As a Shopify merchant or developer, staying informed about the latest updates in the Shopify ecosystem is crucial for optimizing your store's performance and ensuring compliance with regulatory changes. Recently, several updates have been announced that can significantly impact how you manage your store, particularly in areas such as international shipping, order management, and customer experience.
EU Import Customs Duty Collection
One of the most significant updates for merchants shipping to the EU from outside the EU is the introduction of a flat €3 customs duty per tariff line on qualifying orders up to €150, effective July 1, 2026. This change replaces the previous duty-free threshold for low-value imports and affects how duties are calculated and collected at checkout. Shopify has implemented this change in both Shopify Managed Markets and Shopify's import tax and duty calculation, ensuring that the €3 fee is automatically included and collected where applicable.
Improvements to Draft Order Custom Discounts
For merchants using draft orders, custom discounts now use the draft order's presentment currency instead of the shop currency. This update simplifies the discount process, especially in scenarios where the customer is checking out in a different currency than the store's default currency. This change enhances the flexibility and clarity of draft order flows, making it easier to manage international sales and discounts.
Staff Attribution Improvements in POS
Shopify has also introduced improvements to staff attribution in the Point of Sale (POS) system, aiming to make it easier to credit the right team member for every sale. With staff attribution now automatically enabled for new stores and those that haven't configured it, store managers and owners can track sales performance and commissions more accurately. This feature enhances team management and performance evaluation within the POS environment.
Other Notable Updates
In addition to these updates, Shopify has introduced several other changes aimed at enhancing the merchant and customer experience. These include the ability for purchase orders to create transfers to move inventory, a new saved indicator and tooltip for the checkout email field, support for cancellations in self-serve returns, updated disclosure for subscription purchases on checkout, and the automatic enabling of B2B discounts for new and eligible existing stores. Each of these updates offers new opportunities for streamlining store operations, improving customer satisfaction, and ensuring compliance with changing regulations.
Conclusion and Action Checklist
To leverage these updates effectively and stay ahead in the competitive ecommerce landscape, consider the following action checklist:
1. Review your store's shipping settings to ensure compliance with the new EU import customs duty collection.
2. Explore how the improvements to draft order custom discounts can be applied to your sales strategies, especially for international transactions.
3. Familiarize yourself with the staff attribution improvements in POS and how they can enhance your team's performance tracking and management.
4. Investigate the other updates mentioned and assess how they can be integrated into your store's operations to improve efficiency and customer satisfaction.
By staying informed and adapting to these changes, you can position your Shopify store for success in a rapidly evolving ecommerce environment.
