If you have made up your mind about having a Shopify store for your business, you are ready for the next step and that is choosing a theme for your Shopify store. But hey wait! It is actually a good idea to know some basics about Shopify Themes before you opt for choosing one.
If you’d like to know more about Shopify as a e-commerce platform make sure to check out my previous videos on our LinkedIn or YouTube page on the difference between Shopify and WordPress and the pros and cons of each.
So, let’s start. What is a Shopify Theme? I’m going to dive into the basics.
What is a theme?
A theme determines the way that your online store looks and feels. There are different styles and layouts for different themes.
Do you have to have a Theme?
Well, the answer is yes. If you want to create an online store in Shopify you must use a theme.
Where can you buy a theme?
All you have to do is go to the shopify theme store or the other alternative is to buy them externally. We highly recommend Themeforest if you do want to buy themes externally as they have a lot of options and variety. In the shopify theme store you will have the option to purchase themes or use the free themes available. However, with themeforest you can only purchase paid themes.
What’s the pricing?
Prices in Themeforest range between $20 to $85 (USD). The pricing is lower compared to the paid themes in the Shopify Theme Store.
Now, in the Shopify Themes Store all of the paid themes’ prices are quite high. It ranges from $140 to $180 USD.
Although the price is high, getting a theme from the shopify theme store is actually more beneficial. I will tell you why.
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What is the benefit of buying a theme from Shopify against any other options?
In Themeforest you can see the theme preview and a documentation about the theme function. But there are some drawbacks too.
- You can’t see the theme function visually.
- You will get limited time support. This means, after the support time expires, If you need any help from the theme support team then you will have to purchase support time at an additional cost. If the theme support team is delayed to respond then you don’t get any help as developers are random and control measures are limited as opposed to Shopify.
On the other hand, in the Shopify theme store, theme prices are high. But you get what you pay for and for the higher price you get a lot of advantages:
- Most of the time Shopify themes are better quality than Themeforest’s themes.
- Before purchasing the theme you will get to install the theme in your store. Then you will see all the functionality and can customise the theme.
- If you are not satisfied with a theme then you can delete and try another.
- When you are satisfied only then you will purchase the theme and publish on your store.
- You will get lifetime support from the theme support team. If the theme support team is delayed to respond then you will contact shopify support and shopify support will contact the theme support team for a quick response.
- You can be rest assured that you will be working with reputable theme developers because Shopify goes through rigorous filtering to make sure the developers are the best of the best. You are paying a premium for peace of mind!
Both sound great, right? You will just need to weigh up the pros and cons of each theme option and choose the best one according to your business needs.
I hope this information helps you get a better idea about the things you need to know before you start choosing your Shopify theme and the other options out there.
