Smartstore sets standards in e-commerce again with the new version 4

• OData 4 : The WebApi now supports the widely used version 4 of OData . New endpoints for uploading and managing media files have also been added to the API.
• (NEW) Delivery Dates : The product information now shows the expected delivery date (exact date, range, "not before...", "not later than..."). Retailer can enter optional min/max delivery days and also specify business hours.
• (DEV) Visual Studio extension for creating plugins. Helps to develop plugins for Smartstore, by creating the basic structure of a Smartstore plugin with all required files.
• OCI provides a connection to e-procurement systems via the industry standard OCI (paid plugin).
• cXmlPunchout provides connection to e-procurement systems via industry standard cXmlPunchout   (commercial plugin).
• Video support in the product media gallery.
• The media gallery displays a variety of media files in different styles as a page builder Block.
• (PERF) ~ 10% faster page loading speed thanks to better loading and caching strategies.

Changes

• The Glimpse Plugin is deprecated and has been removed!
• (DEV) Web API: The port to OData 4 has minor incompatibilities with v3. For more information, see this blog post .
• Blogs & News : Direct language mapping has been removed. Localized content is now entered using the localization editor. The Merging content from different languages must be done manually (migration is not possible).
• PostFinance : Plugin has been extended and renamed. Users of this payment method need to activate PostFinance E-Commerce in the backend and re-enter the API access data.

07/02/2020 - Experience another milestone in e-commerce with Smartstore 4. With the new version 4, Smartstore presents many new groundbreaking features in addition to very many small and large improvements in usability and performance.

Discover the highlights of Smartstore 4:

Cookie Manager

Following the recent ECJ decision, users must actively give their consent to cookies. The new Cookie Manager in Smartstore 4 implements this Decision. Visitors will be able to opt-in to disable non-essential cookies. Required cookies will be pointed out. Logged in   Users can also subsequently allow or reject cookies at any time in the customer area.   The   "Cookie Manager" is part of the Community Edition.

Dimension Calculation
Dimension Calculation can variably calculate prices depending on the length or area of a product. For example, Dimension Calculation can be used to calculate the price of carpet per square meter based on the length and Width specifications of the customer can be calculated.

Media Manager

The new Media Manager is the primary management tool for images, videos, documents and all other media. Media can be stored in a structured way in albums or folders. The use of tags facilitates the search and organization of media. In addition, there is a very fast search or filter function according to media properties. The search function supports so-called wildcards like "*" and "?". For search engine optimization (SEO) necessary ALT tags of images can be entered directly in the Media Manager for each active language localized. A convenient multi-file uploader simplifies the upload of multiple media simultaneously.

Basic features of the media manager

• Convenient (multi) file uploader  
• Albums (or folders) for better overview  
• Tags (for search and organization)  
• Localizable ALT tags for images (SEO)  
• Very fast search / filtering
• Recycle bin  
• Tracking of orphaned media  
• Preview for all common file formats

Rule Builder

The Rule Builder is a visual editor for creating customer, shopping cart, and product rules. Rules are used to organize dynamic processes. For example, you can intuitively define conditions such as "All customers who have bought a product from product group x in the last 14 days" and assign them to an action such as "Recommend the newest product from product group x by e-mail".   Shopping cart rules enable, for example, highly dynamic discount and pricing definitions live during the shopping process.   The "Rule Builder" is part of the Community Edition.

Example-Rules

• "All female customers from DACH, between 30-40 years old, purchased at least 1x"  
• "All customers who have purchased a product from product group xy in the last 14 days"  
• "All new customers who currently have products x and y in their shopping cart or wish list."  
• "All products from manufacturer abc in the color red that have generated less than 100 EUR in sales in the last 30 days."  

Rules are used to organize processes dynamically:

• Customers can be automatically assigned to specific customer groups by task based on customer rules.  
• Products can be automatically assigned to specific product groups by task based on product rules.  
• Shopping cart rules allow highly dynamic discount and pricing definitions during purchasing.  

Personalized Product Recommendations

This new feature can provide real-time personalized product recommendations customized for each individual customer based on their previous interests. Product, brand and merchandise group interactions of the customer are analyzed and evaluated. Via the Email Reminder" feature, personalized product recommendations can be sent automatically. Personalized Product Recommendations replaces "Recommended Products" from previous versions in Smartstore 4.   The Personalized Product Recommendations plugin is offered through the Marketplace for 299€, and is part of the Premium Flat Edition.

Features

• Analyzes product, brand and merchandise group interactions of the customer  
• Determines individual products matching the customer's interests  
• Replaces product recommendations on the home page dynamically and seamlessly with personalized product recommendations  

+ EmailReminder with personalized product recommendations   

Configuration Options :  

• Customizable thresholds (weighting) for recommendation  
• Customizable weighting ratios for  
• Commodity groups  
• Manufacturer  
• Products  
• Period  

Customizable sorting of recommendations by:  

• Best Suitability  
• Discount   
• Price   
• Best Seller  
• Upselling (+price limits)  

Exception rules for already interacted products

New rights system

The new rights system is a detailed and hierarchical rights management. Rights control and allow or deny access to functions and properties of the store. Significantly more rights ranges allow a very fine designation of rights. It is possible, for example, to grant read rights to selected customer groups, but deny write rights.   The new visual editor with a hierarchical tree view simplifies the assignment and control of rights.   The "rights system" is part of the Community Edition.

Other improvements and features:  

• Application of percentage discounts also for graduated prices
• Product tags can be set to not published, which means that they do not appear in the frontend, but in the context of a search still lead to hits
• Access and store restrictions and icon color for menu links
• MegaSearch: Additional options for text analysis. Tool to display internal information about a search, e.g. the terms Lucene generates from the search term
• Images of bundle components are now also displayed in the order details
• Granular Permissions: Extensive rights management based on customer groups via tree structure. Supports inheritance to allow or deny whole Permit or deny whole ranges of rights. All rights of a customer visible directly on the customer edit page
• Restrict product visibility. Show a product in search results, for example, but hide it in other product listings (such as from merchandise categories)