While ecommerce platforms have made it incredibly easy for people to plan and set up their online store, each step involved in the process needs to be carefully examined to succeed.&
Between choosing your niche and launching your ecommerce store, there's one crucial step in deciding on the best Shopify theme.
A poorly-designed Shopify store will turn your prospects off at the initial stage. Studies also suggest that 70% of customers don't trust websites with poor interface and design.
The theme you choose for your ecommerce store dictates your shop's functionality, design, performance, overall aesthetics, and brand identity.
Good website design = better functionality = higher conversions
No matter how hard online sellers try, brick-and-mortar stores have a leg up on digital stores in some ways as buyers get a chance to touch and feel the products.
Luckily, there are more than 100+ Shopify themes and templates available in the Shopify theme store that you can use to build your custom online shop.
Also, there are many third-party mobile-responsive themes like Debutify that help you create a feature-rich store without even writing a single line of code.
In this post, we're going to highlight seven factors to consider to help you pick the perfect Shopify theme for your store.
Seven Factors To Consider To Help You Pick The Perfect Shopify Theme For Your Store
1. Be Creative But DON’T GO For Anything Unusual
Did you know the best Shopify themes look familiar? They are self-explanatory and don't make your visitors think.
Many studies prove that websites with a conventional layout and design convert better than sites that flaunt unusual designs and aesthetics.
Most free Shopify themes follow the same design principle. So, instead of creating your website on your own, it's better to go with a prebuilt theme that offers a more consistent and familiar look and feel.
Now you must be wondering what conventional ecommerce website design is. As a general rule, a highly converting ecommerce design should include interactive product and category pages, impressive imagery, detailed descriptions and a list of features, and clear and actionable CTAs.
So, think of these elements before you choose the best Shopify theme for your ecommerce store.
2. Set Your Budget
Shopify themes typically range from $0-$200. If you're tight on a budget, you can choose any free Shopify theme and eventually subscribe to one of their annual plans.
These themes include all the essential features you need to get started. But again, you get what you pay for. So, you may have to switch to the paid plans soon to upgrade your store's functionality and get better conversions.
The paid plans are more feature-rich, professional-looking, and easy to use. They are designed to make it hassle-free for your buyers to find, compare, and buy products from your store. That goes without saying that when customers experience a smooth user experience, they'll be more willing to purchase stuff from your store. Also, they're more likely to recommend your brand to others.
3. Consider The Theme Features You Will Need
In all honesty, functionality always overpowers look and design. After setting your priorities and having a budget in mind, the next step is to narrow down your choices based on the features you need for your store.
Some features come built-in with the theme, while others may not. There are features you get to grab by simply switching from a standard plan to one of the premium options.
Here are a few questions you should ask before choosing a Shopify theme for your website.
What niche should I choose for my online business?
How many products do I have?
What functions you should look for in your theme mainly depends on your business niche and the types of products you're about to showcase in your e-store.
Let's suppose you're planning to sell high-end jewelry online. The theme you choose must include features like HD visuals, product filtering, and magnifying image viewers. The idea here is to choose a theme that can help you display your jewelry products in a manner that grabs your audience's attention and encourages them to purchase.
4. Compare The Designs
The next important thing after functionality is the design and overall look and appearance of your ecommerce store. Ideally, you must look for a theme that offers a clean and user-friendly interface with simple navigation and aesthetics.
It's also critical to consider your niche and target audience in mind before you choose the theme for your ecommerce store.
Even if you're comparing the designs, don't keep your entire focus on looks only. Pay special attention to the cart page design and its functionality.
For instance, you must check the customization options you get for your cart pages, including 'add to cart behavior', 'design of delivery information', 'design of coupon code options', etc.
The theme you choose must also enable you to add high-quality visuals to your product pages. Images and videos help your buyers decide if they want to invest their hard-earned money into your products.
5. Check Reviews
Now that you have a clear picture of a theme with your desired design and functional features in mind, it's time to explore different available options online.
As mentioned earlier, you can either choose a theme listed on the Shopify Theme store or can download any third-party option like Debutify Theme and Debutify Reviews to create and spruce up your online store.
Regardless of what you choose for your needs, make sure you carefully examine the documentation, support, and features of your favorite ecommerce theme.
Every developer has a dedicated website where you can check reviews shared by previous clients and existing users. We'd suggest contacting the live chat support team and clearing your doubts if any.
Good customer support is extremely crucial as it will save you a lot of cost in the long run.
Shopify free themes come with Shopify support by default. However, if you select any third-party theme, make sure you clearly talk about their support features and also review testimonials available on their website.
6. Mobile Experience
With more and more people using their smart devices to purchase stuff online, the need for mobile-friendly websites is more crucial than ever.
So your priority should be to choose a Shopify theme that is mobile-responsive. In other words, the theme you choose should offer the same experience for your mobile and web users.
A few things you should consider while choosing a mobile-friendly Shopify theme include:
- Is the cart functionality/checkout process seamless on the smartphone?
- Is the site easily navigable on mobile?
- How do pictures and videos look on mobile?
7. Look For A Light-Weight Theme With An Intuitive Design
Shopify themes having plenty of unnecessary elements are a big NO. Because clumsy upgrades, such as loaders, animations, and pretty scrollers, will reduce your site speed and impact the user experience in general.
Remember, websites that take more than 3-seconds to load may lose a massive chunk of potential customers. You want your website to be lightweight, easy to use, and super functional for your visitors.
All big brands follow the same strategy and focus on making their user's experience as quick and pleasant as possible.
So if you want to set your business apart from others, you must follow the footsteps of brands already doing good in their area of expertise.
Bonus Tips
Consider Your Niche And Brand Tone
It can become too challenging for you to choose the best Shopify theme if you're not familiar with your brand tone and voice. For example, you need to pick something fun or quirky if you sell kids' stuff online. Similarly, you must go for something soberer if you, say, sell medicines or fitness gear.
It is also crucial to customize your theme according to your branding. So look for an option that gives you the freedom to personalize elements according to your individual needs.
Where To Shop?
Source your theme from a reputable developer, preferably someone with a firm market standing and business reputation. You cannot replace your site theme now and then. So yes, make sure you do some research beforehand to avoid future hurdles.
Both Design And Features Are Crucial
By now, you know that both looks and functionality are crucial for the success of your e-store. Choose a Shopify theme that offers you the best of both worlds. Doing so will help you target customers who love the appealing design and those who value functionality over anything else.
Ecommerce Themes - FAQ
What Is The Best Shopify Theme?
It depends. A Shopify theme perfect for your niche might not deliver the same results for any other business category. The best Shopify theme for your business is the one that suits your unique needs.
Are Free Shopify Themes Reliable?
Yes definitely! Free Shopify themes include the essentials you need to set up your store. Luckily, most options also allow you to customize your themes by moving to a paid plan.
You may want to switch to the advanced plan once you have created your store. But if you're just starting out with your online store, you can go with the free versions to get a handle on the selling basics.
What Does A Winning Product Page Look Like?
Gone are the days when ecommerce store owners preferred to clutter all of their products on their home pages. Today, you have to create dedicated product pages for each category to help buyers easily skim through your collections.
Since product pages are such an essential part of your website, it's critical to choose a theme that lets you create attractive product pages for your e-store.
We provide our users with a perfect spot to create good-looking product pages where they can showcase their offers, embed reviews, and add images and videos.
What Are The Essentials Of A Good Shopify Theme?
Honestly speaking, all good Shopify themes share more or less similar features. If you're looking to up your selling game, you should look for a theme that offers something extra besides those conventional tools and options.
For instance, Debutify enables users to conduct market research, find exciting dropshipping products, create intriguing product pages, and spruce up their site with multiple lightweight design elements.
Our goal is to streamline your selling journey so that you continue to move forward without needing to invest in expensive ecommerce tools and marketing solutions.
What Do Good Category Pages Look Like?
Your category pages should also offer the best user experience to the buyers. Choose a Shopify theme that allows you to design eye-catching category pages with a clear title, smooth navigation, sidebar, and organized list of products.
What Does A Converting Home Page Look Like?
Your homepage is a gateway to your website. It is the high-traffic landing page where most of your customers land to find directions about where to go next. A Shopify theme that helps you design a user-friendly homepage is a must as it will help you create a friendly entrance that will entice prospects into exploring your store and converting.
Why Is Debutify The Best Shopify Theme?
Did you know whatever we discussed above is an integral part of Debutify?
Debutify is a one-click Shopify theme designed to streamline the buying and selling journeys of both Shopify sellers and ecommerce buyers.
We have designed this theme considering the needs of both beginners and veteran sellers who want to set up or upgrade their e-store over time.
While our FREE version is enough to help you get started, we'd highly recommend our paid plans as they come with some extraordinary features any online seller needs to upscale their everyday business operations.
There are plenty of conversion and cart functionality add-ons in our Starter, Hustler, and Master plans that you can use to skyrocket your sales in the shortest amount of time possible.
