Finding & Choosing Shopify Themes – What To Consider

Shopify themes are pre-designed templates that define the visual appearance and layout of your online store on the Shopify platform. These themes serve as the foundation of your store’s design, impacting everything from user experience to conversion rates. We’ll look at how Shopify themes work, where to find them, and how to choose, customize, and optimize the right theme for your business.

What Are Shopify Themes?

Shopify themes are collections of templates that dictate how your Shopify store looks and functions. They are essential in creating an aesthetically pleasing and user-friendly online store, whether you are running a small boutique or a large e-commerce site. These themes come with pre-built layouts for your homepage, product pages, collections, and other vital sections of your store.

Image source: https://www.shopify.com/blog/shopify-themes

How Do Shopify Themes Work?

Shopify themes work by providing the structure and design elements that are applied across your entire online store. When you select a theme from the Shopify Theme Store, it automatically applies a cohesive design to your store’s pages, ensuring a consistent brand experience.

These themes are built using a combination of HTML, CSS, and Shopify’s Liquid templating language, allowing for extensive customization through the Shopify admin panel.

Where to Find Shopify Themes

You can find Shopify themes in the Shopify Theme Store, which offers a wide range of both free Shopify themes and premium Shopify themes. The Shopify Theme store provides themes designed by Shopify as well as third-party developers like Pixel Union, ensuring a variety of options to suit different industries and business sizes.

For more specialized themes, you can explore third-party marketplaces like ThemeForest, where you can find responsive premium Shopify themes specifically designed for various niches.

Evolution of Shopify Themes

With Shopify now an established lead in global ecommerce, similarly theme design and theme developers have evolved, improving themes and design over the years.

The Growth of Shopify Themes Over Time

Since Shopify’s inception, its theme offerings have evolved significantly. Initially, Shopify provided only a few basic templates, but as the platform grew, the demand for more sophisticated, high-performance themes increased.

This evolution has been driven by advances in web design technology and the growing needs of online stores across various industries.

From Basic Designs to Advanced Features

Early Shopify themes were simple and focused on basic e-commerce functionality. Over time, as Shopify stores became more complex, themes evolved to include advanced features like predictive search, mega menus, and integrated store locators.

These features make it easier for customers to navigate stores with large catalogs and find the products they need quickly.

Current Trends in Shopify Themes

Today, Shopify themes reflect modern web design trends such as minimalist design, mobile-first layouts, and the use of video content. Themes are now highly customizable, allowing store owners to adjust color swatches, display products in image galleries, and integrate promotional banners seamlessly.

The emphasis is on creating a user-friendly experience that is both visually appealing and optimized for fast site speed.

Types of Shopify Themes

There are two types of themes, free and premium paid.

Free vs. Premium Shopify Themes

When setting up your Shopify store, one of the first decisions you’ll make is whether to use a free theme or invest in a premium Shopify theme. Free Shopify themes are an excellent starting point for new businesses, offering essential features and a clean design.

They are developed and maintained by Shopify, ensuring they are reliable and regularly updated.

Premium Shopify themes, on the other hand, come with advanced features and more customization options. These themes are often designed with specific industries in mind, such as fashion and apparel brands or beauty brands, making them ideal for stores looking to stand out with a unique design and functionality.

Premium themes typically include features like a sticky header, countdown timers, and flexible design settings, which can enhance the shopping experience.

Multipurpose vs. Niche-Specific Themes

Another consideration is whether to choose a multipurpose Shopify theme or one that is specifically designed for your industry. Multipurpose themes are versatile and can be customized to suit any type of store, from apparel brands to the pet industry.

Niche-specific themes, however, are tailored to the needs of particular businesses, offering features like large collections display for high volume stores or spacious theme layouts for fashion stores.

Below you can see a niche specific theme, in this case for pets.

Image source: https://webdesign.tutsplus.com/best-themes-for-shopify-pet-store–cms-36409a

Pros and Cons of Free Shopify Themes

• Pros: Cost-effective, simple to use, regularly updated by Shopify, ideal for beginners.
• Cons: Limited design options, fewer advanced features, may require apps for added functionality.

Pros and Cons of Premium Shopify Themes

• Pros: Advanced features, highly customizable, specifically designed for different industries, dedicated support team.
• Cons: Higher cost, may require more time to set up, can be overwhelming for beginners.

Key Features to Look for in a Shopify Theme

When choosing a theme, there are some foundational features that are worth considering.

Responsive Design

This is rather obvious in this day an age, but a responsive design is important for any e-commerce website, ensuring that your store looks and functions well on all devices, including desktops, tablets, and smartphones.

Shopify themes are built with responsiveness in mind, meaning they automatically adjust their layout to fit the screen size of the device being used.

Customizable Layouts and Design

The ability to customize your theme’s layout and design is important for creating a unique online store. Look for themes that offer flexible design settings, allowing you to change everything from the color scheme to the typography.

This ensures that your store aligns with your brand colors and overall aesthetic.

SEO Optimization & Fast Site Speed

SEO-friendly design and fast site speed are essential features included in the best Shopify ecommerce themes. Themes that are optimized for search engines help your store rank higher in search results, driving more organic traffic. Additionally, themes with optimized code and efficient loading times enhance user experience, reduce bounce rates and improve metrics such as core web vitals (CWV).

Advanced Navigation Options

For stores with large catalogs, advanced navigation features like mega menus, predictive search, and sticky headers are important. These features help customers easily find what they’re looking for, improving the overall shopping experience and increasing the likelihood of conversion.

Built-In Promotional Tools

Promotional banners, countdown timers, and pop-ups are useful tools for driving sales and engaging customers. Look for themes that include these features, as they can help you promote special offers, highlight featured products, and encourage impulse purchases.

How to Choose The Right Shopify Theme

Choosing the right theme can make or break you Shopify ecommerce business.

Understand Your Business Needs

When choosing the right Shopify theme, start by assessing your business needs. Consider the type of products you sell, your target audience, and the overall tone you want your store to convey.

For example, fashion brands might prefer a theme that emphasizes high-quality imagery and minimalist design, while a high volume store might need a theme that supports large catalogs and has robust search functionality.

Explore the Shopify Theme Store

The Shopify Theme Store is your primary resource for finding both free options and premium themes. Use the filters to search for themes by industry, layout style, and features.

Each theme comes with a demo, so you can see how it looks and functions before making a decision.

Consider the Features Included

Review the features included with each theme to ensure they meet your store’s requirements. For example, if you run a beauty brand, you might want a theme with integrated image galleries and video content capabilities to showcase products effectively.

If you’re selling online in multiple languages, look for themes that support EU translations and other localization features.

Test the Theme’s Flexibility

Before finalizing your choice, test the theme’s flexibility by customizing the demo. Adjust the layout, change the colors, and try out different design settings to see how well the theme adapts to your brand.

Ensure that the theme allows for easy customization without needing to write code, especially if you’re not a developer.

Factor in Support and Updates

Finally, consider the level of support and frequency of updates provided by the theme’s developer.

Premium Shopify themes often come with dedicated support teams and regular updates, ensuring that your store remains secure and compatible with the latest Shopify features.

Customizing Your Shopify Theme

Shopify has many features to make is relatively easy to customise the look and feel of your theme. Below are some of the foundational features.

Using the Shopify Theme Editor

Shopify’s theme editor is a powerful tool that allows you to customize your theme without any coding knowledge. Through the editor, you can modify your store’s layout, change colors, add promotional banners, and adjust typography.

This customization ensures that your online store reflects your brand identity.

Branding Your Store with Customization

Customizing your Shopify theme allows you to maintain consistent branding across your store. Start by choosing brand colors that align with your logo and overall aesthetic. Then, customize the fonts and layout to create a cohesive look that resonates with your target audience.

Adding Advanced Features

For those who want to go beyond basic customization, Shopify allows for advanced theme customization through its liquid templating language. This can be used to add new features, adjust the layout of product pages, or create unique templates for specific collections.

Integrating Shopify Apps for Extended Functionality

The Shopify App Store offers a wide range of apps that can be integrated into your theme to enhance functionality.

For example, you can add apps for customer reviews, countdown timers, or sticky add-to-cart buttons. These integrations help improve the shopping experience and drive conversions.

Testing and Previewing Changes

Before publishing any changes, it’s important to test and preview your customizations. Shopify’s theme editor allows you to see how your store will look on different devices, ensuring that your design is responsive and user-friendly.

Make sure to check the functionality of any new features and ensure that all elements are displayed correctly.

Optimizing Shopify Themes for Mobile

Most, if not all Shopify themes are already optimized for mobile. Below we look at why it’s important.

Why Mobile Optimization Matters

With a significant portion of e-commerce traffic coming from mobile devices, optimizing your Shopify theme for mobile is essential.

Mobile-optimized themes ensure that your store is easy to navigate, loads quickly, and provides a seamless shopping experience on smartphones and tablets.

Adopting a Mobile-First Approach

A mobile-first approach involves designing your store’s mobile version before scaling it up for desktop. This ensures that the most critical elements, like navigation and product display, are optimized for smaller screens.

Shopify themes are typically responsive, but adopting a mobile-first strategy can further enhance usability and performance.

Ensuring Fast Load Times on Mobile

Fast site speed is important for retaining mobile users. Compress images, reduce the number of apps running in the background, and choose a theme known for its high performance. Tools like Google PageSpeed Insights can help you test and optimize your mobile load times.

Optimizing Navigation for Mobile Users

Simplify your store’s navigation on mobile devices by using features like sticky headers and drop-down menus.

Predictive search and quick access to product categories also improve the mobile shopping experience, making it easier for customers to find what they’re looking for.

Testing Your Store on Mobile Devices

Before launching your store, test it on various mobile devices to ensure that it’s fully optimized.

Check for any issues with layout, navigation, or loading times, and make necessary adjustments. Shopify’s built-in preview tools allow you to see how your store looks on different screen sizes.

Shopify Themes for Different Niches

Depending on what niche or market a store operates in, the choice of theme can make a big difference.

Fashion and Apparel Brands

For fashion and apparel brands, themes like “Fashionopolism” and “Vogue” are designed to showcase products with large images and minimalist design. These themes often include features like lookbooks, image galleries, and flexible layouts that allow you to display products in an engaging way.

The Vogue Shopify theme

Beauty Brands

Beauty brands can benefit from themes like “Envy” and “Prestige,” which offer clean, elegant designs with ample space for high-quality imagery and video content. These themes are perfect for showcasing products with detailed descriptions and customer reviews.

Home and Furniture Stores

Themes like “Loft” and “Empire” are ideal for home and furniture stores, offering spacious layouts that can accommodate large catalogs. These themes often include features like mega menus, product filtering, and store locators, making it easier for customers to browse and find specific items.

Electronics and Gadgets

For electronics stores, themes like “Supply” and “Techmarket” offer robust features like product comparison tools, sticky add-to-cart buttons, and advanced search options. These themes are designed to handle high volumes of traffic and large collections, ensuring a smooth shopping experience.

Pet Industry

hemes like “Paws & Claws” are specifically designed for the pet industry, with playful designs and features like color swatches and product customization options. These themes help pet stores create an inviting and user-friendly shopping environment.

Integrating Apps with Shopify Themes

App play an integral part in enhancing your themes features and efficiency.

Enhancing Your Store’s Functionality with Apps

Integrating apps from the Shopify App Store can significantly enhance the functionality of your theme. Whether you need advanced analytics, marketing tools, or customer support features, there’s an app available to meet your needs.

Popular App Integrations

Some of the most popular app integrations include:

• Yotpo: For adding customer reviews and ratings directly to your product pages.
• Klaviyo: For email marketing automation that integrates seamlessly with your theme.
• Oberlo: For managing dropshipping and product sourcing, perfect for stores looking to scale.

Seamless App Integration

When choosing apps, ensure they integrate seamlessly with your theme without affecting site speed or functionality.

Many themes in the Shopify Theme Store are designed to work well with popular apps, but it’s always a good idea to test app integrations before fully implementing them on your site.

Customizing App Appearance

To maintain brand consistency, customize the appearance of apps to match your theme’s design. Most apps allow you to adjust colors, fonts, and layout settings, ensuring they blend in with your overall store aesthetic.

Testing After Integration

After integrating an app, test it thoroughly to ensure it works as expected and doesn’t interfere with your theme’s performance. Pay attention to load times, mobile responsiveness, and overall user experience.

Case Studies of Successful Shopify Stores

There are some famous Shopify success stories. Below are some of the most well known success stories.

Gymshark: A Fitness Apparel Success Story

Gymshark, a leading fitness apparel brand, leveraged Shopify’s platform and a high-performance theme to build a visually striking online store.

The theme they chose was optimized for mobile, featured high-quality imagery, and provided a seamless user experience, contributing to their rapid growth and success.

Brydge: Enhancing Customer Experience

Brydge, a company that sells premium keyboards for tablets, selected a theme that allowed them to display detailed product information and integrate customer reviews.

This theme’s flexibility and advanced features, like a sticky add-to-cart button and product filtering, played a crucial role in enhancing the customer experience and driving sales.

Lessons Learned

These case studies highlight the importance of choosing a theme that aligns with your brand’s needs and customer expectations. A theme that supports high-quality visuals, fast load times, and a user-friendly interface can significantly impact your store’s success.

Troubleshooting Common Shopify Theme Issues

At times, there will be issues with themes and performance. Below are some common issues and how you can deal with them.

Dealing with Slow Load Times

Slow load times are a common issue that can negatively impact your store’s performance. To address this, optimize your images, reduce the number of apps in use, and select a theme known for its fast site speed. Testing your site with tools like Google PageSpeed Insights can help identify specific areas for improvement.

Fixing Broken Layouts

Broken layouts can occur due to conflicting CSS or incorrect theme customizations. If you experience layout issues, try reverting to the default theme settings or consult Shopify’s support team for assistance.

Regularly updating your theme can also prevent compatibility issues with Shopify’s platform updates.

Resolving App Compatibility Issues

Sometimes, apps may not be fully compatible with your chosen theme, leading to functionality problems.

If this happens, check the app’s documentation for troubleshooting tips or contact the app developer. Consider switching to a different app if compatibility issues persist.

Maintaining SEO and Site Performance

SEO and site performance can be impacted by poorly optimized themes. Regularly check for broken links, ensure your theme is up to date, and keep the number of installed apps to a minimum. An SEO-friendly theme with clean code and fast load times will help maintain your site’s ranking in search engines.

Next Steps

Below is a quick summary of what we’ve discussed.

Summarizing the Importance of Shopify Themes

Choosing the right Shopify theme is important to the success of your online store. A well-designed theme not only enhances the visual appeal of your store but also improves user experience, site performance, and ultimately, your sales.

Next Steps for Your Shopify Store

Now that you have a comprehensive understanding of Shopify themes, it’s time to take the next steps. Explore the Shopify Theme Store to find the best Shopify theme for your business, customize it to fit your brand, and integrate the necessary apps to enhance functionality.

Remember to regularly test your store’s performance, especially on mobile devices, to ensure a seamless shopping experience for your customers.

Continuing Your E-Commerce Journey

As you continue to grow your Shopify store, keep exploring new themes and customization options. Stay updated on the latest design trends and advancements in Shopify’s platform to keep your store ahead of the competition.

With the right theme, you can create an online store that not only looks great but also drives sales and builds a loyal customer base.

Popular Questions

Below are some of the most common questions we get asked about this topic.