Shopware versions

This year Shopware is 20 years old. Here you can find some interesting milestones of the last versions and how Shopware has always been at the forefront when it comes to new technologies.

Shopware 4

Shopware 4 saw the light of day in 2012. Shopware 4 set standards by using the latest technology and the design was also cutting-edge. Another new feature was that the backend was available in English and German for the first time. English because Shopware also took the step of internationalization in 2012 and ventured abroad.

Integration of paid modules

Two previously chargeable products, “Article Configurator” and “Product Exports” have been included in the standard scope of Shopware and have thus greatly enhanced the store system. In addition, parts of the newsletter and the intelligent search were transferred to Shopware 4.

Staging environment

Very useful was the addition of a staging option. In this way, all current store data can be copied to a test environment in a few simple steps. Here, changes can be easily tested and then applied to the live system. The advantage over a local test system is that here you can really test with the conditions on the server to see if everything works.

Sub and language stores

Any number of language stores were included. Subshops could be booked additionally, so it was possible to move different brands or product groups into their own stores with their own (sub)domains. These stores can share the design with the main store, but they don’t have to.

Plugin Manager

The Plugin Manager found its place in Shopware, making it much easier to install plugins from the Shopware Community Store. Previously, the plugin had to be downloaded from the store and uploaded again in your own online store, but now the plugin manager has taken over this work. Just choose plugin, click “Install” and the job was done.

Media Manager

Also the media files could now be managed more easily. A drag and drop function was added and all media were collected in one place from now on. Store owners could set up their own folder structure and store their images and videos centrally for use in pages and articles.

Shopping Worlds

The frontend was also redesigned and the “shopping worlds” were introduced. This has now allowed product images and links to be inserted into category pages and the home page, creating a virtual storefront.

Responsive design

The frontend was also adapted here. Operation with tablets and smartphones was now easier. Buttons and font size now adapted to the screen.

More speed

Because speed was already the trump card back then, it was also optimized here. This made the community version about 40% faster, and the larger versions even more so. Among other things, this was due to the fact that the technology used was completely changed and Shopware was thus basically created from scratch.

Easier connection through REST API

It also became easier for developers. Shopware 4 received a REST API that could be used to access many functions.

Shopware 5

In April 2015, Shopware 5 was launched, this time directly with a responsive theme that could adapt to all devices.

Storytelling

Shopware 5 introduced the ability to design the store to tell a story. Just as the customer is picked up in good stores and then guided through the product world, this can now also be done in Shopware.

If the customer clicks on an article that interests him, he can jump directly back to the place from which he came.

Full-screen product images were also now possible, as well as an improved zoom function.

Intuitive backend

The backend was made more intuitive and the user could navigate easier and faster from now on.

Latest technology

Again, a lot of work was done in the background and everything was brought up to date. So Shopware 5 was now PHP7 compatible. Elastic Search was implemented, and the shopping worlds were expanded.

Filter functions

Customers could now also apply a wide variety of filters to get exactly the product they wanted. Manufacturer, price, material, item type, shipping costs (“Free shipping”), deliverability (“Available immediately”) and various specially created properties could now be filtered, which was still missing in Shopware 4.

Subshops

The concept was adapted. With Shopware 5, all subshops were free. Plugin licenses also now applied to all stores connected to the main store.

Shopware 6

Shopware 6 was again reprogrammed from scratch to match current software. As a result, Shopware is faster and can access newer technologies.

Discounts and promotions

This function was previously only included in the Professional variant of Shopware 5. Now it is already available in the Community Edition.

Worlds of Experience

The popular feature is extended in that CMS pages can now be translated into any language. And since moving images are always better, YouTube videos can also be embedded in CMS pages. In addition, a sidebar with filtering options can be displayed.

Product reviews

You can unlock the ability for buyers to rate products. The ratings will then appear in the admin area and you can unlock them afterwards. The frontend displays how often a rating was given, this in turn gives visitors the opportunity to filter by this criterion.

Social media sales channels

As of Shopware 6.1, the sales channels Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest are available. You can then connect the new sales channels directly to Shopware 6 and use multichannel sales from one backend.

Shopware – an exciting story

Shopware has always been at the forefront of adopting new technologies. Always with an ear to the customer, or dealer, interesting requests come into the portfolio. So Shopware always offers what merchants need, and often even a little more.

As a certified Shopware agency, we are happy to advise you on Shopware 6 and whether a switch is already worthwhile for you. Soon it will be one year old, so some good features are already included. Why not arrange a free initial consultation right away?