Our fifth and final system upgrade of the year brings a wide range of improvements and new functionalities across the Connect Marketplace platform. Over the past months, our teams have been working intensively on development, testing, and optimization to ensure greater stability, higher efficiency, and expanded capabilities for all sellers and customers who rely on our ecosystem. Below is a detailed overview of everything that’s new, organized into clear categories.
Technical Enhancements That Boost Performance
This upgrade brings a significant leap forward in system stability and performance. We have upgraded PHP to version 8.3, ensuring faster execution and preparing the platform for a smooth transition to PHP 8.4 next year. The new version brings improved compatibility, stronger security, and better resource management, resulting in faster page loads and an overall better user experience.
We have also upgraded our servers from Ubuntu 18.04 to 22.04, greatly enhancing security against DDoS attacks, SPAM, fake traffic, and SEO exploit attempts. This update also boosts core performance by improving the efficiency of PHP modules and database operations. Together, these changes result in a faster, safer, and more reliable platform capable of handling large data volumes without performance drops.
AI Takes the Lead in the Connect Ecosystem
This year marks the beginning of a major shift: artificial intelligence is becoming a core component of Connect Marketplace. After successful testing on our real estate marketplace Griffon Vulture, AI-driven features will soon be deployed across the entire network of themed marketplaces.
Smart Handshake – Personalized User Experiences
We are finalizing development of our patented SMART HANDSHAKE technology on Griffon Vulture — an advanced personalization system that adapts marketplace content to the individual interests of each user. Instead of one-size-fits-all content, customers receive fully tailored product listings, recommendations, and browsing experiences based on behavior, searches, and preferences.
This results in significantly higher relevance and increased conversion rates. After the testing and fine-tuning phase, SMART HANDSHAKE will be launched across our themed marketplaces as part of our Ultimate plan for sellers who want a more intelligent and efficient way to increase sales.
Connect AI Agent – Automated Customer Communication
One of the biggest highlights of this upgrade is the introduction of the Connect AI Agent — a powerful autonomous communication system capable of generating B2B and B2C leads in real time. The AI Agent identifies customer interest, reacts instantly, and communicates via email, WhatsApp, and WeChat — and if needed, it can even initiate calls to schedule online or in-person meetings.
The entire communication pipeline is automated and follows the rules and goals set by each individual seller. This brings huge time savings and a major boost in conversion rates, making 2026 an exciting year as Connect Marketplace enters a new era of AI-driven commerce.
A New Speed Module for Maximum Efficiency
To further improve performance, we have implemented Varnish full-page caching. This technology stores entire generated pages in RAM and delivers them to users instantly, without reloading backend processes. When content changes or TTL expires, Varnish automatically refreshes and stores the new version.
The result? Lightning-fast loading, reduced server load, and exceptional stability even during traffic spikes.
A New Main Theme for Advanced Store Design
Connect Marketplace now includes a brand-new main theme in the Design & Front End library. This modern base theme offers more layout flexibility, improved mobile responsiveness, and a visually richer structure for creating completely customized storefronts.
With more design freedom and a refined UI/UX foundation, sellers can build more unique, modern, and visually appealing eCommerce stores than ever before.
Additional Improvements Across the Platform
- Product Videos: enhanced video support for YouTube and Vimeo, with custom placement before or after product images.
- Shipping Methods: new USPS integration using the latest API version.
- Social Login: updated to support Google, Facebook, Telegram, and X (Twitter).
- Ajax Compatibility: improved block update logic for better addon stability.
- Core Update: Smarty library upgraded to version 5.4.3.
- Admin UI/UX: larger and clearer checkbox elements for easier navigation.
- Select2: library upgraded to the latest release candidate version.
Bug Fixes and System Optimization
- Faster XML processing during advanced product import.
- Transparent marketplace logos now display correctly in seller panels.
- Resolved issue allowing orders for out-of-stock items.
- Fixed drag-and-drop errors in warehouse zone settings.
- Improved RTL support for Safari 18.4+.
- Prevented duplicate categories during product import.
- Resolved PayPal errors for “Failed” and “Declined” orders.
- Correct application of themes activated via onboarding screen.
Conclusion: A Smarter, Faster, Future-Ready Platform
This final upgrade completes a year in which Connect Marketplace made major technical and strategic advances. Today, Connect is not just a platform — it is a full digital ecosystem built for scalability, automation, and AI-guided commerce.
With improved security, speed, intelligent automation, and advanced design capabilities, we continue to build an environment where our sellers can grow without limitations.
Thank you for your trust and partnership. The year ahead will bring even more innovation — more AI, more automation, and an even stronger Connect Marketplace network.
Forward. Faster. Smarter. Together.
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