Time to prepare for Adobe Commerce 2.3 end of support

 “Not another upgrade – didn’t we upgrade last year?”

While we might update the software on our mobile phones every six months without a second thought, merchants can often drag their heels when it comes to upgrading their digital platforms.

It can be seen as time-consuming, inconvenient and costly – but like a mobile phone update, its crucial to how it functions.

Technology and platform upgrades are a vital part of a digital platform’s longevity and crucial in helping a brand continually improve the customer experience.

From security fixes, to new features and performance improvements, new Adobe Commerce releases build and improve upon past success, ensuring businesses are resilient and customers remain happy.

In a few months, the 2.3 version of Adobe Commerce reaches its ‘end of support.’

Here we take a brief look at what this means for our partners and digital retailers.

What does end-of-support mean?

With new upgrades and new versions of software, previous versions are slowly phased out.

End of support for Adobe products mean a date is set where it will not support the older version any more. This means that after this date, bug fixes and security updates will no longer be released and the software could be vulnerable to attacks and other issues.

Adobe releases an end of support date to give digital agencies and digital retailers enough time to plan the necessary work and ensure it is completed in good time.

Scheduled originally for April, Adobe has now changed the end of support date to September 8, 2022 to allow more time to upgrade to 2.4.4.

What’s new in Adobe Commerce 2.4.4?

As with most upgrades, the latest one for Adobe isn’t just about support and security.

Built on the latest version of PHP (8.1), Adobe Commerce 2.4.4 allows merchants to work towards the future, ensuring it is resilient, ready for all eventualities and feature-packed.

Cost effective

New functionality is delivered through independent modular services rather than through core code updates meaning merchants benefit from being able to adopt new features much quicker. There will also be less frequent upgrades and more tools for brands to manage total cost of ownership better.

In effect, Adobe is helping brands future-proof their businesses by giving them the tools to stay flexible and change and adapt when necessary quickly, easily and more cost-effectively.

Speed

The latest version is the fastest and most scalable version so far. Merchants are able to handle complex catalogues up to 10 times larger than before, deliver faster API response times and process five times higher transaction volumes, per hour.

For growing businesses, speed and faster delivery mean more sales and better customer satisfaction.

More Headless capabilities

With headless infrastructures proving so crucial to brands by giving them greater flexibility than ever, Adobe has built on its previous headless offering by increasing GraphQL API coverage for some B2B and admin features while adding new capabilities to PWA Studio 12.3.

Adobe has also added support for dynamic blocks and targeted promotions, meaning merchandisers and marketers can build better cart promotions and personalised content for specific customer segments, cutting down on the time needed to go live.

Better accessibility for all

The admin has now been updated to allow greater accessibility for those who are vision impaired. Accessible naming and allows those with limited vision to use assistive technology to interact with the backend. Updated icons, buttons and tooltips improve the experience for customers and developers alike.

Other features

All Adobe Commerce customers will now have access to the site-wide Analysis Tool giving merchants access to real-time monitoring, reporting, insights and recommendations.

Self-service and assisted purchasing options support a range of B2B and B2C buyer preferences and business needs.

Updated AI powered product recommendations and search, personalise the buying experience at scale, helping to accelerate product discovery, increasing conversion rates, boosting average order value and more.

Payment services, B2B purchase approvals and inventory management are among other improved capabilities designed to help your business flourish further.

What now?

If your digital store is running on Adobe Commerce 2.3.x, you must start making plans to upgrade to 2.4.4 soon.

Aside from the fantastic new features that can help your business become more resilient now and in the long-term, security fixes and support will be withdrawn from September, putting your site at risk.

Need to upgrade?

Get in touch!