WooCommerce 3.3, the new version of WooCommerce was released yesterday with few major improvements. The WooCommerce development team has been working on WooCommerce 3.3 since the minor release last year in October.
WooCommerce 3.3 has been considered as a minor release, which means it should be fully backwards compatible with all WooCommerce releases since the version 3.0. However, you are still recommended to backup before updating to the new version.
The new version has been released with some interesting improvement and features such as redesigned orders screen for easier order management, simple and more intuitive stock management, image sizing and theme compatibility improvements, shop customization features and more.
WooCommerce 3.3 Includes:
Revamped Orders Screen
The orders screen in the new version has been redesigned with a large button indicating an order’s status to make it easier to view and manage orders. Also, WooCommerce 3.3 has added the ability to view order item and details right from the Orders screen. You will also be able to view an order’s details without editing the order.
Improved and Automated Backorders Handling for Products with Managed Stock
A new stock status for products on backorder! A product with stock management enabled will automatically transition from “In stock” to “On backorder” or “Out of stock” as the inventory decreases. And when more inventory is added, the product will automatically switch to “In stock” again. There are also improvements on the Products screen aimed at making it quick and easy for store owners to find and identify out of stock or back ordered inventory.
Better Support for Non-WooCommerce Themes
Previously, the users needed to use a WordPress theme that was specifically WooCommerce compatible, however, WooCommerce 3.3 has made improvements in this matter. And now, you will be able to use WooCommerce with almost every WordPress theme.
Ability to Set the Number of Rows and Columns
WooCommerce 3.3 has added the ability to set the number of rows and columns with a live preview customizer. The columns will now automatically resize to fill the whole width of the area and also, the feature is available on all WordPress themes.
Automatic Thumbnail Regeneration and Choose the Aspect Ratio of Store Images
The ability to customize the aspect ratio of product images in your shop has been added in WooCommerce 3.3. You can have classic square images, custom cropped images or even uncropped images.
Also, the updated version has automated thumbnail regeneration. You will now not have to install Regenerate Thumbnails in order to have WordPress resize the images when you change a product image. The 3.3 version has added on-the-fly thumbnail resizing and also the background thumbnail resizing.
Product Downloads are Logged and can be Viewed and Analyzed
WooCommerce 3.3 includes logging features for product downloads. Shop owners can now view logs of product downloads with a couple of built-in filters including, by order, by product, by customer, and by file. You can also search for extensions now from the Extensions administration screen.
Check out the full list of interesting features and enhancements in WooCommerce 3.3 here. And if you have anything to share with us, let us know through the comments section.
Reference: WooCommerce, WP Tavern