We are excited to announce the release of WP Review Slider Pro version 12.7.1. This update is one of our most significant yet, focusing on deep connectivity and a smoother design experience. Whether you are looking to automate your marketing with Zapier or fine-tune your responsive sliders, this version has something for you.
Here is a deep dive into what’s new.
1. Connect Your Reviews to Anything with Webhooks
The headline feature of 12.7.1 is the addition of Review Webhooks. You can now send an outbound HTTPS POST with a JSON payload whenever a new review is added to your Review List.
This opens up endless automation possibilities. By connecting to services like Zapier, Make (formerly Integromat), or n8n, you can:
- Send new 5-star reviews to a Slack or Discord channel.
- Automatically add reviewer emails to your CRM (like Mailchimp or HubSpot).
- Trigger a custom “Thank You” email or SMS.
Key Technical Details:
- Advanced Filtering: Only fire webhooks for specific sources, review types, or rating thresholds (e.g., only send 4 and 5-star reviews).
- Secure Delivery: Includes an optional HMAC-SHA256 signing secret so your endpoint can verify the request is authentic.
- Reliable & Async: Deliveries are queued and sent via the WordPress cron system to ensure your site performance isn’t affected by external API latency.
- Delivery Log: A built-in log on the Tools page helps you track successful sends and troubleshoot errors.
2. Google Places API Support for Service Area Businesses (SABs)
For businesses that operate in a specific area but don’t have a physical storefront (like plumbers, cleaners, or mobile detailers), Google often hides the specific address. Previously, this made it difficult to pull reviews via the standard Places API.
In 12.7.1, we’ve updated our Google Places integration to fully support Service Area Businesses. You can now easily search for and connect your SAB profile to keep your local reputation front and center on your website. Now all three of our Google Review download methods support Service Area Businesses.
3. Lightning-Fast Template Previews via AJAX
We know that designing the perfect review slider involves a lot of “tweak and check.” To make this process faster, we have completely re-engineered the Template Preview engine.
Instead of loading the preview in a slow iframe, the plugin now uses AJAX to update the preview div instantly. This means:
- Faster refresh times when changing colors, fonts, or layouts.
- A more responsive UI that doesn’t feel like it’s “reloading” the whole page.
- Better accuracy in how the slider will look on your actual front-end.
4. Custom Breakpoints for Advanced Sliders
Responsive design is no longer “one size fits all.” While our sliders have always been mobile-friendly, version 12.7.1 gives you total control.
Under the Avatar Navigation settings for Advanced Sliders, you can now modify the default Breakpoints. This allows you to decide exactly at what screen width the slider should switch from 3 columns to 2, or from 2 to 1, ensuring your reviews look perfect on every device from the smallest phone to the largest ultra-wide monitor.
How to Update
Version 12.7.1 is available now. You can update directly from your WordPress dashboard. If you haven’t tried the Pro version yet, head over to wpreviewslider.com to see how these new features can help grow your social proof.
