| Update | What it does | Rolled out |
|---|---|---|
| Return window overrides | A different return window for certain collections or products | 29 September |
| Notes on your Analytics charts | Pin a note to a date on a report | 1 October |
| Color and size in Analytics | Group or filter reports by details like color and size | 28 September |
| Discounts in Rollouts | Schedule a discount to a portion of your traffic | 2 October |
| Canvas | A new AI design workspace for your theme | 1 October |
Return window overrides
What it is: a different return window for a specific collection or product, sitting on top of your storewide rule. Shopify's own example is a 14-day window on a "Holiday 2026" collection while the rest of the store stays at 90 days.
Where to find it: Settings > Policies > Return and cancellation rules, click your rule, then + Return window override. Enter the days, choose Collections or Products, add them and save.
Good to know:
- If a product matches two overrides, the shortest one wins.
- Anything marked final sale stays final sale.
- Shopify's example only shows an override that's SHORTER than the default. So if you'd like a longer window on gifts over the holidays (example: gifts returnable until mid-January, sale items 14 days), one way to set it up is a longer storewide window with a shorter override on your sale collection.
If you sell one or two products and one window already covers everything, there's not much here for you. For everyone else, a clear returns window is part of a stellar customer experience, and it costs you nothing in margin.
Notes on your Analytics charts
What it is: you can pin a note to a date on any report that runs over time. "Sale started." "Big email went out." "Put prices up." Next October, when you're staring at a spike and trying to remember what caused it, the answer is sitting on the chart. 🤓
Where to find it: Analytics > Reports, open a report that has time as its first dimension, click Annotations and then the show icon. Click Annotations again, hit the plus icon, add a title, a date, a category and a short description, then Save.
Good to know: notes are hidden by default, so if yours seem to have vanished, click the show icon.
The kinds of things worth a note: the first day of a sale, a big email send, a price change, or your planned Black Friday start date, so it's there waiting.
Color and size in Analytics
What it is: if your products have a Shopify category, the details attached to it (color, size, material, fit, fabric and so on) now show up in Analytics. You can group a sales report by color, or filter it down to one size. According to Shopify, there's nothing to switch on if your products are already categorized.
Where to find it: Analytics > Reports, open a sales report, and group or filter it by Color or Size. It also works in Explore.
Good to know: products with no category come up blank. If nothing shows, open a product and check the Category field is filled in and the color and size details under it are too.
This one is handy before a reorder. Example with made-up numbers: if sage is 46% of units and sand is 9%, your reorder shouldn't be an even split. Reordering the color that sells means less cash tied up in the one that doesn't. 💸
If you have one product in one color, there's nothing to break down.
Discounts in Rollouts
What it is: Rollouts let you schedule a change to a portion of your traffic. As of 2 October, that includes discounts, so you can show an offer to some visitors, compare it against what you run now, then widen it when you're happy.
Where to find it: Markets > Rollouts.
Who has it: Rollouts are on the Basic plan or higher. Experiments, where you compare two versions and read the results, need the Grow plan or higher.
Good to know: this one is brand new, and new features are ALWAYS worth a small trial. If you try it, start with a small slice of your traffic. It's a lovely way to test the TYPE of offer, like free shipping against a gift with purchase, and whatever you test, the margin has to stay profitable.
Canvas
What it is: Shopify's new AI design workspace. Every page of your store is laid out side by side, and you edit directly or ask Sidekick to make the change.
Where to find it: Online Store > Themes, the three-dot menu next to your theme, then Duplicate in Canvas. Your original theme stays in your library untouched, and nothing goes live until you hit Publish.
Good to know:
- It's in early access for certain stores, on desktop only
- Canvas works only with themes developed by Shopify and with custom themes. Third-party themes aren't supported
- You can't add or configure app blocks or app embeds in Canvas (think reviews, bundles, subscriptions)
- A theme you edit in Canvas stops getting theme updates, and you can't download its files
Because it works on a duplicate, you can have a play without touching your live store. I'll definitely be playing with this myself! 👀