time stock check with external stock systems;
More functionalities and processes have been migrated to the Microservices architecture
Error free 🙂🙂
Issues in the platform are always immediately seen and resolved by NextChapter, making the platform error-free.
What's next?
Do you have questions about the implementation of new functionalities on your webshop? Contact us.