WooCommerce 9.6 was released on January 20, 2025, unlocking some fantastic features that greatly revolutionized e-commerce for merchants and developers alike. It goes from improving usability to using the latest developer tools. In a word, it represents how far WooCommerce has reached in innovating and pleasing its consumers.
Whether you want to streamline workflows, increase store security, or leverage powerful API features, WooCommerce 9.6 has everything for you.
In this blog, we are going to tell you everything you need to know about WooCommerce 9.6 at its earliest stage. This guide will drive you through the WooCommerce 9.6 release date, features, changelogs, and what it means to your store.
What is the Key Highlight of the WooCommerce 9.6 Release?
With the release of WooCommerce 9.6 yesterday, its core functionality got the most significant enhancement. The new WooCommerce version focuses on usability, security, and performance.
6 Key Highlights
- The long-awaited brand integration is now part of WooCommerce’s core, simplifying brand management.
- Smarter default measurement units based on the store location.
- A powerful Product Summary block with enhanced customization options.
- Updated Store API security with rate-limiting features.
- Modernized, React-based Payment Settings Interface (Beta).
- Enhanced email customization with real-time previews and theme integration.
WooCommerce 9.6 Release Date and Schedule:
- Beta Release: December 18, 2024
- Release Candidate (RC): January 6, 2025
- Final Release: The WooCommerce 9.6 was released on the evening of January 20, 2025 (Monday). If you have yet to update now, this is the best time to do so!
All the Exclusive Features of WooCommerce 9.6 Release:
- Brands Integration
- Smarter Default Measurement Units
- Enhanced Product Summary Block
- Modernized Payment Settings Interface (Beta)
- Email Improvements (Experimental)
- Store API Enhancements
- Improved Product Review Form Autocomplete
- HPOS Datastore Persistent Caching
- WC Blocks Image Filter Added
- Global Block Checkout Field Entities
Key Features of WooCommerce 9.6 Release
– Brands Integration in WooCommerce Core
WooCommerce 9.6 brings the much-anticipated Brands feature directly into the core, eliminating the need for separate plugins. This seamless integration simplifies brand management for merchants, making it easier to categorize and enhance product discovery.
Now, merchants can configure their brands directly through the Products > Brands section. This new feature now ensures a more unified and efficient approach to showcasing products.
– Smarter Default Measurement Units
Measurement units in WooCommerce now dynamically adjust based on the store’s location, simplifying onboarding and store management. U.S.-based stores automatically default to imperial units (lbs and inches), while international stores use metric units like kilograms and centimeters. Existing settings remain unchanged, but units will adapt automatically if the store’s location changes, streamlining the workflow for global merchants.
You can access measurement units in WooCommerce > Settings > Products.
– Enhanced Product Summary Block
The Product Summary block in WooCommerce 9.6 receives a significant upgrade, offering enhanced flexibility and customization. Merchants can now style text directly from the product editor, including support for line breaks and control truncation settings to match their design needs.
The fallback to the full product description can also be disabled, making this block more versatile for both All Products and Single-product templates.
– Modernized Payment Settings Interface (Beta)
As part of its modernization efforts, WooCommerce introduces a React-based payments settings interface, available in beta. This revamped UI, enabled through the reactify-classic-payments-settings flag in the Beta Tester plugin, provides a cleaner and more intuitive experience for managing payment gateways. It’s a step towards creating a more streamlined and scalable payment management system for merchants.
– Email Improvements (Experimental)
WooCommerce 9.6 enhances email customization with experimental updates that include theme.json styling support. Merchants can now preview email changes in real time and upload logos directly in settings, moving away from URL-based configurations. These features not only simplify email branding but also ensure consistency across customer communications.
To enable, follow this: WooCommerce > Settings > Advanced > Features > Scroll Down to.
– Store API Enhancements
The Store API in WooCommerce 9.6 introduces a rate-limiting system. This enhancement limits customers to three “place order” requests per minute to protect against card-testing fraud and denial-of-service attacks.
Developers benefit from new filtering parameters in the REST API /products endpoint, enabling precise queries based on product types, virtual products, and downloadable products. These updates significantly strengthen security and data retrieval flexibility.
WooCommerce 9.6 Changelogs and Fixes
Bug Fixes:
- Resolved the variable product out-of-stock bug caused by corrupted transients.
- Improved focus indicators for better accessibility across input fields and buttons.
- Polished responsive styling for mobile devices and dark themes.
Additions:
- New WC Blocks Image Filter: Customize cart item images in Cart and Checkout blocks with the woocommerce_store_api_cart_item_images filter.
- Persistent caching for HPOS DataStores to boost order data retrieval performance.
Why WooCommerce 9.6 Matters for Merchants
WooCommerce 9.6 makes managing your store smoother and more efficient with built-in features like brand integration. This update eliminates the need for some third-party plugins, making it easier to organize and display products by brand.
The smarter default measurement units based on store location help streamline your product listings. For example, U.S. stores default to imperial units, while international stores use metric units, reducing manual adjustments.
Security also gets a major boost with the rate-limiting system in the Store API. This feature limits the number of order attempts to prevent fraud and denial-of-service attacks, ensuring a safer experience for merchants and customers.
Additionally, the improved user experience across product blocks and payment settings makes managing your store faster and easier.
Why WooCommerce 9.6 is a Developer’s Dream
- REST API Improvements (New filtering parameters for /products endpoint)
- Persistent Data Caching in HPOS DataStores
- Theme-based Email Styling and Real-time Previews
- Enhanced Filtering Parameters for Products (include_types, exclude_types, virtual, downloadable)
For developers, WooCommerce 9.6 offers new filtering parameters in the REST API, allowing for more precise product queries. This gives developers greater flexibility when retrieving product data based on specific criteria.
The introduction of persistent data caching in HPOS DataStores boosts performance, reducing the need for repeated data fetching. This improves the speed of order processing. Developers can also enjoy enhanced email customization with theme-based styling and real-time previews. Email customization makes aligning email communications with the store’s branding easier for devs out there.
Final Thoughts
WooCommerce 9.6 is a significant update that brings merchants and developers closer to a seamless, secure, and scalable e-commerce platform. With standout features like brand integration, API enhancements, and modernized UI components, this update solidifies WooCommerce as the leading choice for online stores.
Stay ahead of the curve by testing the new features and preparing your store for the next wave of e-commerce evolution.
For professional assistance with WooCommerce updates, WPExperts WooCommerce services are here to guide you every step of the way.
