What's New!
You can see what's new on SparkLayer below!
To enable these updates, you'll need to be on the latest version of SparkLayer. In the core script, simply update your version to that shown below
<script async src="https://cdn.sparklayer.io/spark.0.8.46.js"></script>Checkout Custom Fields
Checkout Custom Fields give you the ability to capture additional information from the customer when they checkout. We've released two enhancements that give even more flexibility to how you set these up as well as new ways to display this data to customers.
It's now possible to set validation rules within Checkout Custom Fields allowing you to apply restrictions to fields such as dates (for example, blocking customers from selecting a weekend). You can see how this works in our samples here. We've also enabled Checkout Custom Fields to display against a customer's order history, improving visibility of ther order details.
🛠️IMPROVEMENTS- Data Sync area: we've released a new area to the SparkLayer Dashboard called Data Sync that combines both product and customer data sent from Shopify. Learn more
- Payment methods: it's now possible to change the order that payment methods show during the checkout as well as set the default. Learn more
- Stock level key: you can now display the stock level key on desktop by using the CSS variable
--spark-pdp-stock-key-desktop: flex
- Cart notification: you can optionally hide the progress bar by using the CSS variable
--spark-toast-animation-display: none
To enable these updates, you'll need to be on the latest version of SparkLayer. In the core script, simply update your version to that shown below
<script async src="https://cdn.sparklayer.io/spark.0.8.38.js"></script>Company Users
It's here! One of our most anticipated product updates, Company Users, is now available! Company Users is a brand new tool that’s designed to improve the B2B purchasing and account management flow within an organisation. Sometimes referred to as "B2B account management", it allows companies to create teams of users (i.e. Company Users) that can share specific actions within their account.
From placing orders and tracking their status, repeat ordering previous orders, through to creating shopping lists and sharing address books. What sets the SparkLayer Company Users tool apart is how simple it is to use. Inline with our approach to make the B2B experience self-service, customers themselves can create their own teams right from within their My Account area. There’s no need to request the store owner to manage this on their behalf, the customers themselves have full control over the process. Learn more about Company Users.
🛠️IMPROVEMENTS- Multi-currency support: we've made some major improvements to how SparkLayer works with Shopify Markets/multi-currency meaning you can manage this all within a single Shopify store. Learn more
- My Account Re-ordering: when viewing a completed order in the My Account area, it's now possible to re-order items on a product-by-product basis.
- The SparkLayer Dashboard - we've made a number of interface improvements including the ability to edit and delete Customer Groups.
To enable these updates, you'll need to be on the latest version of SparkLayer. In the core script, simply update your version to that shown below
<script async src="https://cdn.sparklayer.io/spark.0.8.34.js"></script>DEAR Systems Integration
We’re pleased to release our latest integration with DEAR Systems. DEAR Systems has long held the reputation as being the system of choice for established and fast-growing brands, providing a centralised location to manage inventory, orders, warehousing, fulfilment, accounting, and more.
The SparkLayer integration works by connecting to the merchant's DEAR Systems account to access B2B data such as product pricing and price lists as well as synchronising B2B customer data. You can learn more about how this works in our technical guide.
🛠️IMPROVEMENTS- SparkLayer Quick Order: customers will now see a running total of ‘lines’ and ‘items’ next to the sub-total. This makes it easier for them to see the size of their B2B order
- Dark mode - for merchants using a ‘dark’ theme, we’ve Improved support for dark mode on collection pages
- Right-to-Left mode: SparkLayer now supports countries/languages that require “right-to-left” (or RTL)
- Language editing: we’ve made it easier to manage language updates with a simpler way to add text overwrites within your storefront
- Language translation support: we’ve added support for Romanian and Arabic.
To enable these updates, you'll need to be on the latest version of SparkLayer. In the core script, simply update your version to that shown below
<script async src="https://cdn.sparklayer.io/spark.0.8.25.js"></script>1-click Shopify B2B theme install
If you're using SparkLayer on Shopify, you may be aware of Shopify's latest theme, Dawn. With our new 1-click B2B theme install, any merchant using SparkLayer can now instantly install our B2B-optimised version of the Shopify Dawn theme and get up and running with their B2B store in a matter of minutes. Best of all, no code changes are required to set this up.
It's a great way to test how SparkLayer works before installing it on a live Shopify theme or you could even use it as the basis for your next B2B store! To get started, go to the SparkLayer Dashboard or learn more about how it works.
🛠️IMPROVEMENTS- Product page widget: the product page widget currently shows a special 'table' view for products that have variants (e.g. size, colour). You can now render the same 'table' view for single variant products by adapting the product widget code. Learn more
- Product settings: we've updated our documentation on product settings including how it's possible to set products (and variants) to not be "sellable" to B2B customers and even how to fully hide products (and variants) from showing with a special "display" setting. Learn more
- Tiered pricing: by default, if you have tiered pricing set up, the pricing will be applied across all variants of a product. You can now set this to only apply to specific variants via a new setting within the SparkLayer Dashboard. Learn more
- Pack sizing: the product detail page widget now supports a 'Pack price' that gives customers a cost for all products within a pack. Learn more
- Product widgets customisations: we've enabled additional design customisation settings including button and input styling. Learn more
- Line item limits: with Shopify's line item limit of ~ 250 items, we've now included special notifications within the SparkLayer Quick Order if customers exceed this limit
- Dashboard product data: you can now search by SKU within the Data look up tool in the SparkLayer Dashboard.
- Brightpearl integration: we've made improvements to the handling of customer address syncing for BrightPearl, including phone numbers and company names. Learn more
To enable these updates, you'll need to be on the latest version of SparkLayer. In the core script, simply update your version to that shown below
<script async src="https://cdn.sparklayer.io/spark.0.8.17.js"></script>Configure "custom dates" for backorder products
With support already for backordering/pre-ordering built into SparkLayer, we’re excited to announce our latest update, "custom dates" that can be set for backorder products.
"Custom dates" allow you to set an exact date when the product is expected to be available. It’s a great way to give the end customer better visibility of when to expect receipt of the products on order, and helps deliver an overall better customer experience.
Use-cases could include:
- Setting a "due in" date of when you're expecting the product to be in stock
- Setting an "estimated shipping" date of when you're expecting the product to ship
🛠️IMPROVEMENTS- Product page tiered pricing: If you're using tiered pricing, the information table shown to customers on a product page will now include pack sizing. For example, if your tiered pricing starts at 6 units, this will be shown as the first in the list.
- Product page widget: we've improved the interface of the product page widget to hide the initial variant dropdown if a product only has a single option within it.
- Product card variants: if a product has variants that don't have prices assigned, these will be shown last in the purchasing dropdown on the product card widget
- My account area: If you're using our account balance feature, you can now optionally hide any reference to 'credit' if you don't set a credit limit against a customer.
- CSV import: The SparkLayer Quick Order Interface now has improved messaging for customers using the CSV import tool, making it clearer when a product isn't able to be imported due to stock limitations.
To enable these updates, you'll need to be on the latest version of SparkLayer. In the core script, simply update your version to that shown below
<script async src="https://cdn.sparklayer.io/spark.0.8.13.js"></script>
Get an advanced preview of custom fields: If you'd like to learn more about how custom fields work, please contact us.Custom Fields during the checkout
Our latest update includes the much anticipated 'custom fields' feature that allows you to add additional data capture fields during the checkout process.
Use-cases could include:
- A date capture field, e.g. "Shipping" or "Delivery" date
- Purchase order number (PO number)
- Additional Shipping requests
Custom fields has support for the following types of data capture: Text entry fields, Select menus (i.e. drop downs), Date selection, Email, Phone, and more. Learn more here
🛠️IMPROVEMENTS- Total quantity of items: The SparkLayer Quick Order Interface will now show the total units in a customer's order (i.e. total quantity) before checking out
- Customer credit and payment on account: if you have customer credit enabled, you can now allow customers to optionally be able to checkout using Payment on Account (previously this was blocked for customers who exceed their credit limit)
- We've partnered with Balance payments to offer Buy Now and Pay Later for B2B merchants using Shopify. Learn more
To enable these updates, you'll need to be on the latest version of SparkLayer. In the core script, simply update your version to that shown below
<script async src="https://cdn.sparklayer.io/spark.0.8.4.js"></script>Quick Buy Mode
Our new Quick Buy Mode gives you a new way to display the SparkLayer product widget on your collection pages with an optimised 'table' view. Learn how it works.
🛠️IMPROVEMENTS- Back-order, minimum stock level: if you're using the backorder feature, it's now possible to set granular minimum stock levels at a product variant level giving you more flexibility on how many units you allow to be sold to customers. Learn more
- Product variant images: If you've product images within Shopify that are assigned to a product variant (e.g. colour), it's now possible to change the images shown to a customer when a variant is selected via SparkLayer. This is a manual change, if you would like this enabled please contact us
- Cart line item limit: we've increased the maximum line items available in a single order from 100 to 250, with customer-friendly messaging should customers exceed this.
- Languages: we've added support for new languages, Norwegian and Finnish
To enable these updates, you'll need to be on the latest version of SparkLayer. In the core script, simply update your version to that shown below
<script async src="https://cdn.sparklayer.io/spark.0.7.76.js"></script>B2B shipping rules
If you've set up SparkLayer on your B2C (DTC) website and need to create different shipping rules for your B2B customers, you can now do this via the SparkLayer shipping tool. Learn how it works in our Shipping guide!
🛠️IMPROVEMENTS- Address display: we've improved visibility of shipping addresses and customers can now see their selected address just before they complete their order. The address summary will show in the final order totals section of the SparkLayer Quick Order Interface
- CSV importing: we've made improvements to our CSV import tools, with handling for different currency formats. For customers uploading price lists in Euros for example, the import will now support comma formats for pricing (such as
19,99) - Performance: we've released a big performance improvement to the frontend, with a more rapid login process. We've re-engineered how our user authentication works and merchants should now see a much quicker log in process when a B2B customer signs in.
To enable these updates, you'll need to be on the latest version of SparkLayer. In the core script, simply update your version to that shown below
<script async src="https://cdn.sparklayer.io/spark.0.7.72.js"></script>Show product settings
If you've configured your products to work with settings such as pack sizing or minimum and maximum quantities, you can now display this to customers anywhere where you show the SparkLayer product interface. Once enabled, this will show a new 'Qty rules apply' message that will show all associated product rules you've set up.
Please note: this is enabled by default, if you'd prefer to hide it, add the following to your CSS
--spark-product-qty-rules-display: none
Show order notes from My account overview
If customers place an order and include a special note (e.g. PO number), this can now be viewed from the My account overview page
🛠️IMPROVEMENTS- Shopping list names: if a customer creates a new shopping list and uses the same name as an existing one, this will now fully overwrite it instead of creating a duplicate
- My account ship-to address: you can now show the shipping address for an order from the My account overview page. Learn more
To enable these updates, you'll need to be on the latest version of SparkLayer. In the core script, simply update your version to that shown below
<script async src="https://cdn.sparklayer.io/spark.0.7.62.js"></script>Show tiered pricing on product cards
If you're using tiered pricing, you can now display the discount summary within the product card widget. The product card will now optionally display the cheapest price to the customer as well as the maximum discount they could receive. The customer can also mouse-over the widget to see a fully summary of the tiered pricing available.
My Account order tracking information
If you supply shipping information against a customer's order within Shopify, this will now be shown within the SparkLayer My Account interface when viewing an order. The tracking information includes
- A link to the shipping company's own tracking page
- The specific tracking number for the customer's visibility
🛠️IMPROVEMENTS- Address searching: if B2B customers have large numbers of addresses saved against their address book, they can now use a special search box to more easily select their preferred address.
- Multi-currency support: for merchants using a custom ERP solution, we can now enable multi-currency on the same Shopify instance. This is currently restricted only to manual payments only (e.g. Payment by Invoice, Request for Quote) and does require technical investigation before enabling. Learn more in our video here
- JavaScript SDK: for merchants using our SKD, we've added some additional events including 'on cart update'. Learn more
To enable these updates, you'll need to be on the latest version of SparkLayer. In the core script, simply update your version to that shown below
<script async src="https://cdn.sparklayer.io/spark.0.7.46.js"></script>Add multiple products to an order with Spark Buttons
Spark Buttons work by adding special snippets of JavaScript to your code that specify which SKUs and quantities will be added when a user clicks the button. These buttons can work anywhere on your website such as the homepage or special landing pages. Learn more
Shopify order actions
We've introduced a range of new settings that allow you to customise how B2B orders interact with the Shopify orders admin. These include:
- The ability to automatically convert a draft order into a completed order
- The ability to automatically mark a draft order as paid
🛠️IMPROVEMENTS- Credit balances: it's now possible to display credit balances and credit limits against customers within Shopify, allowing you to control what payment methods they see. Learn more
- Sales agents improvements: when logged in as a sales agent, you can now see the full address of customers when performing a search
- Order notes: the order notes field in the SparkLayer checkout now supports up to 512 characters allowing longer messages to be entered
- Sufio invoices: we're improved our integration to make it even easier to integrate with SparkLayer. Learn more
To enable these updates, you'll need to be on the latest version of SparkLayer. In the core script, simply update your version to that shown below
<script async src="https://cdn.sparklayer.io/spark.0.7.33.js"></script>Restricting Sales Agent access
If you're wanting to restrict which customers (or groups of customers) a Sales Agent can see, it's now possible to configure this within Shopify and SparkLayer. Named Sales Agent Groups, this powerful feature gives you full control over how you manage your Sales Agent access.
🛠️IMPROVEMENTS- Additional languages: we've added full native support for Danish within the SparkLayer Frontend
- Dashboard helpers: we've included a range of help guides and best-practice tips within the SparkLayer Dashboard that make it easier to activate additional features within SparkLayer
To enable these updates, you'll need to be on the latest version of SparkLayer. In the core script, simply update your version to that shown below
<script async src="https://cdn.sparklayer.io/spark.0.7.21.js"></script>Customer-specific discounts
It's now possible to set customer-specific discounts on top of your existing price lists set up in SparkLayer.
This now makes it easier to manage customer-specific pricing and tailor the discount levels exactly as you require. Learn more about how this works.
Improvements to tiered quantity pricing
If you're using tiered pricing (sometimes called quantity pricing), we've improved the interface on the SparkLayer Product Purchasing Interface to make pricing discounts clearer to customers. If a variant has tiered pricing, customers can see the full details by mousing over the 'Discounts' icon'.
Support for Dark Mode
If your Shopify store is set up to use a dark theme, you can now enable 'Dark Mode' in SparkLayer. This converts all the product page widgets to use high-contrast colours that can then be further customise. Learn more about how this works.
🛠️IMPROVEMENTS- Force checkout: it's now possible to force B2B customers to always use the Shopify checkout, regardless of which payment method they have selected (e.g. manual). Learn more
- Auto-complete orders: if you're using Shopify Plus, it's now possible to automatically convert Draft orders into completed orders. For now, this is a special setting our team needs to enable for you.
- Performance improvements: we've optimised the way product images are displayed in the product page widgets and quick ordering cart, helping speed up load times.
Sales Agent ordering
It's here, Sales Agent ordering! Our latest feature lets your sales team place orders and manage accounts on behalf of your B2B customers, integrating beautifully with your Shopify store.
Sometimes referred to as Order Masquerading, Sales Agents are able to perform any of the following actions against a B2B customer account:
- View products on the website at the B2B prices assigned to the selected customer
- Add products to an order
- Place an order using their available payment methods and request payment from the customer
- Save and edit Shopping Lists
- Add/edit addresses (if enabled for the customer)
🛠️IMPROVEMENTS- We've made performance improvements to the SparkLayer Frontend, making the JavaScript widgets even more light-weight and faster to load.
- You can now synchronise customers from Shopify without needing to specify an address (previously a requirement). It's still necessary for customers to add an address, but this can now be done via the SparkLayer My Account area.
- If a customer has a Company Name specified in their address within Shopify, this will now display in the SparkLayer My Account area. You can also supply a Company Name via metafields in Shopify (learn more here)
To enable these updates, you'll need to be on the latest version of SparkLayer. In the core script, simply update your version to that shown below
<script async src="https://cdn.sparklayer.io/spark.0.5.js"></script>Address editing
It's now possible for B2B customers to edit and add addresses right from within SparkLayer! Once turned on, your customers can fully manage their addresses from the My Account tab and they'll also see a handy link during the ordering process if they need to make address changes. To enable address editing, login to SparkLayer go to the Settings area or learn more about how this works.
Credit support
It's here...support for credit on SparkLayer! If your B2B customers have credit terms agreed (e.g. payment limits), you can now display these in the SparkLayer Quick Order widget.
It works by pulling through the customer's credit terms and balance and then updating the order flow:
- If a customer has enough credit to pay for their order, they can choose the Payment on Account option. If they don't, this payment option will be hidden from view
- From their My Account tab, they can see their most up to date credit balance under a new section 'Financials'
Important. This feature is only supported for merchants who have a direct connection to their backend system (e.g. ERP, CRM). We will be reviewing ways for credit to be managed via the Shopify admin in the near future.
🛠️IMPROVEMENTS- When using the quick search SKU loop up tool, we've added inline validation so customers can more easily see which products have (and haven't) added.
- We've moved the Clear Order button in the Quick Order widget to show last in the list to avoid customers inadvertently clicking it
To enable these updates, you'll need to be on the latest version of SparkLayer. In the core script, simply update your version to that shown below
<script async src="https://cdn.sparklayer.io/spark.0.3.5.js"></script>New Multi-Step Cart, including Shipping and Tax calculator
We've released a major update that makes it even easier for B2B customers to select their shipping and payment method, view their order totals, and see their tax calculation all from within SparkLayer.
- Allow B2B customers to more easily choose an address from their address book
- Allow B2B customers to select their preferred shipping and payment method. For online payment, customers are taken to the Shopify checkout and for offline (e.g Pay on Account), the order can be completed within SparkLayer. Learn more about payment methods
- Allow B2B customers to see their full order total breakdown, including tax costs
🛠️IMPROVEMENTS- If you're store isn't set up to do real-time stock control in Shopify, you can hide the default stock status message that shows.
- If you're showing live stock levels on your product page, you can now display a generic message when the available stock exceeds a specified number.
Show stock levels on product pages
It's now possible to display the stock level of your products to signed in B2B customers, giving them instant visibility of available stock to purchase.
Display live stock levels on your product pages
The stock level feature works by pulling live stock levels from your Shopify store and then outputting these on the Product Purchasing Interface. The stock level can be shown on both single-variant and multi-variant products and you can even customise stock level thresholds such as 'low stock', 'last remaining', and 'back order'. To enable this feature, please see our help guide here.
🛠️IMPROVEMENTS- You can now optionally hide the product image from showing in the product page table view. Learn more
- You can now optionally hide the product code from showing on the product detail page widget. Learn more
- You can now prefix the product pricing information on the product detail page with custom text. Learn more
- You can now make the Additional information field a mandatory field during the order review process. Learn more
- When product variants are shown in the product page table view, these will now be ordered as per the variant order set in Shopify
- If you have product purchasing enabled on your product cards (e.g. on a collection page) and the default variant is out of stock, the widget will pre-select a variant that is available to add to cart (if available).
Last modified 14d ago