WooCommerce 9.7 Pre-release Insights
Exciting developments are on the horizon for WooCommerce users. The imminent release of WooCommerce 9.7, scheduled for February 24, 2025, promises a host of features aimed at enhancing the user experience and providing more robust tools for developers. To give you a head start, WooCommerce's announcement outlines the upcoming changes and improvements that everyone should anticipate. Stay updated by checking the official blog post as more information becomes available.
What’s Coming in WooCommerce 9.7
Modernised Payments Settings Experience
One of the most notable updates is the introduction of a new React-based Payments settings interface. Initially available to 50% of new stores, this feature aims to declutter admin notices while offering a more intuitive and efficient way to manage payment gateways. By providing clearer status indicators and contextual guidance, merchants can enjoy a smoother transaction setup. Developers eager to explore this feature can do so through the Beta Tester plugin by activating the reactify-classic-payments-settings feature.
Enhanced Shipping Method Display
With the new version, WooCommerce is enhancing the Cart and Checkout blocks to support detailed shipping information. This improvement allows for method descriptions and estimates to be clearly displayed, giving customers a comprehensive understanding of delivery times and options at the point of checkout. Extension developers will find the necessary tools to adapt this feature using the woocommerce_package_rates filter.
Faster Block Editor Performance
Performance is a critical aspect of any e-commerce platform, and WooCommerce 9.7 delivers significant improvements in this area. By optimising product block registration, there is a remarkable reduction in subscription callbacks and a substantial decrease in execution times. This translates to a more responsive Site Editor, enhancing the efficiency of working with templates and product-related blocks.
Enhanced Add to Cart Options Block
The latest update introduces a stepper layout for quantity selection within the Add to Cart with Options block. This sleek design option allows merchants to offer a more refined purchasing experience, ensuring that the buying process is as seamless as possible for customers.
Smarter Store Notice Handling
In a move to improve accessibility, WooCommerce 9.7 introduces automatic adjustments to the Store Notice feature when switching to a block theme. This update prevents potential issues by temporarily disabling the notice during the process, yet the feature is restored upon returning to a classic theme, ensuring seamless theme transitions without disrupting the user experience.
Developer Advisories
Enhanced Product Variations API
The REST API in WooCommerce has been enriched with new filtering capabilities for product variations, granting developers more nuanced control over queries. This improvement allows for filtering by status, virtual status, and downloadable status, providing efficient and precise product management.
Consistent Stock Management in REST API
WooCommerce 9.7 aims to harmonise the stock management experience by aligning REST API functionalities with those available in WP Admin. Stock levels will now adjust automatically with order modifications across processing, on-hold, or completed statuses, ensuring a consistent inventory process.
Component Package Cleanup
As part of the streamlining efforts, several experimental components from the @woocommerce/components package have been removed. Developers relying on legacy functions should update their code to avoid dependencies on deprecated components, enhancing future compatibility and stability.
Experimental Features
Modernised Email Styling (Beta)
Email communications have not been overlooked. With the introduction of a refreshed email template system, merchants will benefit from modernised styles and more flexible layout options. This opt-in experimental feature is available for testing, with intentions for broader implementation in future releases.
Update Timeline and Availability
The journey to the final release on February 24, 2025, began with a Code Freeze on January 20, 2025, followed by the availability of WooCommerce 9.7 Beta on January 21, 2025. Users are encouraged to engage with the Beta version to experience upcoming changes and offer feedback.
