HomeChange Ledger
Change Ledger
The Change Ledger logs product, policy and feed changes from Shopify, Google and the POS vendors that a single-store retailer on Shopify may need to act on. Each entry shows a short excerpt from the original and links to it. Entries are grouped by week, newest first. Use the RSS feed to follow along.
Week of October 12, 2026
Smart grid tiles suggestions (opens in a new tab)
Shopify can now suggest smart grid tiles based on the products and discounts your staff use most. Suggestions are based entirely on your store’s own catalogue, orders, and POS activity, helping you put frequently used actions within easier reach at checkout. Each suggestion explains why it’s being...
Fulfill orders in batches (opens in a new tab)
You can now fulfill orders together in batches. Group up to 250 fulfillments by criteria such as product type or shipping destination, then pick, buy labels, print documents, and pack them together. Each batch follows a workflow you can customize. By default it has three steps: * Pick: Print a…
Offer Royal Mail pickup points at checkout (opens in a new tab)
Royal Mail is now available as a pickup point provider across the UK. At checkout, customers choose a location from a map or a list and see its name, address, opening hours, and price before they commit. To turn it on: * Go to Settings > Shipping and delivery, then…
Buy shipping labels automatically with Shopify Flow (opens in a new tab)
Merchants can now buy shipping labels with a Shopify Flow action. Set the conditions for which orders qualify, and Flow buys the labels as orders come in. Choose the carrier and service, package type, weight, and ship date to use. You can trigger on orders with a specific tag, orders…
Buy shipping labels on Shopify, now in the Netherlands and Poland (opens in a new tab)
Merchants who ship from the Netherlands or Poland can now buy DHL eCommerce shipping labels on Shopify. Rates are discounted, and there's no fee on top of your Shopify plan. Where you can ship depends on where you ship from: *From the Netherlands: *domestic orders to eligible addresses in the…
Customize checkout and accounts configurations with Sidekick (opens in a new tab)
Sidekick can now help you customize checkout and customer accounts. Get answers and guidance right where you work, without searching the docs or contacting support. In the checkout and accounts editor: Sidekick is now available in the desktop editor. You can ask it to: Learn how to configure...
Stop This Bad Sales Habit Before The Busy Season (opens in a new tab)
Every retailer I know has at least one team member who does this, and most don't even realize it's happening. It's called selling out of your own pocket, and it's quietly costing your store money every single day. In this episode I'm breaking down what it is, how to spot…
Week of October 5, 2026
Automatically generated policies help you launch faster (opens in a new tab)
You can now automate your return and refund, contact information, terms of service, shipping, and legal notice policies to help you launch your store faster and expand into new markets. Your automated policies stay up to date as your store settings change and in sync with Shopify’s recommendations...
Analyze purchase orders in Shopify Analytics (opens in a new tab)
You can now review and export purchase order data in Shopify Analytics. Three new reports help you understand your purchase orders: Purchase order costs shows ordered items, quantities, supplier costs, estimated taxes, and purchase order costs. Purchase order transfers follows purchase orders...
Compare-at prices now shared to agentic channels (opens in a new tab)
Shopify now shares your compare-at price with AI shopping agents through Shopify Catalog, so AI agents can see when a product is marked down. Previously, AI agents reading Catalog only saw the current price and markdown prices displayed in storefront were not shown. Control if AI agents can view...
Faster checkout, carts synced across devices via Shop (opens in a new tab)
Shop can now verify who a shopper is while they're browsing your store, even before they make a purchase. For Shop users, this means checkout loads faster, carts sync across devices, sign-in is sped up with one-tap, and the Buy with Shop Pay button is pre-filled for a smoother, higher-converting…
Translate & Adapt EU Update: Auto-sync translations for up to 8 languages (opens in a new tab)
For EU merchants in the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and United Kingdom, we've added automatic translation updates to Translate & Adapt. Until now, editing a product description or any other store content...
Pay suppliers internationally from Balance (opens in a new tab)
We have released International Payments from Balance for the US. This gives merchants a more cost-effective way to pay their international suppliers, with transparent pricing and no extra setup. International payments from Balance will let eligible merchants pay recipients internationally from the...
Three Words That Changed How I Managed My Retail Store (opens in a new tab)
Before I learned the concept of non-negotiable standards, my management strategy was pretty simple: ask someone to do something and hope they did it. Sound familiar? Everything changed the moment I heard those three words. I'm replaying this episode now because if there was ever a time to get...
22 Local SEO Developments You Need To Know About From Q3 2026 (opens in a new tab)
The busiest season of the year for most local businesses is about to kick off. Take time today to read through the major developments that happened in the past quarter to be sure you see opportunities for promoting your brand over the next few months. I’ve got original case studies,…
Week of September 28, 2026
Run stock counts in POS (opens in a new tab)
Shopify POS now lets store staff run cycle and full stock counts directly in POS, making it easier to count inventory on the sales floor while keeping planning, review, and approval in Shopify Admin. In Shopify Admin, users with the required permissions can create and schedule a stock count, select…
Local delivery orders in Shopify POS (opens in a new tab)
Staff can now create local delivery orders at checkout in Shopify POS. When a customer can't take an item home, you can arrange delivery in the same sale. You no longer need to ask them to reorder online or leave notes on the order. Local delivery uses the delivery zones…
Add your own notes to Shopify Analytics (opens in a new tab)
Your reports show what changed. You know why. Now, you're able to capture that story directly in Shopify Analytics. Add annotations to supported time-series reports for the moments that shape your business, like a campaign launch, creator mention, supplier change, promotion, or operational...
Design a fully bespoke store with Canvas (opens in a new tab)
Canvas is a new design surface for your online store. Every page is laid out together in one interactive, infinite workspace, so you can see how your whole store feels and work on any part of it in context. In Canvas, you can: * Pan across every page of your…
Schedule and test discounts with Rollouts (opens in a new tab)
You can now include discounts in Rollouts to run coordinated campaigns and test different offers before launching more broadly. Schedule discount changes: Launch a new offer to a portion of online store traffic, then expand when you're ready. Compare offers: Test discount changes against your...
Return window overrides now available (opens in a new tab)
You can now set return window overrides by market for specific collections, products, or variants. Overrides let you choose a different return period than your default return window - for example, 14 days for seasonal items instead of your standard 90 days. How it works * Overrides replace the...
The #1 Checklist to Optimize Your Google Business Profile (opens in a new tab)
One of the ways to improve your local SEO ranking is by optimizing your Google Business Profile (GBP). While it might seem like a simple task, small oversights, like selecting the wrong category, can severely impact your visibility in local searches. In fact, choosing the right settings can make...
Category metafields are now available in Analytics (opens in a new tab)
Until now, the color, material, fit, and other attributes you set when you categorize a product stayed on the product page. To see which materials or colors actually sell, you had to export. Those category metafields now show up in Analytics as dimensions and filters, next to your custom...
Omnichannel Payments Strategy: How to Prepare For Peak Retail Season (opens in a new tab)
Peak retail season can put even well-run stores under pressure. More shoppers are moving between online, in-store and pickup, while higher transaction volumes and longer lines can quickly expose gaps in your payment setup. Preparing your payments ahead of Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the wider...
Use metaobject fields in Analytics reports (opens in a new tab)
If you attach a metaobject to a product, variant, customer, or order through a metafield, those fields can now be used in Analytics. A designer country, a warranty term, or a loyalty tier can group and filter a report the same way a custom metafield can. Merchant-owned metaobjects are already…
How to Move a Google Business Profile to Another State or New Location (opens in a new tab)
Moving your business means more than changing the address on your website. You also need to update your Google Business Profile (GBP) so customers can find your new location on Google Search and Maps. For most businesses, Google recommends updating the address on the existing profile rather than...
Admin now supports 3 new languages (opens in a new tab)
We’ve released improved support for 3 right-to-left languages (Arabic, Urdu, and Hebrew) in both Admin and Storefronts, including checkout, customer accounts and the Horizon family of themes. Display language is determined based on the user’s device settings, if available. Product pages and other...
The Smarter Way For Retailers To Support Local Causes (opens in a new tab)
If you've ever felt worn down by constant donation requests, you're not alone. But what if supporting your community could also bring new customers through your door, generate free publicity, and build your sales at the same time? In this episode I'm sharing WhizBang! Cause Marketing, a strategy...
Does the URL You Link to in Google My Business Impact Ranking in the Local Pack? (opens in a new tab)
This is a question I get pretty frequently in the Local SEO community: What URL should I link my GMB listing to? The homepage? A location page? Something else? We wanted to test & measure how the Google My Business landing page impacted ranking in the local pack (3-pack). Does…
Is Google Calling Me or Is It a Scam? How to Tell (opens in a new tab)
Yes, Google does legitimately call businesses, but Google does not make unsolicited automated sales calls or ask you to pay to maintain, verify, or reinstate a Google Business Profile. Google may call to confirm business information or help a customer make a booking or inquiry. If someone claiming...
How to Add & Remove Managers from Your Google Business Profile (opens in a new tab)
TL;DR on how to add/remove managers from GBP Only owners can add or remove users on a Google Business Profile (GBP); managers can only remove themselves. Owners and managers have similar permissions, with managers unable to remove the profile or manage other users. To add or remove users, go to…
Retail Holiday Readiness: Inventory, Marketing and Sales Tips for BFCM 2026 (opens in a new tab)
Is your store ready for Black Friday and Cyber Monday? If not, don’t worry, there are quick, high-impact ways to help you hit your holiday sales targets.
Edge Virtual 2026 Product Showcase: What’s New at Lightspeed (opens in a new tab)
Running an independent retail business has never been about doing just one job. In a single day, you’re an inventory strategist, stockroom manager, digital marketer, salesperson and data analyst. That also means having to make dozens of decisions per day. At Lightspeed Edge Virtual 2026, we walked...
Why Is Posting Currently Turned Off On Google Reviews? The Data And The Patterns Behind It (opens in a new tab)
When posting is currently turned off on Google Reviews, Google may temporarily prevent users from submitting new reviews for a business. If you’re seeing “Posting reviews is turned off for this place,” you’re not alone. Over the last ~60 days, I’ve watched this hit multiple legitimate businesses...
Week of September 21, 2026
Tax is now calculated on return shipping fees (opens in a new tab)
Starting October 23, 2026, for merchants using Shopify Tax or Tax Platform in the United States, return shipping fees will be taxed like any other shipping charge. Shopify calculates and applies the tax automatically, so you don’t need to fix under-collection on returns. When you create a return...
Google Business Profile Performance Report: How to Interpret Your Metrics (opens in a new tab)
The Google Business Profile Performance report shows how people find and interact with your Business Profile on Google Search and Google Maps. It includes data about searches, views, calls, website clicks, direction requests, bookings, and other customer interactions. Previously known as Google My...
Improved shipping and duty data in Analytics (opens in a new tab)
We now provides a more complete and timely view of shipping costs and duties. What's changed: Profitability data includes both duties and other shipping costs when they apply to the same order & better supports orders in different currencies. What to expect: You might notice changes to shipping...
Shopify Analytics session measurement improvements (opens in a new tab)
Starting September 21, 2026, Shopify is improving the sessions experience in Analytics to give merchants a cleaner view of real shopper activity. As a result, sessions, conversion rate, and other session-based metrics might look different after this update. This doesn't necessarily mean that your...
How to Remove Bad Reviews From Google Business Profile (opens in a new tab)
Getting a negative review on your Google Business Profile, previously known as Google My Business, can be one of the most frustrating parts of being a business owner. Understanding how to remove bad reviews from Google is important for protecting your business’s online reputation. However, Google...
Google Review Gating Is Against Google Maps User Generated Content Policy (opens in a new tab)
What Is Google Review Gating? Google review gating is when businesses filter customers before asking them to leave a Google review. Businesses review gate by sending customers an email template that asks them if they had a positive or negative experience. If they had a positive experience, they are...
Plan launches, events, and tests with clearer and more granular controls in Rollouts (opens in a new tab)
Rollouts has a redesigned setup experience that makes it easier to plan a launch, run a temporary event, or test changes to your store. Reflect your intent: Choose the timing and traffic percentage for your rollout. Rollout settings will adjust to reflect your intent as a launch, temporary event...
Can You Turn Off Google Reviews on a Business Profile? (opens in a new tab)
No, businesses generally cannot turn off Google reviews themselves. There is no setting in your Google Business Profile that allows you to disable reviews. However, Google may temporarily or permanently restrict reviews for certain business categories, during abusive review activity, or when a...
The Cost Of Moving Too Slowly In Retail (opens in a new tab)
Money loves speed. It's one of my favorite concepts because it's true in every corner of your business. When you make good decisions quickly, you make more money. When you solve problems fast, you save more money. The challenge is that most of us are making decisions alone, filtered through…
SEO Title Length Is Longer Than You Think (opens in a new tab)
Most SEO tools scream at you to keep title tags short, ideally under 60 characters. But we have found that this is advice that you should ignore. I have seen over and over that a longer SEO title length, even one that goes over 200 characters, can actually improve rankings.…
We’re bringing AI Brief to more languages and adding a new AI Max reporting feature. (opens in a new tab)
We’re making it easier to create great AI Max campaigns by adding a new reporting feature and bringing AI Brief to more languages.
Week of September 14, 2026
The Human Experience Wins In Indie Retail (opens in a new tab)
With all the talk about AI lately, it's easy to feel like the ground is shifting under independent retail. But here's what I want you to remember: your number one competitive advantage has nothing to do with technology. It's the human experience you create every single time a customer walks…