Shopify themes play an important role in shaping the online shopping experience for customers. Shopify themes are the foundation of an eCommerce site, how it functions, and how a customer will perceive your store. 

Choosing the right Shopify theme matters because it establishes brand identity, enhances user experience, and ensures it’s responsive to any device your customer is shopping from. Selecting the right theme also ties directly to customer retention, based on customer experience. According to Shopify, “94% of customers stated a positive customer experience made them more likely to purchase again.” 

Shopify themes are meant to be an evolving component of your business, and constantly changing. Any successful eCommerce brand should continue to optimize and test out new content on its site. Don't rush into it if you’re looking for a new Shopify theme. Once you establish your site and brand, switching themes can be costly, and take up too much of your time. It’s best to find the best one once and evolve from there. 

What is an eCommerce Theme? 

An eCommerce theme is a design template that eCommerce brands and business owners use as blueprints to design the look, design, and function of their eCommerce store. These themes are often built by the eCommerce platform you are using (Shopify, BigCommerce, Wix, etc.) They can be paid or free, and have the power to elevate an eCommerce brand’s visual look and branding, and overall shopping experience for customers. 

What are Shopify Themes? 

Shopify themes are themes built for Shopify stores that allow you to implement and customize how you want your eCommerce site to look, with a no-code

solution. They come from Shopify and Shopify partners directly and are developed by experienced designers and developers who have built and managed well-maintained and actively updated themes. You can find over 100 pre-built themes for Shopify in the Shopify Theme Store. 

Why go with Shopify? 

Shopify themes are highly customizable, with its themes being built for Online Store 2.0 (OS2.0). Shopify’s focus is to make its themes adaptable to any device including mobile, with eCommerce templates natively responding to a mobile experience. OS2.0 introduced the concept of “sections-everywhere,” which gives merchants the ability to use drag-and-drop sections on any page template of their storefront, making their store highly customizable. 

Free vs Paid Shopify Themes 

Choosing a premium Shopify theme is an investment that can pay off in the long run, as it can save you time, money, and frustration compared to using free themes that may not perform as well or lack the necessary features. 

Shopify offers a range of free and premium themes that cater to different industries and design preferences. A premium Shopify theme is any “paid for” theme. Premium themes typically come with advanced functionality and customization options, professional design, and a user-friendly interface. These themes are developed by a third-party ecosystem that goes through a rigorous vetting system by Shopify, to be listed on the Theme Store. Typically these premium themes are feature-rich and are ahead of the curve on all fronts (design, capabilities, and functionality). 

Premium themes are typically backed by a team of experts who are available to answer any questions or provide technical support when a need arises. Additionally, these themes are built to last, with regular updates and bug fixes to make sure they remain compatible with the latest versions of Shopify. 

Where to Find Trusted Shopify Themes? 

The best place to find a trusted Shopify theme is the Shopify theme store. With over 100 themes, there is one for every store that can fit your business needs.

Shopify demands a rigorous selection process for a theme to be on the theme store. These experienced teams of designers and developers, spend months building, testing, and refining their products to ensure they are of the highest quality. All themes that are approved, are tested to work across any ecommerce industry on Shopify. 

Themes can be purchased from many other places outside of Shopify, such as Etsy, Fiver, and many other places. Since these are not official Shopify themes, these are considered pirated themes. Shopify actively monitors for copyright infringement and takes legal action against individuals or entities found distributing and using pirated themes. E-commerce merchants found using pirated themes may face penalties including, website takedowns, or even legal proceedings. 

There’s also a risk of additional security concerns when it comes to purchasing a third-party theme, some are not reviewed or audited. Additionally, you have the risk of a malicious actor easily installing unwanted code on your website. 

How to Choose a Theme 

The Shopify Theme Store stands out as the most trustworthy source for premium themes, When choosing a theme for your e-commerce site, emphasize that it meets all of your business needs and goals. Think of where you are starting, and how your Shopify theme can evolve with you as you grow. 

A couple of things to look for when selecting your Shopify theme are customizability, design, user interface, and more. Customizability is pivotal for aligning themes with brand identity and ensuring an excellent customer experience. Prioritize developer-friendly themes if there's a potential for building custom features. Design and UI considerations play crucial roles in theme selection, alongside page speed optimization to enhance user experience and SEO. 

A pro tip is to look for themes with a backed team that offers support, comprehensive documentation, and seamless integration with other tools and Shopify apps. Ultimately, prioritize themes that offer an intuitive and smooth shopping journey for customers.

The Role of Shopify Apps 

Shopify apps play a key role in starting and growing your business on Shopify. With over 8,000 apps in the Shopify App Store, apps can help you with every function of your e-commerce business. Need a way to display reviews? There’s an app for that. Need a way to offer post-purchase surveys? There are multiple apps for that. The key is to test and find the ones that make the most sense for your business. 

You do want to keep your tech stack clean and ensure you are using too many. Keep it simple and find the best apps that will offer exactly what you’re looking for. If you’re just starting your Shopify store, some apps are free. If you’re a growing business and have more budget, apps can help you go further. Streamlining a lot of operational functions.