Release notes v1.40 – v1.49

In the releases of NextChapter v1.40 to v1.49 we have made some nice improvements. The most important developments at a glance are:

Micro services

With a view to the future, NextChapter eCommerce has made choices for a new development strategy. For the technical architecture, we have decided to switch to a Microservices architecture. This new technique of software development forms the new basis of our platform. This makes NextChapter more flexible and scalable than ever. We can develop and release even faster. NextChapter will innovate faster, making the platform better in general. With this we ensure that NextChapter is ready for the future and all webshops automatically follow. In recent months we have worked hard on the technical foundation of the Micro services architecture. The focus was mainly on transferring backend processes to Micro services. This happened in the background and therefore not yet visible to users.

New back office

At the same time, we are also working on a new back office. This back office will have a whole new look & feel and usability. The new user interface is more intuitive and faster, which will greatly improve the usability of the back office. As a first step, the login page has been migrated to the new back office. We will also migrate the new back office 'piece by piece' from the existing one to the new user interface. So we are not going into a 'Big Bang' but work step by step. In practice, this means that parts of the current back office will gradually change and the new user interface will become more and more visible.

Search technology

The latest improvements in the NextChapter search technology ensures better and more relevant search results. When searching for a specific search term such as article number, only the exact search result (the product with that article number) is shown when a match is made. The search technology can now also deal very well with abbreviations and 'difficult' search terms such as 'Vitamin C' or '3M'. The improvements are generic and therefore automatically implemented for all webshops on the NextChapter eCommerce platform.

Omnichannel improvements

We have made improvements to our SIM (Stock Information Management) for products available in various stock locations. This makes it easier to show products in your webshop(s) that are available instore or can only be ordered online.

NextChapter import tool

For many webshops, the article (master) data is imported into the NextChapter platform from an external system such as an ERP or PIM. We have made significant improvements in our import tool. This allows us to edit, manipulate, validate and map article data in many ways before the data is imported into NextChapter.

Fast Checkout

An additional checkout flow has been developed for the NextChapter instore channels (Kiosk and Sales Assistant). This makes it easier and faster for in-store customers to complete their order. With this Fast Checkout, the registration page is skipped and the customer has to enter less personal data. The idea behind this is that customers do not need to create an account on the instore channels. The Fast Checkout speeds up the order flow with happier customers and more conversions as a result.

Personalization based on Artificial Intelligence (Ai)

We have integrated the Personalization based on Ai in more parts of the NextChapter eCommerce platform. We can currently personalize products 1:1 and show them completely personally per customer on the homepage, the category pages and on recommendation rails.

With the recent improvements, Ai Personalization is also applied to the search results page and when using filtering. The possibilities for the recommendation rails have been expanded, which means that recommendations are made for both products within and outside the category. The recommendation rails are now available on the homepage, the product detail page and on the shopping cart page (checkout sales).

The enormous added value of Ai Personalization is being confirmed more and more clearly. The results in revenue growth in the pilot cases show impressive figures, with growth rates in double digits. We are still working on a more accessible variant of the Ai Personalization that can also be used to provide web shops with lower visit volumes. We will keep you informed about this.

B2B improvements

Logins

In addition to the e-mail address, a username or customer number can now be used for registering and logging into the customer account.

Replacement items

Both NextChapter PIM and NextChapter eCommerce can handle replacement items. When a certain product is no longer supplied by the manufacturer, a replacement item can be linked to it.

A customer who searches the webshop for the old product is clearly referred to the new article. It is clearly indicated that the product is no longer available and has been replaced by the new product. The new product can be placed directly in the shopping cart.

Integration Chamber of Commerce

NextChapter is linked to the Chamber of Commerce for the validation of the VAT number. In the registration form for the B2B webshop account, the VAT number entered is validated real-time at the Chamber of Commerce.

Other updates and improvements

Improvements to page indexing in Google. It is possible to apply 'no-index' and 'no-follow' for products and product sets. This takes into account the exclusion of those pages in the sitemap.

Improvement of the FaceBook and Google remarketing pixel integration so that more data is measured in the shopping cart and checkout.

Improved inventory and customer integrations with POS systems.

Showing the checkbox for terms and conditions in the checkout can now be managed (visible or not).

It is optionally possible to remove the logo from the packing slip, invoice and pick list in connection with printing on printed letterhead.

Migrations

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.