June 2022 Summaries

Sanity has announced a strategic partnership with Shopify, marking Shopify's first investment in a content platform, which aims to seamlessly integrate their headless offerings to enhance e-commerce experiences. This collaboration aligns with both companies' visions for the future of web technologies and positions Sanity to leverage Shopify's vast e-commerce influence, having witnessed Shopify's ecosystem growth with the launch of the Hydrogen framework and Oxygen platform. The partnership strengthens Sanity's presence in e-commerce while maintaining its commitment to media and digitally native companies that rely on its structured content platform. With undisclosed funding from Shopify and a robust community of nearly 200,000, Sanity is poised to continue innovating in digital experience and content management, expanding its team and product offerings, and educating the market about the benefits of structured content.

Shopify has launched Hydrogen, a framework for building React 18 sites, and Oxygen, a hosting platform for server-rendered components on Shopify’s infrastructure, aiming to deliver up-to-date storefronts with high performance, excellent user experience, and strong SEO. During the beta phase, a collaboration with Shopify resulted in the creation of a demo showcasing how structured content can enhance the shopping experience by integrating content with product information. To facilitate this integration, the Sanity Connect app was developed, available on the Shopify marketplace, allowing seamless syncing of product data to the Content Lake. The AKVA Demo store illustrates the potential of Hydrogen and Oxygen by providing examples of fetching and enriching product data, using a page-builder for custom landing pages, embedding product CTAs, and employing editor-configurable navigation patterns. The source code and detailed documentation for the demo are accessible on GitHub, offering an excellent starting point for those interested in exploring these new tools.

Sanity Studio Version 3 is a major upgrade designed to enhance the developer experience by introducing a host of new features and improvements. This version allows for greater flexibility and customization, enabling developers to build exceptional editorial experiences through a framework that supports dynamic configuration, multiple workspaces, and plugin instances. Key upgrades include the use of any JavaScript bundler, embedding capabilities in various projects, and the introduction of a new Plugins API and toolkit that facilitates plugin development and migration. Sanity Studio v3 also supports dark mode and anticipates future theming options, offering a refined user interface that adapts to system preferences. The upgrade replaces the old Parts System with new APIs, providing developers with better tools for customization and personalization. Furthermore, the introduction of a Sanity Docs Beta with migration guides and a complete API reference aims to streamline the transition from v2 and support ongoing development. Despite breaking changes, Sanity Studio v3 seeks to balance ease of use with extensibility, empowering developers to quickly build tailored content editing experiences without compromise.

Structured Content 2022 highlights the transformative potential of structured content in enhancing digital experiences across various industries. The event features insights from thought leaders and experts who discuss how structured content shifts power to users, enables intuitive design, and enhances editorial experiences by allowing for flexibility and rapid content updates. Speakers from prominent companies like Spotify, The New York Times, and AT&T share strategies for managing large-scale content infrastructure, emphasizing the importance of content as both a product and a tool for revenue growth. The conference underscores the critical role structured content plays in creating intentional, engaging, and scalable digital experiences, with discussions ranging from design innovation to the integration of external data sources.

Structured Content 2022, held from May 24-26, marked Sanity's inaugural conference, focusing on the transformative power of structured content to enhance digital experiences. Hosted in San Francisco with virtual and global watch parties, the event was not a product showcase but a platform to share Sanity’s vision and methodology, aiming to inspire a cross-disciplinary community involved in creating digital experiences. The conference featured keynotes from Sanity leaders, industry panels, and discussions with speakers from prominent companies like AT&T, the New York Times, and Spotify. It emphasized the need to routinely deliver integrated, inspiring digital interactions and fostered collaboration among diverse professionals, including developers, designers, and content strategists. The event underscored the collective effort required to address common challenges in digital content creation, reinforcing Sanity's commitment to building a movement around innovative content strategies.