If you are keen to stay ahead with the latest innovations from Adobe, read on…
Firstly, who are Adobe and why are businesses choosing their commerce solution?
Adobe is a global leader in digital experience solutions, providing cutting-edge tools for content creation, marketing, and ecommerce. Adobe Commerce (formerly Magento) is one of the most powerful and scalable ecommerce platforms available that is trusted by businesses worldwide.
Known for its flexibility, enterprise-grade security, and advanced AI-driven personalisation, Adobe Commerce enables merchants to create seamless, high-converting shopping experiences. With built-in features like enterprise standard B2B functionality, serverless-extensibility with App Builder, and flexible front-end capabilities including Edge Delivery Services (with easy integration to Adobe Experience Manager) it’s the go-to choice for brands looking to scale, innovate, and stay ahead in the competitive digital marketplace.
Adobe continues to push the boundaries of digital commerce, rolling out powerful updates designed to enhance performance, security, and customer experiences. But with so many advancements, how do you determine which ones will have the biggest impact on your ecommerce business?
Whether you’re looking to streamline operations, improve site speed, or elevate customer engagement, staying informed on the right Adobe updates can give you a competitive edge.
In this guide, we break down the latest Adobe Commerce updates, highlighting the most valuable features for your business and how they can help you optimise your online store, increase conversions, and ensure your ecommerce strategy is scalable and resilient.
Let’s start by exploring Adobe Commerce’s latest security patch updates—why they matter, and why staying up to date isn’t just important, but non-negotiable.
1. Security Patch Release 2.4.7-p1 (June 11, 2024) – Essential for Security Compliance
This patch focused on addressing newly discovered vulnerabilities that could pose a risk to ecommerce businesses. Adobe continuously releases security patches to safeguard merchants from cyber threats, data breaches, and exploits.
Why this matters for your business:
Cyber security threats are constantly evolving, and not applying security patches could leave your store vulnerable to attacks. Whether you process hundreds or thousands of transactions daily, ensuring that your payment and customer data is protected is crucial.
Implementation tip:
Security patches should be applied immediately upon release. If you have a web support agreement with Williams Commerce, our team will alert you to schedule these updates regularly and test compatibility with your existing extensions.
2. Security Patch Release 2.4.7-p2 (August 13, 2024) – Ongoing Security Reinforcement
Building upon previous security updates, this patch introduced additional fixes for critical vulnerabilities, strengthening Adobe Commerce’s security framework.
How ecommerce Businesses Should Approach This Update:
- If you have already implemented patch 2.4.7-p1, this update further reduces risk from newly discovered threats.
- Businesses handling sensitive customer data (e.g., payments, personal information) should prioritise applying security patches as soon as they are released.
Implementation Tip:
If your business follows PCI compliance standards, security patches must be installed to maintain compliance. Schedule monthly security reviews with your web support team to ensure that patches are applied without affecting site performance.
3. Security Patch Release 2.4.7-p3 (October 8, 2024) – Final Security Reinforcement for the Year
Adobe’s third security update within six months shows the platform’s commitment to ongoing security. This patch continued to refine and strengthen the protection against cyber threats.
Why it’s important:
Each security patch builds on the previous one, addressing newly discovered risks that hackers might exploit. As cyberattacks become more sophisticated, ecommerce stores cannot afford to delay security updates.
Implementation tip:
- Ensure all security patches are applied cumulatively, as skipping one could leave a vulnerability exposed.
- If you manage an enterprise-level store, schedule security testing after installing patches to ensure there are no conflicts with third-party integrations.
4. Security Patch Release 2.4.7-p4 (Feb 11, 2025) – special mention for the isolated security patch included with this patch version
The first patch release of 2025 came with an isolated patch for a particularly high security advisory CVE-2025-24434. This approach from Adobe allows for the most critical security issues to be addressed immediately with minimal change (usually within 24-48 hours) while the full patch release can undergo comprehensive regression testing prior to launch.
It would be remiss of us at this point not to discuss what can happen if security patches are not updated in a timely manner. An ecommerce business can be exposed to serious risks that impact security, performance, compliance and customer trust. So, work with your digital agency and development teams to avoid these risks:
a. Increased Vulnerability to Cyberattacks
Security patches are released to fix newly discovered vulnerabilities. If an ecommerce business skips these updates, hackers can exploit known weaknesses to:
- Steal customer data (payment details, personal information).
- Inject malware or ransomware, disrupting business operations.
- Compromise admin access, allowing attackers to take over the site.
b. Potential Data Breaches and Legal Consequences
A failure to apply security updates can result in customer data breaches, which may lead to:
- GDPR or PCI non-compliance fines, depending on your location and industry.
- Loss of customer trust if sensitive data is exposed.
- Expensive legal action or reputational damage from affected users.
c. Site performance issues and unexpected downtime
Outdated versions of Adobe Commerce may suffer from performance degradation, leading to:
- Slower load times, which negatively affect SEO and conversion rates.
- Incompatibility with newer extensions or integrations, breaking key site functions.
- Increased risk of downtime, which can halt sales and damage customer experience.
d. Higher recovery costs and business disruption
Ignoring security patches not only increases risk—it also raises recovery costs. Businesses that get hacked or experience site failures often face:
- Expensive emergency fixes and data recovery efforts.
- Lost revenue due to downtime and customer churn.
- Higher long-term development costs compared to a proactive update strategy.
e. Loss of Competitive Advantage
Ecommerce is a fast-moving industry, and outdated security measures can:
- Put your site at a disadvantage compared to competitors with secure, high-performing platforms.
- Reduce customer confidence, as users are less likely to shop on a site with security concerns.
- Limit innovation, as new Adobe features often rely on the latest updates.
What should ecommerce businesses do?
Schedule regular security updates—either monthly or as soon as Adobe releases a patch.
Work with a dedicated web support team or retain a managed development retainer service to ensure updates are applied correctly.
Perform regular security audits to identify and address vulnerabilities before they become a problem.
By staying proactive with security updates, businesses can protect their store, build customer trust, and ensure a smooth, uninterrupted shopping experience.
Final point… Allocating budget for regular security updates on your ecommerce store isn’t optional—it’s as fundamental as paying rent for a physical store. Just as a brick-and-mortar business can’t operate without a secure, well-maintained space, an online store can’t function safely without up-to-date security patches.
Now let’s move on to other recent updates from Adobe.
4. Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) 6.5
Adobe Experience Manager is a powerful content management solution. The latest version, 6.5.22.0 was released on November 21, 2024, and introduces a raft of performance improvements, security enhancements and stability fixes along with:
- Cloud Service Integration: AEM 6.5 integrates seamlessly with Adobe’s Cloud Service, providing automatic scaling and high availability giving merchants reassurance of optimal performance during traffic fluctuations.
- Intelligent Content Management: Enhanced AI-driven content tagging and personalisation features help deliver more relevant and engaging content to your audience.
- Headless CMS Capabilities: Improved headless CMS functionality allows for better content delivery across various channels and devices.
These advancements are designed to enhance the flexibility, scalability, and intelligence of your content management system, providing a more dynamic and personalised experience for your users.
For a comprehensive overview of all the updates and improvements in this release, please refer to the official Adobe Experience Manager 6.5 Service Pack Release Notes.
5. Adobe Analytics Update (Released January 26, 2025)
Adobe Analytics’ most recent update continues to evolve with new features designed to provide deeper insights into customer behaviour and more intuitive data analysis capability. Our Digital Marketing team love these features. Let’s take a comprehensive deep dive into these five enhancements.
5.1. Cross-Device Analytics: Track customer interactions across multiple devices to gain a comprehensive view of their journey.
Cross-device analytics helps businesses track how customers interact with their website across different devices, like phones, tablets, and desktops, to get a complete picture of their shopping journey.
Imagine you run an online furniture store. A customer might:
- Browse sofas on their phone during lunch.
- Switch to their laptop in the evening to compare options.
- Finally buy on a tablet after discussing with family.
Without cross-device tracking, these would look like separate visits, making it hard to understand the full journey. With cross-device analytics, you can:
- See the full path to purchase and know what’s driving conversions.
- Deliver seamless experiences—like reminding users of products they viewed on one device when they switch to another.
Why it matters? Better insights = Smarter marketing, personalised experiences, and higher conversions!
5.2. Real-Time Data: Access real-time analytics to make quicker, data-driven decisions. But what does this really mean? Real-time data means you can see what’s happening on your website or store instantly, without waiting for reports to update.
Imagine you run an online shoe store. With real-time analytics, you can:
- See live sales trends—if a certain shoe is selling fast, you can boost ads or restock quickly.
- Track customer activity instantly—if many users are abandoning checkout, you can fix issues immediately.
- Adjust promotions on the fly—if a discount isn’t driving sales, you can tweak it in real time.
Why it matters? Faster decisions = more sales, better customer experience, and reduced lost opportunities!
5.3. Advanced Segmentation: Enhanced segmentation capabilities allow for more precise targeting and personalised marketing campaigns. Let’s apply this in a hypothetical scenario; The merchant is a luxury watch retailer. Before the update, marketing campaigns were one-size-fits-all, leading to low engagement and wasted ad spend. After implementing advanced segmentation, the brand can;
- Identify high-value customers who browse but don’t buy.
- Creates personalised email offers—VIP customers get early access to new collections, while first-time visitors receive a welcome discount.
- Target ads based on behaviour— basket abandoners see retargeting ads with free shipping offers.
The impact of utilising advanced segmentation can provide higher engagement, increased conversions, and better ROI on marketing campaigns.
5.4. Enhanced Reporting Tools: New customisable dashboards and visualisation options allow for more tailored and insightful reporting. Let’s take a look at what this can look like: A premium skincare brand sells both online and in retail stores.
Before the Update: The marketing team struggled with static, disconnected reports, making it difficult to track which digital campaigns drove the most in-store and online sales. After implementing Enhanced Reporting Tools, the brand can see customisable dashboards and advanced visualisations, helping them to now:
- Track real-time sales performance across both ecommerce and retail locations in one view.
- Visualise customer journeys—seeing how online ads drive in-store purchases.
- Segment data easily (e.g., top-selling products by region, customer lifetime value, or abandoned cart trends).
This makes a strong impact. The team identifies that Meta ads perform best for online sales, while email campaigns drive more in-store purchases—allowing for better budget allocation and higher ROI on marketing spend.
5.5. Improved Data Integration: Streamlined processes for integrating data from various sources provide a more comprehensive view of customer interactions. Let’s take a look at how this plays out with a fashion retailer.
Before implementing Adobe’s latest Improved Data Integration update, the retailer struggled with fragmented customer data across multiple platforms:
- Website purchases were tracked in Adobe Commerce.
- Customer engagement data was in Adobe Experience Cloud.
- Email interactions were managed in Adobe Campaign.
- In-store sales data sat in a separate POS system.
Because these systems weren’t fully integrated, the retailer lacked a unified customer view, making it difficult to personalise marketing campaigns, track buying patterns, or create targeted promotions. With Adobe’s streamlined data integration, the retailer can now:
- Sync data from all sources (ecommerce, in-store, marketing, customer service) into a single Adobe Analytics dashboard.
- Identify key customer segments based on combined purchase history, online behaviour, and email interactions.
- Deliver hyper-personalised marketing. For example, a customer who recently browsed a luxury handbag online but didn’t buy it receives a targeted email with a personalised discount. If that same customer, then visits the store, sales associates can see their recent online activity and offer tailored recommendations.
This kind of data integration can result in notable increases in conversion rates due to personalised recommendations, higher customer retention as shoppers receive relevant offers at the right time and better inventory planning based on real-time purchase trends from both online and offline sources.
This is how improved data integration transforms raw data into actionable insights, helping merchants drive revenue, enhance customer experience, and improve operational efficiency.
Which updates are right for your ecommerce business?
1. Focus on Security and Performance
If your primary concern is security and performance, the Adobe Commerce 2.4.5 update and any security patches since then are crucial. The enhanced security features and performance optimizations will help protect your site and improve user satisfaction.
3. Content-Driven Strategy
If your online business relies heavily on story-telling and content marketing, Adobe Experience Manager 6.5’s intelligent content management and headless CMS capabilities are game changers. These features will help you deliver personalised and relevant content to your audience across various channels.
4. Data-Driven Decision Making
For businesses focused on data-driven decision making, Adobe Analytics’ latest features are indispensable. The ability to track customer interactions across devices and access real-time data allows you to make informed decisions that can boost your strategy.
Conclusion
The latest Adobe updates offer a range of improvements and new features that can significantly benefit your ecommerce business. Whether your focus is on security, performance, content management, or data-driven insights, there is something for every business in these updates. Evaluating your specific needs and goals will help you determine which updates are the most relevant and valuable for your ecommerce strategy.
If you want to discuss any of these Adobe updates in more depth with our experts, get in touch with our team.
Taking advantage of these latest updates can help supercharge your ecommerce performance and ensure you stay one step ahead of the competition.
