Woocommerce 2.6 Major Update, Zipping Zebra

Janelle Hulme

Over the pastΒ 5 months Woothemes haveΒ been working on a major update for their very popular eCommerce solution called WooCommerce. UniquelyΒ titled Β ‘Zipping Zebra’, this update brings a truck load of new features for youΒ to play with.

‘Shipping Zones’ for WooCommerce has arrived

One of our favourite additions that comes with the new WooCommerce 2.6 update is calledΒ ‘Shipping Zones’. TheΒ ‘Shipping Zones’ section allows you to set a shipping method based on the users country, state and more importantly post code.

WooCommerce shipping zones

So many of our clients have asked for this feature, and now its here ! An added bonus is the ability to set various shipping methods to a zone. So for example,Β you canΒ offer differentΒ standard and express shipping price’sΒ forΒ local and interstate customers.

WooCommerce now supports REST API

In layman terms, this means it is now easier for web developers to connect Woocommerce to your favourite external platforms.

TheΒ CustomerΒ Account page in WooCommerce has gotten a face lift

In previous versions of Woo, the customersΒ account page was a bit bland and this could affect the overall user experience. Woothemes took this feedback onΒ board and created a brand new landing page. The newΒ look utilizes a stylish tab menu that lets the customer view previous orders, downloads and account details easily.

WooCommerce customer account page

WooCommerce adds AJAX to their cart page

The way the WooCommerce cart page used to work was when the customer made a change such as increasing item quantities, removing things from their cartΒ orΒ applying discount codes, the entire webpage would need to be reloaded. This became tiresome after making a handful of changes. In the latest update, all changes made on the cart page will now be done in screen using AJAX. This could lead to a reduced amount of potential customers dropping off during the checkout process.

What should I do if I want to update to WooCommerce 2.6?

  • Request a copy of your website to be made so BSO can test the update before going live
  • Get BSO to update WordPress to the latest version.
  • Get BSO to update all plugins to their latest versions to maximize compatibility.
  • ConsiderΒ a Maintenance PlanΒ with BSO

Remember that keeping WooCommerce, WordPress and other plugins up-to-date will protect your site from hackers, improve your sites overall speed and add extra neat features ( as mentioned above ) that will benefit your online shop and customers experience.