With great pleasure, Aspenware presents Aspenware Commerce 3.0

Release Date: 9/18/2023

nopCommerce Upgrade

In Commerce 3.0, we upgraded our core application framework to the latest supported versions. These framework upgrades include nopCommerce and .NET - taking us from a 4-year-old version to a current 2023 version. Aspenware has spent several months optimizing our base commerce platform to prepare for this transition and expedite future upgrades.

Upgrade Benefits

This improvement brings several significant benefits, including:

• Platform upgrade from 4.2 (May 2019) to 4.60.3 (May 2023). See the nopCommerce release notes for enhancements made between the two versions. Note that Aspenware does not use all features included in nopCommerce.

• .NET 2.2 core to .NET 6.0 to unlock new developer efficiencies

• Security improvements

• Performance boost through improved memory utilization and page load time

• Safer and faster future upgrades for our partner resorts

• Removal of unnecessary plugins, such as the ResortOS plugin

Aspenware rigorously tested Commerce 3.0 across all plugins.

Admin User Interface

As with most software upgrades, you will notice refinements to the UI. These changes are primarily minor and include enhanced features. Many of the improved features are not currently used by the Aspenware platform. The minor updates to the user interface include changed formatting, icons, and additional options.

Some specific changes to nopCommerce that you may notice include:

• Improved search functionality, including selection options and enhanced search options across the site

• Basic and advanced modes were added to store details and discounts pages

• Additional UI changes with the placement, naming, and rearrangement of fields. 

These changes do not affect Aspenware store configuration but may vary slightly from what is shown in configuration guides on the Aspenware Hub. Changes to these screenshots will be part of ongoing updates within the Aspenware Commerce Hub documentation.

SQL Reporting Tool Replacement

• Aspenware has replaced the SQL reporting tool, Nop4U SqlReport, with Nop-Station Sql Manager, as the former plugin is no longer supported. This tool has a slightly different UI but offers the same reporting tools. All reports your resort uses will be ported to the new system. Please contact your Aspenware Service Agent if you have questions.

Additional Enhancements

Calendar Templates (Cloud Only)

Inventory Scarcity Controls are now enabled at the product level on the Full-Page Pricing Calendar. Once you take the Commerce 3.0 release, as an Aspenware Cloud customer, Calendar Templates admin can be used to configure inventory urgency indicators on the full-page pricing calendar. This is important because now you can control inventory scarcity thresholds at the product level rather than just the storewide level for the large pricing calendar. For example, your lift ticket can display low inventory when 20 tickets are left, but your lessons can display as low inventory when 5 are left. To learn more about this feature, see Calendar Templates.

Inline PDP Calendar (Cloud Only)

When showing scarcity on the inline calendar, the threshold used to determine if dates should be colored for inventory scarcity checks if the inventory left on a date is less than or equal to the threshold rather than less-than-only logic. This logic matches how logic works on the large pricing calendar to ensure consistency across the two calendars.

Cookie Consent

Additional validation now happens on the cookie consent JavaScript and CSS. Previously, formatting errors were handled via the frontend. In 3.0, these are now validated during Admin entry which ensures that the Admin will know up front if there is a formatting issue when they try to save the setting.

App Insights

We improved failed order diagnostics and troubleshooting in App Insights used by our Service and DevOps teams. Slight improvements to messaging in the order queue were also been made.

Product Admin Updates

• We added a new setting to control which products should use the Cloud UI. This foundational change is in preparation for the PDP design refresh, and more information will come soon. Stay tuned!

• We enhanced the product editor admin page to support some features that are coming soon, such as:

  • Product variants will be able to be named, and that name will be presented to customers for clarity at several points in the customer journey and passed into Google Analytics 4.

  • Max prices will be able to be defined for a product variant that is not dynamically priced so that you can display savings at several points throughout the customer journey.

We can’t wait to share more information about these exciting enhancements in upcoming release notes!

Resolved Issues

Fast Flow

Previously, when more than one fast flow product was added to the same cart with unique assignments, the products would be assigned to only one account. Now, when more than one fast flow product is added to a cart with unique assignments, the products match the unique cards that were used for fast flow product assignment as expected.

3.0.1 Hotfix Release Notes

QR Code

Previously, in 3.0, the QR code was not showing in the confirmation email when configured to do so. This issue has been resolved, and the QR code displays as expected.

Date Filtering for AUS-based Resorts

Previously, filtering by date on the Order Queue/Record Queue in Aspenware Commerce admin did not work as expected at AUS date-based resorts. This has been fixed, and date filtering now works as expected.

My Account

Previously, some admin users could not access My Account on rare occasions. This issue has been resolved.