What are Shopify themes?
Shopify themes are ready-made design templates that you can install in your Shopify store with just a few clicks. They lay the foundation for the look and layout of your Shopify store.
Shopify themes make it easy to build an online store according to your individual wishes, even without coding knowledge. The various themes give you a basis for the layout of your store, which you can fill with text, images and other elements. Depending on the theme, you have various options for customizing the theme in the Customizer.
How do I choose a Shopify theme?
First of all, you should make sure that you select your theme from the official Shopify Theme Store. Here you will only find themes that have been carefully checked by Shopify and that are guaranteed to form an optimal basis for your online store.
When deciding on a theme, you should consider various points. There are an incredible number of different themes and you won't find just one that suits your products and your brand. But it's not just about the look!
Features of the theme
Each theme has different built-in features that you can use natively, i.e. without extra coding. There are an extremely large number of different themes and different features that can be integrated. Features can be, for example:
- Mega menu, i.e. an expandable menu with several columns in the store, which can also contain images
- Size charts that can be accessed via the product page
- Announcement Bar
- Many different widgets for the presentation of products, collections, etc
Design
The first thing to think about when deciding on a theme is, of course, the design and the general appearance of the theme. Colors and fonts can be adjusted in every theme, but whether the corners of elements are rounded or not, for example, is not necessarily customizable. The basic vibe and design of the theme should therefore appeal to you and, above all, match your brand. Does your brand radiate luxury? Then your website should too, and your theme should focus on elegance and a premium look. If you want to sell a lot of affordable products, then a different theme is probably right for you
Personalization
Many themes can now be highly personalized. With Shopify 2.0, you have the option of customizing not only your homepage, but every page of the store with a drag & drop system. Depending on the theme, you have various widgets available that you can use to build your store.
In addition, the different themes offer various options for personalizing the widgets, product tiles or even the category page. Depending on the theme, you can, for example, make buttons transparent, set an outline or adjust the functionality of a widget. There are therefore unlimited possibilities for what the developers have built into the theme. If you need a special function and your desired theme doesn't have it, a developer can also add it to the theme at a later date according to your wishes.
Loading speeds & SEO
You are probably already aware that loading speeds and the structure of the website are very relevant for the ranking of your website in search engines. However, the different themes offer you very different bases for SEO optimization. This is mainly due to the customization options of the headline types, the rendering of the images on the website and the way the content is loaded on the page. Of course, there are many other points that influence the loading speed and search engine optimization of the theme. When choosing a theme, make sure that the loading times are generally good.
Supported languages
Important to know: Not all themes support all languages, the standard texts of the theme are only translated into certain languages by default in each theme. Making sure that your chosen theme supports the language of your store will save you a lot of work when translating the texts. The standard texts include, for example, texts such as "add to shopping cart", "incl. VAT" and "quantity".
Costs
There are some free themes in the Shopify Theme Store - however, the paid Shopify Premium Themes offer more choice and often better performance and more sophisticated features. These always have one-off costs of varying amounts. Most premium themes can be purchased for around €300-400, with costs varying slightly depending on the theme. You buy a one-time theme license that is assigned to your Shopify store. With this license you can use the theme indefinitely and get access to all future updates.
Please note that you need one license per Shopify store. So if you operate several Shopify stores, the theme costs will be incurred several times.
Our Shopify theme recommendations
Impact
The Impact theme is probably the most popular theme in recent years - and rightly so. The Impact theme offers you many customization options, has a sleek look and can be adapted to suit many brands. It is particularly suitable for brands with a high branding focus, premium products and a focus on content.
Cost: 380 USD
Enterprise
Do you have a lot of products in your store and want to design a rather clean store? Then the Enterprise theme could be just right for your online store. The first visual impression is very different from the Impact theme, but the Enterprise theme also has an incredible number of different features and customization options. Particularly suitable for brands with many products and less focus on lifestyle.
Cost: 320 USD
Prestige
The all-time classic: Just like Impact, Prestige comes from Maestro and also offers many features and customization options. Brands with high-end and premium products rightly rely on the Prestige theme time and time again. The theme was probably the most widely used theme before Impact was released, but it continues to be used by many stores alongside Impact. Improved with every update, Prestige is a great choice for stores with compelling imagery and a luxurious vibe.
Cost: 380 USD
Focal
What is the best way to present lifestyle in a store? The Focal theme offers you a great basis for this - large grids and color areas make this theme particularly appealing. Particularly suitable for colorful lifestyle brands that want to impress at first click.
Cost: 320 USD
Spark
If you want to launch incredibly quickly but don't want to miss out on anything, the Spark theme is the right choice. Spark places a special focus on mobile and is particularly suitable for D2C brands. This theme is suitable for many different types of brands thanks to its minimalist design.
Cost: 320 USD
Dawn
Of course, Dawn, the classic Shopify 2.0 theme, free and developed by Shopify, should not be missing from this list. Dawn is often the first choice, especially for small stores that don't have many special feature requests. Dawn also has some customization options and is suitable for brands that want a clean, less exciting design.
Especially when we, as a Shopify agency, develop very individual stores that require a custom design, we rely on the Dawn theme as a basis. The lean code base and a solid basic feature set make the theme a real all-rounder.
Costs: free of charge
Need help choosing the right Shopify theme?
If you have any further questions about Shopify themes or need support in choosing the right theme for your store, please contact us. As an experienced Shopify agency, we have already helped over 100 customers in the e-commerce sector to get off to a flying start with Shopify.
Get in touch with us at any time using our contact form or book a personal, non-binding consultation appointment. We look forward to hearing from you!
