Spree Commerce: Exciting Updates for Our Open-Source Community
There’s an unprecedented upcoming investment in new Spree open-source features, including a new admin dashboard UI, a new storefront, a drag & drop page builder and many more. Here’s the latest update from the world of Spree.
Learn more about a new Spree website, upcoming minor version 4.9, a major version 5.0 we’re working on, and a feature-rich Spree Enterprise Edition – called Vendo – available now.
Spree Commerce open-source has come a long way since its inception in 2008, but one constant remains – it is an eCommerce framework giving you full control and customizability. Now with even more features, integrations, capabilities and use cases available off-the-shelf.
New Spree Website and Demo Now Live
We’re thrilled to announce the launch of the fresh Spree website, showcasing all that Spree has to offer. The new site highlights our extensive feature set, from product catalog management to streamlined merchandising, from search & discovery to promotions & loyalty, and from shipping management to returns & refunds handling.
We’ve also spotlighted Spree advanced capabilities, including multi-vendor, multi-storefront, multi-country, multi-warehouse, and omni-channel sales solutions – and any combinations thereof.
For developers, we’ve updated our documentation, covering everything from a quick start guide and core concepts to customization, extension, upgrading, and contributing to Spree core or creating new extensions.
Alongside the website, we’ve launched a new Spree demo showcasing many exciting features: a brand new storefront with a drag & drop page builder, various page modules, advanced merchandising capabilities, including a multi-vendor checkout, multiple payment methods, with Apple Pay and Google Pay one-click checkout.
Spree 4.9 is here
We’re excited to announce that Spree 4.9 is out. This version brings numerous optimizations and improvements applicable and useful for all existing Spree installations. Go check it out.
If you’re new to Spree, you may follow this Quickstart Guide on how to build and deploy your Spree Commerce store.
If you need support, feel free to join Spree slack channels with more than 6600 members already.
Upcoming Spree 5.0
Looking further ahead, we’re working on Spree 5.0, set to launch in Q1 2025. This major version and its follow ups will introduce many new features developed commercially by Vendo Connect Inc., one of Spree’s major contributors, for its customers over the past few years.
The open-sourcing of these new sophisticated features, previously only available commercially, represents a significant investment in the Spree ecosystem – unseen in the past few years.
Let’s dive into some of the exciting new features coming in Spree 5.0:
New Admin Dashboard UI
A completely new and modern Admin Dashboard, developed and open-sourced by Vendo, will be introduced in Spree 5.0. This dashboard includes:
- A fresh UI look with a significantly improved user experience
- Bulk operations for Products, Customers, and Orders
- Tagging functionality for Products and Customers
- CSV import/export capabilities
These enhancements will streamline administrative tasks and provide more efficient management of your eCommerce operations.
Spree Integrations Dashboard
Spree 5.0 will feature a unified integration dashboard, also developed and open-sourced by Vendo. This dashboard will allow developers to quickly hook up various integrations, including:
- Payment processors
- Shipping providers
- Tax calculation services
- Analytics tools
- Marketing automation services
This centralized approach to integrations will save developers time and effort, making it easier than ever to extend Spree’s functionality.
CSV Export of Products, Orders, Customers
Spree 5.0 comes with an admin capability to export a CSV file containing selected or all Products, Orders, Customers.
Export orders to a CSV
Export products to a CSV
Bulk merchandising operations eg. Products/Customers Tagging
Another feature developed and open-sourced by Vendo is the ability to perform bulk merchandising operations eg. tag products and customers.
This functionality allows you to:
- Apply tags to products and customers for easy categorization
- Filter by tags in the admin dashboard
- Use tag-based filtering in API calls
This feature will enhance organization and searchability within your Spree store, leading to more efficient management and targeted marketing efforts.
Store Units and Timezone
Spree 5.0 will allow you to define store standards and formats, including:
- Timezone settings for the admin panel
- Weight units
- Dimension units
These customization options will ensure that your Spree store aligns with your specific business needs and locale requirements.
Coupon Code Batches
The new version introduces enhanced capabilities for coupon code management:
- Generate a large number of unique coupons at once
- Download generated coupon codes as a CSV file
This feature will streamline promotional activities, making it easier to create and manage large-scale marketing campaigns.
Fresh investment into the Spree ecosystem
These new features in Spree 5.0 demonstrate our commitment to providing a powerful, flexible, and user-friendly eCommerce platform. Followup 5.x version will bring even more goodies, including a new storefront, a drag & drop page builder and many more.
By open-sourcing these sophisticated features, previously only available in commercial projects, we’re ensuring that the entire Spree community can benefit from these advancements.
We’re excited about the possibilities these new features will unlock for Spree users, and we can’t wait to see how our community will leverage them to create even more impressive eCommerce experiences.
We’ll keep the entire Spree community updated with monthly announcements on the progress of the 5.0 version and its follow up versions.
Introducing Vendo: The Enterprise Edition of Spree
For businesses seeking additional capabilities, we’re proud to introduce Vendo, an Enterprise Edition of Spree developed and sold commercially since 2022 by Vendo Connect Inc., a major Spree contributor. Vendo not only brings more advanced features useful for mid-sized and large projects but also enhances security and offers more out-of-the-box integrations.
Vendo is designed to meet the needs of larger and more complex eCommerce operations, providing the robust foundation you need to scale your business. For a full Spree vs Vendo comparison, please refer to our latest Spree pricing page.
Your Feedback Matters
Spree is an open-source eCommerce platform used by hundreds of thousands of merchants globally, providing them with full control and customizability. With the new opportunities brought by the major Spree 5.0 version, we’re hoping to provide tailwinds for a new generation of eCommerce businesses.
As always, we value the input of our community. Any and all feedback and contributions are welcome. Whether you’re using the open-source version or considering Vendo for your project needs, your insights help us improve and evolve the platform to better serve businesses and developers alike.
Feel free to comment, share your thoughts, and contribute on Spree slack. Together, we can shape the future of eCommerce with Spree.
Stay tuned for more monthly updates, and thank you for being part of the Spree Commerce community!
