June was a milestone month at Zorem. We shipped two major version jumps — AST PRO 5.0 with a completely redesigned admin and three new carrier integrations, and CEV PRO 3.0 with a unified Smart Form, paid-order gatekeeping, SMS OTP, and the new Zorem UI design system. Zorem Returns gained warranty workflows and fraud prevention, SMS for WooCommerce added six new plugin integrations, and every plugin was tested against WooCommerce 10.8.1 and WordPress 7.0.
Here’s everything that shipped, plugin by plugin.
★ Biggest release of the monthAST PRO 5.0 & 5.0.1
Released June 23 & June 29, 2026
AST PRO crossed the 5.0 milestone with a complete admin redesign, three new carrier integrations, and a round of important fixes for WooCommerce 10.8.1 compatibility. If you’ve been waiting for a cleaner, faster tracking admin, this is the release.
- Completely redesigned admin interface — a modern, cleaner look across every AST PRO screen, easier to scan and faster to use day-to-day.
- New integrations with Dripshipper, Chit Chats, and Mondial Relay — tracking numbers from these platforms now sync directly to WooCommerce orders.
- Improved Parcel2Go tracking reliability when the standalone Parcel2Go Shipping plugin is installed.
- BigSeller tracking from order notes now correctly links to the Shipment Tracking widget and triggers the shipped email.
- Cin7 Core tracking sync fix — tracking numbers from Cin7 Core now reliably sync to WooCommerce orders.
- JTL-Connector and JTL-Wawi compatibility — DHL tracking numbers from JTL-Wawi now save correctly when only AST PRO is installed (no free plugin required).
- Safer activation — AST PRO now safely deactivates the free Advanced Shipment Tracking plugin before loading, instead of crashing on activation.
- PayPal tracking export fix — Custom API Name carrier aliases now resolve correctly, preventing PayPal API rejections that could affect Seller Protection.
- ShipStation per-item tracking fix for variation products with parent/variation SKU collisions.
- Theme compatibility fixes — resolved an unescaped script tag that corrupted the My Account page on Shoptimizer and CommerceKit themes, and fixed missing order details in virtual-product confirmation emails.
Tested with WooCommerce 10.8.1 and WordPress 7.0.
★ Major version releaseCustomer Email Verification PRO 3.0
Released June 23, 2026
CEV PRO 3.0 is the biggest release in the plugin’s history. A new Smart Form unifies login and registration with full brand customisation, phone-based OTP arrives via four SMS gateways, and Paid-Order Gatekeeping shuts down welcome-coupon abuse for good. The entire admin has been rebuilt on the new Zorem UI design system.
- Smart Form — unified login & register — a fully brand-customizable login/register form for My Account, or any post or page via the
Login
- 4 ready-made Smart Form layouts — switch between fully responsive layouts from the admin without touching code, each inheriting your customizer brand settings.
- Flexible login + registration modes — let customers log in with password or email OTP, and register with either email or phone, all with built-in OTP verification.
- SMS verification gateways — deliver phone OTP via MSG91, Twilio, Vonage, or WhatsApp Business, configurable per-site.
- My Account takeover (optional) — Smart Form can replace WooCommerce’s default
form-login.phpso the same branded login/register experience runs across your storefront. - Paid-Order Gatekeeping — verified users stay in a restricted “pending paid order” state until their first WooCommerce order completes. Stops welcome-coupon abuse and prevents bot accounts from receiving promotional emails before they’ve bought anything.
- Force re-verify all customers — a one-click admin tool to mark every existing unverified user as unverified. Perfect for cleaning up legacy accounts after a spam attack or fresh install. Batched via Action Scheduler for large sites.
- Cart-Total Threshold Verification — trigger OTP verification only when the cart subtotal or total exceeds a configured amount. Combines with Category-Specific Verification via OR logic, with multi-currency normalisation.
- Polylang compatibility — all verification emails, popup messages, and admin notices are now translatable via Polylang’s String Translations panel, alongside existing WPML support.
- New Zorem UI design system (ZUI) — every CEV PRO screen has been rebuilt with a unified visual language: consistent typography, cards, sidebar navigation, snackbar toasts, confirmation modals, and inline tooltips. The same design language is rolling out across the Zorem plugin family.
Tested with WooCommerce 10.8.1 and WordPress 7.0.
✨ Major feature additionsZorem Returns 1.6.4
Released June 23, 2026
A packed release for stores managing complex returns: warranty workflows, fraud prevention controls, internal admin notes, plus a long list of VAT and exchange improvements. If you sell into Europe or run a high-volume returns desk, this one’s for you.
- Warranty Request Workflow — handle warranty claims as a distinct flow from standard returns, with its own status, customer messaging, and admin workflow.
- Fraud Prevention — Per-Customer Return Limit & Blocklist — cap how many returns a single customer can submit in a time window, and block specific customers from initiating new returns.
- Internal Admin Notes per Return Request — leave private notes on a return that only your team can see, perfect for handoffs between support and warehouse staff.
- Sequential Order Number compatibility — full integration with the popular Sequential Order Number for WooCommerce plugin, with sequential numbers now displayed on the customer Returns & Exchanges account page.
- VAT improvements throughout the exchange flow — VAT-inclusive totals on the customer Returns & Exchanges page, correct VAT amount in exchange credit calculations, and accurate pending payment amounts for exchange orders.
- Better exchange item visibility — requested exchange products now appear in exchange request notification emails, approval emails, admin order sections, and the “Your Exchange Request Has Been Received” customer email.
- “No Payment Required” labeling — exchange orders now show this label instead of the original payment method, removing confusion for customers and accounts teams.
- Multisite fix — the My Returns & Exchanges page no longer shows returns from all network sites.
- Store credit coupon fix — coupons now generate correctly when an exchange status is set to Completed from the Returns dashboard.
Tested with WooCommerce 10.8.1 and WordPress 7.0.
⚠ Six new integrationsSMS for WooCommerce 2.4.3
Released June 22, 2026
Six new plugin integrations in a single release. If your stack includes memberships, events, bookings, marketing automation, or learning management, SMS for WooCommerce now connects directly.
- WooCommerce Memberships compatibility — send SMS on membership events like new signups, renewals, and expirations.
- Paid Memberships Pro compatibility — full SMS automation for the second-most-popular WordPress memberships plugin.
- The Events Calendar + Event Tickets Plus compatibility — automated SMS for event purchases, reminders, and updates.
- Amelia Booking compatibility — including 24-hour and same-day SMS appointment reminders, a top request for service businesses.
- FluentCRM compatibility — a native “Send SMS” automation step inside FluentCRM workflows.
- Tutor LMS compatibility — SMS notifications for course enrollments, lesson completions, and quiz results.
Tested with WooCommerce 10.8.1 and WordPress 7.0.
CBR PRO 4.4.0
Released June 22, 2026
A refreshed settings page and two important validation fixes for stores running country-based restrictions.
- Upgraded Settings page design — cleaner layout that’s easier to navigate when you’re configuring complex country rules.
- Fixed country restriction validation when the shipping country is changed after a product has already been added to the cart.
- Fixed Country Selector persistence on Custom Quote Tool pages — selected locations now stick correctly.
Tested with WooCommerce 10.8.1 and WordPress 7.0.
View as Customer 1.5.4
Released June 8, 2026
A useful frontend upgrade for any admin who impersonates customers to debug their experience.
- Frontend “Viewing as” admin bar — a persistent bar showing the customer name, role, and a Switch Back button. Includes custom styling options,
redirect_toURL support, and a My Account fallback redirect so you always know whose session you’re in.
Tested with WooCommerce 10.8.1.
More June updates
Compatibility and quiet improvements across the free editions.
Customer Email Verification (Free) 2.8
- Redesigned admin with the new Zorem UI design system, matching the PRO release.
- Fixed undefined variable
$expire_timenotice. - Compatibility with WooCommerce 10.9.1 and WordPress 7.0.
Country Based Restrictions (Free) 3.7.9
- Upgraded Settings page design, matching the PRO refresh.
- Tested with WooCommerce 10.8.1 and WordPress 7.0.
How to update your plugins
All updates are available now from your WordPress dashboard. As always, we recommend:
- Take a backup of your store before updating.
- Test on a staging environment if you have one, especially for the AST PRO 5.0 and CEV PRO 3.0 major versions.
- Update one plugin at a time so any issues are easy to isolate.
Run into anything unexpected? Our support team is here to help.
What’s coming next
July will continue the rollout of the new Zorem UI design system to more plugins across the catalog, alongside new analytics features in AST PRO and deeper Smart Form templates for CEV PRO. We’re also testing a few cross-plugin workflows that connect Returns, SMS, and CEV more tightly.
Thanks for trusting Zorem with your WooCommerce store. Every release is shaped by your feedback — keep it coming.