Why Shopify Functions are the future and scripts are the past
Shopify has been leading the e-commerce industry for over 16 years by providing features and functionality that merchants need. But that’s not enough, Shopify is taking it to the next level by putting the power of Shopify in the hands of the community with Shopify Functions. With Functions, merchants can customize and extend Shopify features to meet their unique business needs. And guess what? Developers can build powerful customizations that execute in under 5ms and scale up for the biggest sales events on the planet!
1. From Scripts to Functions
Now, why did Shopify create Functions? Because Shopify knows how important it is to build powerful promotions and to offer unique buying experiences that help your brand stand out from the crowd. Shopify Scripts was introduced back in 2016 to help brands build micro-customizations needed to boost conversions in the checkout. And to this day, brands that leverage Shopify Scripts see their average order value increase by 20%.
But with Functions, you don’t need to worry about modifying code to adjust your promotions anymore. Instead, Functions are installed like any other app and are configured directly in the Admin alongside built-in Shopify features. Take discounts, for example. With Discount Combinations, you’ll be able to create powerful promotions by combining custom discounts — built with Functions — with Shopify’s out-of-the-box product, order, and shipping discounts. And any discount built with Functions will show up in Shopify Analytics sales reporting, including the Sales by Discount report.
2. Shopify Functions, what?
You may be wondering, how do Shopify Functions work? Essentially, Shopify is unlocking the backend to allow developers to extend or replace key parts of Shopify’s backend logic with custom code. This unique Functions architecture provides the flexibility of open source, without the hassle of hosting, security, and management of forked code. And the best part? Functions run on Shopify infrastructure, so they’ll stay on the upgrade path with everything else on Shopify, and be able to perform any critical tasks — even during internet-breaking flash sales.
Since Functions are installed with an app, merchants can configure them directly in the admin, without having to touch a line of code. Although Functions are starting off with familiar backend customizations for discounts, shipping, and payment methods, our goal is to add support for shipping rates, checkout and cart validations, return validations, and order routing in the near future.
3. Good for Everyone
For developers, you can write a Function in any language that compiles to WebAssembly, and then build a UI with AppBridge and React. Developers can write a Function in their own local environment and leverage the Shopify CLI to deploy it. And when the Function is complete, it’s distributed in an app, so there’s no need to copy and paste code from store-to-store.
For merchants, it’s simple! All you need to do is install an app, and the Function will be configurable in-context in the Shopify Admin. This means that discounts, shipping, and payment method Functions will show up alongside the out-of-the-box Shopify settings.
4. Conclusions
But with Functions, you don’t need to worry about modifying code to adjust your promotions anymore. Instead, Functions are installed like any other app and are configured directly in the Admin alongside built-in Shopify features. Take discounts, for example. With Discount Combinations, you’ll be able to create powerful promotions by combining custom discounts — built with Functions — with Shopify’s out-of-the-box product, order, and shipping discounts. And any discount built with Functions will show up in Shopify Analytics sales reporting, including the Sales by Discount report.
The best part? Shopify Functions are more accessible. They’re easy to use and they’re designed to help brands of all sizes boost their sales and offer unique buying experiences to their customers. With Shopify Functions, the possibilities are endless!
Credits: https://www.shopify.com/enterprise/shopify-functions
