Extensions Hub is a new section in the Admin that allows VTEX-certified developers and partners to expand their reach by offering their products and services directly to VTEX merchants. The Extensions Hub will be available globally in all VTEX stores in the third quarter (Q3) of 2023.
What has changed?
With the Extensions Hub, we are introducing the concept of extensions, which are tools that enhance the functionality of the VTEX platform. Extensions include VTEX IO apps, payment connectors, marketplace integrations, and others.
Extensions Hub is a new section in the Admin that groups three pages: App Store, Partners, and App Management. You can find more information about these pages on the Help Center announcement and our documentation.
With the release of Extensions Hub, we are also changing our terms of service to enable partners to sell and promote their solutions in the App Store. If you are a VTEX partner, there will be an addendum to the contract considering the new flow of payments and pricing structure.
Why did we make this change?
With the release of Extensions Hub, we are improving the experience of merchants dealing with extensions. The improvements are:
- Give a unified experience on Admin. Find solutions and partners, and manage apps, all in one place.
- Have a simple, fast, and frictionless experience to acquire and install apps in the store.
- Make it easier to find and contact partners that deliver custom solutions.
On top of that, we are enabling partners to sell and promote solutions in the App Store with our new business model. We have dedicated sections to highlight success cases and featured apps on the App Store home page. Our goal with the Partners page is to make partners easily discoverable and approachable by merchants.
What needs to be done?
There will be no changes to the app development, approval, publishing, and marketing processes. However, we updated some of our marketing guidelines to be compatible with our new App Store. We have new rules for icons and the maximum size of the app headline is now limited to 120 characters. Make sure to check our updated guidelines in the documentation.
Also, if you are a VTEX partner that has an app published in the App Store, please contact our team to sign the updated contract considering the new App Store business model.