The release 199 includes a series of optimizations and enhancements aimed at improving performance, functionality, and data consistency on icecat.biz. Key updates in this release focus on enhancing server-side rendering for faster page loads, strengthening brand validation during registration, refining the copy product functionality for easier management, updating <ReleaseDate> tag logic in local XML files, and improving data consistency and structure in product CSVs. For additional details, please refer to the previous Icecat Release Notes.
In the latest sprint at icecat.biz, our development team focused on a crucial optimization of our website’s code, resulting in significantly improved page load speeds. This effort was part of a broader initiative to enhance the user experience by migrating the website to Server-Side Rendering (SSR). The results, as measured by Google’s Lighthouse metrics, demonstrate the tangible benefits of this transition.
The Login page is a gateway for our users, and its performance is crucial. Here are the Lighthouse metrics before and after implementing SSR:
Previous Version:
New SSR Version:
Analysis:
The Compare Products page, a vital tool for our users to make necessary products comparing, also saw impressive improvements:
The move to Server-Side Rendering has already shown substantial improvements in critical areas such as performance, accessibility, best practices, and SEO. The Login page now boasts near-perfect scores across all metrics, and the Compare Products page, despite its complexity, has also seen notable enhancements. These changes reflect our ongoing dedication to providing an exceptional user experience.
In our latest sprint, we focused on enhancing the validation process on the Registration page for brand partners. This initiative aimed to streamline the registration process and reduce the frequency of duplicate brand entries in the “Add new brand” request form, ensuring a smoother experience for our users.
One of our key goals for this sprint was to refine the validation mechanism on our Registration page, particularly for the brand name field. When users attempt to register a new brand in the Icecat database, they now encounter a more robust validation system designed to prevent duplicate entries and ensure consistency in brand naming conventions.
The new validation process is straightforward yet effective. When a user enters a brand name, for example, “Hewlett-Packard Enterprise”, our system checks this name against our existing database using our API. If a different name is already registered in our system, the API detects the discrepancy and prompts the user to use the correct name—in this case, “HPE”.
Users are then given two options: they can either contact our team through a contact form for further assistance or proceed with the registration process using the suggested brand name by simply clicking a button “Back to registration”. This button conveniently inserts the recommended brand name into the brand name field, ensuring a seamless user experience.
With this enhanced validation system, we anticipate a reduction in the number of queries directed to our vendor manager regarding new brand creation. The streamlined process not only benefits our users by simplifying brand partner registration but also reduces the administrative burden on our team.
We are glad to inform you that in our most recent sprint, we made improvements to the usability and functionality of our Copy Product feature. Two significant improvements were made: the addition of the ability to copy the UK Energy label from one product to another, and a user interface enhancement based on feedback from our editors.
The UK Energy label is a critical component of product information, providing essential details about energy consumption and efficiency. To streamline the process of creating new product entries, we have now enabled the Copy Product functionality to include the UK Energy label. This means users can easily duplicate this important information from one product to another, ensuring consistency and saving valuable time.
Based on valuable feedback from our editors, we also made a significant improvement to the user interface. Previously, the “Copy” button was located at the bottom of the window, requiring users to scroll down each time they needed to copy a product. This was time-consuming and inefficient, particularly for editors who frequently use this function.
To enhance usability, we have moved the “Copy” button to the top of the window. This change allows users to quickly and easily copy a product without the need to scroll down, significantly speeding up their workflow.
These enhancements to our Copy Product functionality reflect our ongoing commitment to improving the efficiency and usability of our platform. By enabling the copying of the UK Energy label and repositioning the “Copy” button based on editor feedback, we have made significant strides in optimizing the workflow for our users.
In the latest sprint, we made significant enhancements to the logic governing the “<ReleaseDate>” tag in our local XML files. This update aims to improve the handling and display of release dates, ensuring that users receive more comprehensive and accurate information. Below, we outline the previous logic, the new logic, and the implications of these changes.
Previously, the logic for the “<ReleaseDate>” tag was straightforward but limited in scope. The rules were as follows:
1. Local Release Date Available: If a product had a local release date, it was displayed in the local XML file.
2. No Local Release Date: If a product did not have a local release date, the “<ReleaseDate>” tag was left empty.
This logic, while simple, resulted in many instances of empty “<ReleaseDate>” tags, which did not provide a complete picture, especially for products with an international release date.
The new logic introduces an additional condition to handle cases where an international release date is available, thereby enhancing the completeness of the data provided. The updated rules are:
1. Local Release Date Available: If a product has a local release date, it will be displayed in the local XML file.
2. No Local Release Date but International Release Date Available: If a product does not have a local release date but has an international release date, the international release date will be displayed in the local XML file with the corresponding langId=”0″.
3. No Local or International Release Date: If a product has neither a local nor an international release date, the “<ReleaseDate>” tag will remain empty.
The updated “<ReleaseDate>” tag logic offers several benefits:
1. Enhanced Data Completeness: By incorporating international release dates, we provide a more complete set of release information to users.
2. Better Data Utilization: Leveraging international release dates ensures that the available data is used more effectively, enhancing the overall value of our XML files.
The enhancement to the `<ReleaseDate>` tag logic in our local XML files represents a significant improvement in how we handle and display product release dates. By including international release dates when local ones are not available, we provide a more comprehensive and useful dataset to our users.
In our latest sprint, we focused on aligning our product CSV files with the Personal Catalog File (PCF). The PCF is a vital component that contains comprehensive data about products in CSV format, including all products from the user feed file matched with products in the Icecat database. This alignment ensures that both files share the same structure.
In this sprint, we incorporated bullet points in the CSV files to highlight key features and specifications of each product, as defined in the PCF. Each bullet point is separated by pipeline “|”.
The alignment of product CSV files with the PCF is aimed to enhance the end-user experience by ensuring that product data is comprehensive.
These updates in release 199 highlight our ongoing efforts to optimize functionality and uphold data reliability on icecat.biz. We are dedicated to continuously improving our platform to better serve your needs. Your feedback is crucial as we aim to ensure Icecat remains your preferred choice for product information integration and management.
Read further: Icecat, Icecat, icecat release notes
