How to choose the best Shopify theme for your online shop?

While it is true that clothes don't make the man, in the world of online commerce this saying is not necessarily the most appropriate. Indeed, to have a shopify shop that attracts a large number of people, you must first work on your appearance. It is through what they perceive that Internet users can decide whether or not to trust your brand and your products. For this, the choice of theme for your shopify shop should not be taken lightly. Here is a detailed guide to help you understand the importance of this theme and the different parameters to take into account to make the best choice.

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Why is it important to choose the right Shopify theme?

When creating your shopify shop, several questions will cross your mind. Among others, there are those related to the choice of theme. You have probably already wondered whether visitors to your online shop really pay attention to the aesthetics or colours it displays.

Others are more concerned about the need for a specific layout or specific functionality through the chosen theme for the online shop. If you are still at this stage in the design and creation of your shopify shop, then note that all these details that may seem superficial, are actually very important for promoting your brand.

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Indeed, whether it is the layout, the colours, or more globally the theme of the shop, all this represents the visual aspect of your brand. This is what allows Internet users and your potential customers to get an idea of your values and the seriousness of your brand.

Therefore, all these elements mentioned here can have a significant influence on the credibility of your webshop, and also on your turnover. Statistical studies have shown that more than 90 % of Internet users do not trust an online shop if it has a poor design.

In other words, if your e-commerce site does not look professional visually, you will not be able to take advantage of its full potential. Furthermore, it turns out that some layout templates are considered to be much more user-friendly. The choice of theme is therefore crucial to the success of your business.

Prerequisites before choosing a theme for your shopify shop

For beginners, it's easy to jump head first into the search for a suitable theme for their online shop on shopify. This strategy is not the best one, because long before consulting the catalogue of themes on shopify, it is necessary to carry out some preliminaries.

At this level, I advise you to first define the different criteria on which you wish to base the choice of your theme. These criteria must be determined in such a way as to highlight your activity. Thus, before launching yourself, you must ask yourself the following questions:

What functionality do I want to add to my online shop? What experience do I want to create for my online shop users? How many products do I want to sell in my online shop catalogue? What are the characteristics of the themes present on the competitors' online shops that might interest me? How would I like to display my products in my shopify shop? Do I have the budget for a paid theme?

On the other hand, I would advise you to avoid choosing elements such as fonts or even colours for a shopify theme. All of these elements can be customized to your preferences, which means that there is no point in taking them into account.

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You will need to look at the other features of the different themes available, in order to make the best choice. Also, if you have enough budget, and you prefer to have a unique theme specifically designed for your business, you can contact an expert shopify designer.

Visit the shopify theme shop

To make sure you choose the right shopify theme, take the time to browse the theme shop. The shopify theme store has over a hundred themes that you can choose to install on your online shop. These themes are offered by a large number of developers, including a team working with shopify, to create new themes for you that are always more effective and more adapted to your different areas of activity.

So, since the themes offered in the shopify catalogue, are tested and evaluated by experts, I highly recommend you to choose them for your online shop. In addition to being very qualitative, these themes have very interesting features.

What tools are available to search for a theme on shopify?

Faced with the many themes in shopify's large theme shop, you'll probably find it hard to choose. Fortunately, with this e-commerce website creation software, you will be able to take advantage of several theme search and filtering tools.

These tools make it easier, even for beginners, to choose their theme well and quickly find what suits them best. Also, I recommend checking out the shopify app store, which has a large number of apps you can use to enhance the functionality of a theme.

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This way, you can choose the theme that suits you best, even if it doesn't include all the features you are looking for. You can then update its features, by choosing the right applications. In the meantime, here is a selection of different shopify tools for choosing your theme.

The filters

On the shopify themes homepage, you will find a tool that allows you to filter your selection according to certain criteria. You can explore the available themes, filtering your search based on a specific field of activity, by layout or by functionality.

You can even filter the themes according to the marketing objective you want to achieve. So, use the filter that seems most important to you, and you will have a selection of themes that best meet your expectations. You will then only have to choose your theme from the selection offered to you, taking into account other criteria such as the style of the layout, the appearance of the homepage, the size of the catalogue, etc.

The search function

To find the perfect theme for your shopify shop, you can also rely on the search function. This allows you to find themes based on their designer, their features or certain key terms.

Theme collections

You can also refine your search for themes on shopify by looking at the different collections made for you. These collections are updated regularly, and group themes according to trends, style and functionality.

Exploring shop demos

If you want to test the themes available on shopify in real time, you can use the demo explorer tool. This allows you to see examples of the themes in a real-world context, to get an idea of their functionality. I should point out that once you have chosen a theme, you will always have the option to customise it with your own branding elements.

Thematic evaluations

Just like before buying a product on the Internet, you can consult the reviews and ratings of a shopify theme before choosing it. Indeed, on the platform, you are given the opportunity to access the reviews of the different themes available, before confirming your purchase.

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You can therefore get a clear idea of the opinions of other sellers who have already had the opportunity to test the theme you are interested in. You will get information about the quality of the theme, but also about the reliability of the support team.

Take into account the theme's support before choosing it

One of the main criteria to consider when choosing a theme for your shopify shop is the support team. Before you make your choice, you should make sure that the support team is reliable. You should know that free themes are supported by the shopify internal team.

So if you have any questions about these themes, just send an email to themesupport@shopify.com. If you choose a paid theme, developed by a third party, they will be the only ones able to offer you customised support. As you can imagine, the quality of support or assistance will not be the same for all developers. I therefore invite you to test several themes beforehand, to find out if the support is really reliable and responsive.

Test several shopify themes to make the best choice

In fact, this is the solution I recommend to all shopify CMS users. No tool or demo will tell you more about how a theme works and how effective it is, than your own experience. It is true that to adopt such a strategy, you need to have a certain budget.

Indeed, you have to try several themes, both free and paid, install them and customize them to your taste, in order to choose the best one. This is a job that requires time and real involvement. Unfortunately, this is the best option for sorting through the dozens of themes offered in the shopify catalogue. So, after the test phase, you will be able to choose the theme that works best for your shopify online shop.

As you have seen, choosing a theme for a shopify shop is not to be taken lightly. It's a choice that can be very important for the profitability of your business. So, don't hesitate to take into account the advice in this guide, in order to choose the best shopify theme for your online shop.

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To conclude, I advise you to have a look at the theme Debutify !