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Shopify

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Sep 30, 2024

40 Best Shopify themes for your eCommerce store (free and paid)

person in yellow shirt on laptop - Best Shopify Themes
person in yellow shirt on laptop - Best Shopify Themes
person in yellow shirt on laptop - Best Shopify Themes

Instant Team

40 Best Shopify themes for your eCommerce store (free and paid)

When launching an eCommerce store, picking the right theme is crucial for Shopify conversion rate optimization. Think of it this way: you wouldn’t invite guests into a home that looked dirty or rundown, right? Well, that’s what using an ugly or poorly designed Shopify theme is like. No matter how great your products are, many visitors will bounce immediately if your store isn’t visually appealing. 

This blog will examine the best Shopify themes to help you achieve your sales goals. With the right theme, you can create an attractive online store that boosts your Shopify conversion rate and helps you make more money. We’ll introduce Instant’s solution, Shopify landing page builder, as a valuable tool to help you achieve your objectives, such as building an instant landing page for Shopify without any code. With this app, you can easily import and customize a theme demo to your liking, so you won’t have to start from zero.

Table of contents

What is a Shopify theme?

person finding high converting themes - Best Shopify Themes

A Shopify theme is the design template that determines how your store looks to customers visiting your online store. Different themes offer different styles and layouts, which can be customized to provide unique user experiences. The decision to take your service or product online was the simple part.

Designing an e-commerce store that will guarantee sales can be challenging. You will suffer low conversion rates if your e-commerce store does not offer your customers a professional experience. With a suitable Shopify theme, making sales will be far more accessible. Your choice of theme is a significant factor in your success because it affects how your store attracts, engages, and converts customers. 

The benefits of a Shopify theme

A Shopify theme allows you to showcase specific information about your product or service in an informative yet creative way. A professionally designed theme saves you the time and effort necessary for coding and creating a successful online store. 

Shopify supports the latest two versions of all browsers on the market, and the platform is accessible on all devices. Both mobile and desktop traffic are essential for your online business. But there is no question that mobile traffic has been steadily overtaking traditional desktop traffic. The trend is universal, irrespective of what you’re selling. Shopify’s themes are mobile-friendly, and the platform includes a free built-in mobile commerce shopping cart. This enables your customers to identify with your brand and shop on all their devices. 

How to find the best Shopify theme

woman working on laptop - Best Shopify Themes

Everyone wants to find the perfect theme for their Shopify store. The best theme for Shopify suits your industry, product, and business style. Consider the product or service you are selling, and ask yourself the following questions:  

  • Who is your target market? You need your customers to be able to relate to your brand through the theme you have chosen.  

  • Are you offering an international service? 

  • Do you need your theme to have various language options?  

  • Are there specific functions or features you need for your industry? 

  • What is your budget for a theme/design for your store? 

Choosing a Shopify theme  

There are so many templates; we understand it may seem daunting. There are fast-loading Shopify themes, industry-specific themes, and themes with good blog sections.

Check out the most popular ones to see what's trending and new. But even an attractive design will fail to yield the best return on investment if your store lacks certain critical features. These may depend on your business and product type.  

Free themes  

Although many of the options in the Shopify theme store are paid themes, free themes exist, too. If you’re just starting e-commerce and testing the waters, you may prefer downloading free Shopify themes. 

Free themes are sometimes more limited in features than paid ones. As your ecom project develops, you may upgrade to a paid Shopify theme.  

Paid themes 

Some fantastic paid Shopify themes are available for all industries and online store sizes. But are paid Shopify themes worth it? 

Paid themes offer more advanced features and extra integrations to be introduced. A well-matched theme to your product or service will greatly impact your reach and productivity. So yes, paid themes are worth it. The key is to select the right one for your business needs.  

Related Reading

40 Best Shopify themes for Your eCommerce store

man choosing best themes - Best Shopify Themes

1. Instant's Shopify landing page templates: Fast and free

Instant makes building custom Shopify product pages a breeze. You can whip up your templates in just five minutes, and the best part is it’s free. Tailor these pages to show off subscriptions, variants, and anything else you can think of. You’ll quickly create beautiful, compelling product pages with their intuitive no-code page builder.

2. Taiga: A speedy Shopify theme for fashion brands

Pricing: $380

Best for: 

  • Fashion

  • Apparel Shopify brands

Taiga is a 2.0 premium Shopify theme for brands that value visual freedom and high performance. It is available in the official Shopify theme store and is one of the fast-loading Shopify themes. Taiga is featured by the well-known D2C brand Daniel Wellington and the fast-growing apparel brand Almada Label. Woolman, an award-winning Shopify Plus agency, developed it.

3. Studio: The theme for showcasing art and creative products

Pricing: Free

Best for: 

  • Art

  • Artists

  • Art galleries

The Studio Shopify theme is an advanced e-commerce solution tailored for businesses that aim to showcase products in a creative and modern environment. Key features include a responsive layout ensuring seamless shopping across devices, a standout lookbook feature for creating shoppable collections, and support for homepage videos to enhance brand storytelling dynamically. 

4. Local: The best Shopify theme for food and drink brands

Best for: 

  • Food and drink brands

  • Retail businesses

  • High-volume businesses

Price: $360

Local is a theme packed with features to streamline omnichannel selling. Customize this versatile theme with more than 20 flexible sections.

5. Kalles: A versatile theme for many niches

Pricing: $89

Best for: 

  • Furniture

  • Pets

  • Electronics

  • Fashion stores

One of the best-rated Shopify themes, Kalles allows brands to build a robust online store that provides a smooth shopping experience for their consumers. Kalles is built for various online businesses, with a modern and minimal design and various specific demonstrations. Display products stylishly and make it simple for consumers to explore, choose, and buy.

6. Craft: The best Shopify theme for artisans

Pricing: Free

Best for: 

  • Artisanal

  • Handmade

  • Creative niches

The Craft Shopify theme is tailored for artisan-centric e-commerce, emphasizing craftsmanship and artistic appeal. Craft is ideal for stores selling handmade goods or creative supplies, ensuring a sophisticated, personalized shopping experience. 

Key features include a grid-style product showcase with zoom-in and quick-view options, enhancing product visibility. 

7. Impact: A high-performance Shopify theme

Best for: 

  • Electronics brands

  • International selling

Price: $380

Impact is a theme designed to help high-volume sellers sell even more. It has built-in conversion-boosting features like:

  • Sticky Add to Cart CTA

  • Quick-buy prompts on product pages

8. Blum: A minimalist Shopify theme for fashion stores

Pricing: $170

Best for: Fashion and apparel brands

Blum is a modern and minimalist Shopify fashion, beauty, and lifestyle store theme. It's one of the best Shopify themes for clothing, fashion, and apparel brands looking for an elegant design that showcases products professionally and appealingly. If you're looking for a clean and modern Shopify theme that's easy to customize and has excellent support, Blum may be a great choice for your store.

9. Taste: A free Shopify theme for food stores

Pricing: Free

Best for: Small to medium-sized businesses

The Taste theme offers an intuitive platform for creating a beautiful online store that effectively engages customers. The Taste Shopify theme is a sleek, professional choice for online stores focusing on visually appealing products like food, fashion, and art. 

Key features include:

  • Large hero area for impactful visual storytelling

  • Grid-style layout for organized product display

  • Customizable fonts and colors to match brand identity

10. Warehouse: The best theme for dropshipping and large inventories

Best for: 

  • Home and décor brands

  • Large catalogs

  • Dropshipping

Price: $320

Do you have a huge product catalog? Warehouse can handle large collections with advanced filtering and sorting options. This theme is ideal for:

  • Drop shippers

  • High-volume stores

  • Brands are running flash sales

  • Launching products in drops

11. Gecko: A flexible Shopify theme

Pricing: $99

Best for: Shopify stores selling:

  • Fashion accessories

  • Pet accessories

  • Electronic products

Gecko is a Shopify theme packed with incredible features. With endless options and unmatched versatility, you can easily create a store that suits your business's needs, is in line with the brand, and exceeds expectations in a matter of clicks. It's one of the best Shopify themes available on ThemeForest.

12. Fastor: A feature-rich Shopify theme

Pricing: $56

Best for: Fashion stores

Fastor is one of the best Shopify ecommerce themes, providing better website performance and advanced features for store owners. Sections can be added to all pages, not just the homepage, unlocking new opportunities to personalize every aspect of your store. Fastor is priced quite low as a premium Shopify theme, making it a cost-effective option.

13. Refresh: A free Shopify theme for health and beauty stores

Pricing: Free

Best for: This theme suits stores that sell health and beauty products with small to medium catalogs. The Refresh Shopify theme offers a visually stunning and user-friendly e-commerce experience for businesses prioritizing clarity and modern aesthetics. Its responsive design ensures seamless browsing across all devices, while dynamic sections like featured products and blogs allow extensive customization. 

14. Responsive: A product-first Shopify theme

Best for: 

  • Sports and recreation brands

  • Large imagery

Price: $240

Responsive is a product-first theme that balances advanced features and affordability. With this Shopify theme, you can showcase large lifestyle and product images and videos.

15. Shella: An advanced responsive Shopify theme

Pricing: $59

Best for: Fashion and jewelry stores

Shella is one of the most responsive premium Shopify themes. It supports Shopify's Online Store 2.0 and has over 99 pre-designed pages for e-commerce operators. The Shella theme is built with speed in mind, so your store will be faster than other Shopify stores on average.

16. Spotlight: The best Shopify theme for visual storytelling

Pricing: free

Best for: The Spotlight Shopify theme suits fashion, art, and home decor brands. It is a modern ecommerce solution that highlights products with impactful visual storytelling. 

It features large, high-quality images that create a striking visual impression, making it ideal for brands focused on aesthetics. The theme is fully responsive across devices and includes a dynamic homepage slider for engaging displays, advanced product filtering for streamlined browsing, and customizable content sections for personalized branding. 

17. Sense: A free theme for beauty brands

Best for: 

  • Beauty brands

  • Visual storytelling

  • Beginners

  • Small budgets

Price: Free

Sense is another free Shopify theme perfect for businesses with strong branding. If your brand story is core to your marketing strategy, this theme lets you tell it in a big way. Minimal design helps your products and images shine.

18. Porto: A fast and responsive Shopify theme

Pricing: $99

Best for: Shopify stores in any niche looking for fast and responsive design. 

Porto is a powerful package with everything you need from a Shopify theme. It has all the required tools and features to create a fast and responsive website with a fantastic UI and UX experience. The Porto Shopify theme boasts over 31+ niche demos & layouts, and styles that allow you to create your modern Shopify store.

19. Origin: The best Shopify theme for storytelling

Pricing: Free

Best for: Ideal for artisanal, heritage, or mission-driven brands looking to connect with their audience authentically through rich, engaging narratives. 

The Origin Shopify theme is tailored for e-commerce brands that prioritize immersive storytelling. Its responsive design ensures a seamless shopping experience across devices. Key features include a narrative-driven layout that allows businesses to engage customers through compelling storytelling on product and home pages.

20. Publisher: The best Shopify theme for art and music stores

Best for: 

  • Art and music brands

  • Publishers

  • Beginners

  • Small budgets

Price: Free

Notable features: Stock counter, sticky header. Publisher is an ideal theme for:

  • Businesses selling art

  • Music

  • Books

It features a contemporary design and typefaces with plenty of room to tell your story. Best of all, it’s free to use.

21. Ella: A multipurpose Shopify theme

Pricing: $89

Best for: Multipurpose Shopify theme for stores in all niches ELLA is an all-in-one Shopify template supporting Online Store 2.0 with multiple layouts and styles that allow you to create different structures and any specific requirements as well as provide you with numerous varying themes for different kinds of business. 

This theme has over 50+ home page and skin layouts, more than nine stunning shopping pages and product pages, and styles of headers and footers. According to them, it's the best-selling Shopify theme on ThemeForest. One reason customers appreciate the software so much is its many built-in apps. This means users don't have to install new third-party apps from the Shopify App Store.

22. Minimal: A classic theme for creators

Pricing: Free

Best for: 

  • Artists

  • Photographers

  • Fashion brands

The Minimal theme is a timeless classic when it comes to free Shopify. Its clean and straightforward design makes it ideal for stores that want a minimalist look without sacrificing functionality. 

This theme is perfect for creators who want their products to be the focal point without distractions. One of the key features of Minimal is its responsive design, which ensures your store looks great on any device. It also offers:

  • Product image zoom

  • Filtering

  • Customizable content sections

These features will help improve the user experience and make your store easier to navigate.  

23. Broadcast: A flexible theme for baby and kids stores

Best for: 

  • Baby and kid brands

  • High-volume stores

Price: $400

Notable feature: Product upsells, 20+ sections. Looking for plenty of flexibility? Broadcast is a premium theme with more than 20 preset section templates that you can move and customize. Its design is great for baby and kid brands and any high-volume online store looking for powerful features and speed.

24. Paper: An eco-conscious Shopify theme

Pricing: $321

Best for: 

  • Eco-friendly beverage

  • Clothing brands

Paper is an effortlessly beautiful and fully customizable Shopify theme. It's great for showing off your products in an easy-to-use and beautiful design. The theme is built with conversion rate optimization in mind. Paper has plenty of promotional sections to encourage customers to check out easily. It's available in the Shopify theme store.

25. Brooklyn: A popular free theme for apparel stores

Pricing: free

Best for: This theme is for clothing brands and fashion retailers who want a contemporary, clean look. This Brooklyn theme features a stylish grid-based layout for modern apparel stores. It’s wonderful for visual storytelling, allowing your store to shine with large product images and a clean, minimalist interface. 

Key features of Brooklyn include:

  • Dynamic product grid

  • Slide-out cart for easier checkout

  • Social media integration

These features make it simple for customers to share their favorite products with friends and followers, enhancing your store’s reach.  

26. Pipeline: A premium Shopify theme for luxury brands

Best for: 

  • Fashion brands

  • Art and craft brands

Price: $360

Notable features: 

  • Subcollections

  • Advanced filtering

  • Lookbooks

The Pipeline is a responsive Shopify theme designed for luxury businesses. Its premium features help you customize the look and feel to match your brand. Image-first layouts are ideal for clothing brands and lifestyle photography.

27. Avone: An extremely customizable Shopify theme

Pricing: $89

Best for: Fashion, clothing, bags, watches, and beachwear stores. Avone is a fully responsive and powerful theme that is compatible with Shopify's Online Store 2.0 update. It features over 1000 theme options with over 33+ stunning homepage designs and functionalities, making it the most customizable theme in the market. Avone is a favorite among industry professionals and experienced merchants.

28. Narrative: A free Shopify theme for storytelling

Pricing: Free

Best for: boutique brands and creators who have a compelling story to tell.

The Narrative theme is a unique theme explicitly built for storytelling. If you have a brand story or a particular product to highlight, Narrative provides elegantly designed sections to make your narrative stand out. The theme boasts:

  • A vertical slideshow

  • Built-in image galleries

  • A fixed navigation bar 

To keep customers engaged as they scroll through your content. This helps in creating a seamless user experience. 

29. Vision: A video-friendly Shopify theme

Best for: Jewelry and accessories brands

Price: $300

Is video key to your content strategy? Do you sell a product that requires more customer education? Embed videos in your online store with Vision, a responsive Shopify theme with presets ideal for selling beauty, tech products, pet supplies, and sporting goods. 

30. Refresh: A free Shopify theme with modern design

Pricing: Free Shopify theme

Best for: Shopify stores wanting a free theme with a modern design. When talking about Shopify free themes, you can't ignore Refresh. It's a clean and modern theme. The segments emphasize product details, where brands can share testimonials, ingredients, quality information, special certifications, and more with adaptive section layouts.

31. Supply: A free Shopify theme for large inventories

Pricing: free

Best for: This theme is ideal for stores with extensive catalogs and those looking for a straightforward, functional design. The Supply theme is perfect for stores with extensive catalogs. The clean and straightforward layout is designed to handle a variety of products, making it an excellent choice for larger stores. 

Key features include:

  • Advanced product filtering

  • Fully responsive design

  • Homepage slideshow

These functionalities ensure your customers can easily find the products they seek, enhancing the overall shopping experience. 

32. Motion: A video-ready Shopify theme

Best for: 

  • Gardening and outdoor brands

  • Sports brands

  • Video content

Price: $360

Browse design presets for fashion, tech, and outdoor living brands.

33. Retina: A high-quality Shopify theme

Pricing: $210

Best for: Home accessory and fashion store owners Retina features beautiful testimonial sections, featured product callouts, and other features that help build brand trust. The theme also has a user-friendly editing experience and simple layout options, making creating a professional-looking store as simple as possible.

34. Dawn: The perfect free theme for fashion brands

Best for: 

  • Fashion brands

  • Visual storytelling

  • Beginners

  • Small budgets

Pricing: Free

Dawn is a free Shopify theme built for up-and-coming fashion and apparel brands. Its minimalist responsive design lets big lifestyle and product images shine on every device and browser.

35. Impulse: Speed meets functionality

Impulse is a premium Shopify theme that loads fast and offers impressive features. It’s got everything from mega menus and product reviews to promo banners and pop-ups. 

You can even customize your store using its 20+ sections. It’s available directly from the Shopify theme store and costs $380.

36. Editions: Simple and spacious

Editions are all about simplicity and space. They focus on showcasing featured products with editorial-style sections and templates. 

They're designed to highlight your brand messaging with:

  • Product badges

  • FAQ sections

  • Infinite scroll

  • Sticky header

You’ll also get high-resolution images, promotional banners, and a store locator. Pricing is $250.

37. Symmetry duke: Bold and unique

Symmetry is perfect for clothing stores looking to make a bold statement. Its edgy layouts, unique fonts, and eye-catching colors help you stand out. The theme offers easy navigation with mega menus and filters, promotion highlights with customizable tiles, and a built-in blog. It’s compatible with Shopify 2.0 and costs $360.

38. Kingdom: Unique layout for a bargain price

Kingdom shifts away from the usual horizontal navigation bar and places the menu on the left of the screen, displaying all categories across devices. 

This unique layout makes a strong impression on first-time visitors. The theme includes essentials like breadcrumbs for an intuitive shopping journey. It’s available at $260.

39. Prestige: Content-rich and visual

Prestige is built for storytelling with high-converting elements like:

  • Countdown timer

  • Stock counter

  • Promo popups

  • And more

Hundreds of satisfied sellers trust it as one of the best Shopify themes. The theme’s price is $380.

40. Essentials: Simple but impactful

Essentials offers a versatile interface with a bolder look. It’s perfect for businesses that want a simple yet impactful website presence. The theme’s bold text and contrasting colors give it a modern vibe, while features like slideshows and promo banners make a lasting impression. The price is $250.

Related Reading

What Shopify theme has the highest conversion rate?

person finding high converting themes - Best Shopify Themes

Debutify is one of the best Shopify themes for boosting sales. It’s highly customizable and has all the features to help you build your brand successfully while enjoying a high conversion rate. 

With Debutify, you can start your new eCommerce business from scratch, build a successful dropshipping brand, or expand your existing Shopify-based brand. These can be easily achieved with Debutify, one of the most highly converting Shopify themes.

Booster theme: The best Shopify theme for speed

If you plan on having your store load quickly to maximize your ROI, the Booster theme is the one theme that will solve all your problems. With its many eCommerce functionalities, this theme offers the freedom to design a store that converts easily, even to the least tech-savvy of us. 

Choose between user-friendly drag-and-drop options or pre-made demo stores. All that is left for you to do is import your products, add your personal touch, and start selling. Benefit from a 0.6-second page load and never lose traffic again. 

Maximize conversions with booster theme: Speed, built-in marketing tools, and enhanced user experience

Because your site has a super-light booster theme, you have fewer server requests and grade-A performance. This results in a better user experience, no frustration, and quicker conversion. You can save over $3000 yearly on Shopify apps and have a lightweight site that converts quickly. 

With Booster Theme, you get access to built-in marketing tools designed by experts, knowing what converts best. User experience is a top priority for Booster Theme’s developers. Benefit from giving your customers:

  • Smart Mega Menu

  • Smart search suggestions

  • Apply the Smart Location Detection 

If you sell products to various countries.

Symmetry: The theme for high rankings and conversions

If you want a responsive design, high rankings, and high conversions, Symmetry might be one of your best options. There are four styles to choose from. 

This allows you to design websites that are close to your company’s branding and style. A great multilevel menu option allows you to direct visitors to the correct positions on your website to help with conversions. 

Boost conversions with quick buy and Instagram feed features

There is also a great quick buy feature that reduces the number of interactions it takes for users to go from browsing to buying, which helps to convert more customers. There is a great Instagram feed feature that improves the interaction between you and visitors. 

This is great because social media, like Instagram, can significantly improve customer loyalty. Most themes don’t include this as a standard, and you would need a Shopify Instagram app to implement it, which could slow down your store.

Korando: The modern Shopify theme for conversions

This modern theme has everything you need to create a high-converting website. Its responsive design is perfect for any device or screen resolution, and with five home page designs, you’ll be sure you have a great finished website. 

Korando gives you great control over the final look of your website. You can have sidebars on the left or right, or you can have no sidebar at all. An excellent newsletter popup that adds the visitor’s email details to your mailing list can keep customers returning to your store. 

Engage visitors and build trust with Korando’s testimonials and notification bar

There is also a notification bar that can help improve engagement with visitors. Korando allows you to show why you should be trusted by offering testimonials about your business from previous customers. 

This is a great way to build a lasting relationship as shoppers trust their peers more than they trust your marketing content.

Atlantic: The Shopify theme for large catalogs

The Atlantic theme is designed to increase conversion and has proven results. It is a good option for stores with an extensive catalog of supplies, clothing, and beauty products. It has a clean and clear look. It is an excellent theme for stores with large numbers of transactions and online stores with physical stores. It has many valuable features, such as:

  • Multi-column menus

  • Search options

  • Product zoom

You don’t need to know any coding to use this theme with the simple drag-and-drop page builder. 

Customize high-converting Shopify pages with drag-and-drop simplicity

Instant is a customizable Shopify landing page builder that allows eCommerce teams and agencies to create fully advanced pages without any coding knowledge. With its user-friendly drag-and-drop interface, users can quickly design and publish, all while ensuring complete control over their store's design:

  • High-converting landing pages

  • Product detail pages

  • Blog posts

  • Sections 

Instant also offers seamless integration with Figma and other eCommerce tools, making it a versatile choice for enhancing online store performance and increasing conversions. 

Try Instant's Shopify landing page builder today!

How to choose the best Shopify theme for your store

how to choose - best shopify themes

Picking the right Shopify theme for your store

Choosing a Shopify theme isn't a one-size-fits-all decision. It depends on many factors, such as your product category, target audience, and business goals. Let’s break down what you need to know.

Aligning your Shopify theme with product category

Your product type should influence your theme choice. A clothing store might need a fashion-forward design, while a tech store benefits from a sleek, modern look. Think about your target audience's preferences, too. A theme they like can boost engagement and conversions.

Product catalog size and display needs

If you have a small catalog, a minimalist theme may work. A large catalog needs a theme with extensive filtering and categorization options. Ensure the theme effectively showcases your products using grids, lists, or carousels.

Essential features for your Shopify store

Decide if your homepage needs features like:

  • Slideshows

  • Opt-in forms

  • Embedded videos

Just as crucial, ensure your theme is mobile-responsive, as more people shop on mobile. Look for themes that let you customize elements without coding skills.

Analyzing your competitors’ Shopify stores

Research your competitors’ stores to see what works for your target market. Tools like BuiltWith can identify their themes and give you ideas for your store.

Budgeting for free vs. premium Shopify themes

Decide if a free theme meets your needs or if investing in a premium theme would provide better functionality and support. Consider the long-term benefits of a premium theme over the initial savings of a free one.

Managing the technical side of your Shopify theme

Assess whether you can manage the theme yourself or if you’ll need technical support. Some themes come with extensive documentation and customer support. If you're not tech-savvy, choose themes known for their user-friendly interfaces.

Customization options for your Shopify theme

Look for themes with drag-and-drop functionality and customizable sections to tailor the store to your brand's identity. If you have coding skills or plan to hire a developer, consider themes that allow deeper customization through code.

Why choosing the right Shopify theme is important

stakeholders working on Best Shopify Themes

The success of any online store hinges on the user experience it offers. A well-chosen Shopify theme ensures your store is easy to navigate, visually appealing, and responsive across all devices. If customers can’t find what they’re looking for quickly, they will likely leave, resulting in a lost sale. A cluttered or difficult-to-navigate theme will frustrate users, leading to higher bounce rates and lower conversions. 

A responsive Shopify theme ensures that your store offers a seamless experience across desktops, tablets, and smartphones, enhancing user satisfaction and boosting sales. According to research by Forrester, a well-designed user interface could increase a website’s conversion rate by up to 200%, and a better UX design could yield conversion rates up to 400%.

Speed equals revenue

In e-commerce, speed is everything. Studies show that a delay of just one second in page load time can reduce conversions by 7%. Choosing the fastest Shopify theme ensures that your pages are optimized for performance, providing a smooth shopping experience that keeps customers engaged. 

Themes like Shopzilla are designed to offer lightning-fast page loads, reducing the time customers wait and increasing the likelihood of a sale. When your store loads quickly, it improves user experience and increases conversion rates. As per a study by Akamai, a 100-millisecond delay in website load time can hurt conversion rates by 7%. If a page takes over 3 seconds to load, over half of mobile users will abandon the site.

SEO-friendly design

A well-optimized Shopify theme goes beyond good looks — it should also be built with SEO in mind. Search engines prioritize websites that load quickly, are mobile-friendly, and provide a great user experience. Choosing an SEO-friendly theme, such as the fastest Shopify theme, gives your store a better chance of ranking higher in search engine results, driving more organic traffic to your site.

A responsive Shopify theme also plays a crucial role in SEO, as search engines favor mobile-friendly designs that enhance the browsing experience on all devices. Google considers site speed and mobile-friendliness to be significant ranking factors. A report by Backlinko highlights that the average page one result on Google is 1.65 MB in size and loads in 1.65 seconds.

Customization and flexibility

No two businesses are alike, and your Shopify theme should reflect your brand’s unique identity. The best themes offer a high degree of customization, allowing you to tweak everything from color schemes to layout options without diving into code. This flexibility is crucial for maintaining a consistent brand image across all touchpoints, ensuring your store stands out in a crowded market. 

Whether you’re using the fastest or most responsive Shopify theme, the ability to tailor your site to your brand’s unique style is invaluable. According to Econsultancy, 80% of consumers are more likely to purchase when brands offer personalized experiences, which can be achieved through flexible Shopify theme customization.

Built-in features and functionality

Modern Shopify themes have various built-in features that save you time and money. From integrated social media sharing buttons to advanced filtering options, these features enhance the functionality of your store without requiring additional apps or custom development. 

Selecting a theme with the right features allows you to streamline your operations and focus on growing your business. The fastest Shopify theme often includes optimized code and lightweight features that ensure your store runs efficiently without compromising speed or performance. Research by TechJury highlights that built-in functionalities can save up to 40% of development time, allowing merchants to focus more on business growth rather than technical issues.

Mobile responsiveness is non-negotiable

With more than half of all e-commerce traffic coming from mobile devices, having a responsive Shopify theme is no longer optional — it’s a necessity. A theme that automatically adjusts to fit different screen sizes ensures that your store looks great and functions well on smartphones and tablets. This improves the user experience and boosts your store’s SEO, as search engines favor mobile-friendly sites. 

Combining the fastest and most responsive Shopify theme ensures your store loads quickly and adapts seamlessly to any device, providing an exceptional shopping experience. Statista reports that over 58% of global web traffic comes from mobile devices. This highlights the necessity of a responsive design.

Ongoing support and updates

The world of e-commerce is constantly evolving, and so should your Shopify theme. Choosing a theme from a reputable developer ensures you’ll receive regular updates and support, keeping your store running smoothly as new features and security patches are released. Ongoing support is critical if you’re not a developer, as it provides peace of mind knowing that help is available if something goes wrong. 

The fastest and most responsive Shopify theme options typically come with dedicated support teams that can help you navigate any challenges and keep your store up to date with the latest trends and technologies. Cybersecurity Ventures predicts that cybercrime damages will cost the world $6 trillion annually by 2021. Regular updates and support from Shopify theme developers are crucial in mitigating security risks.

How to customize your Shopify theme

trying to customize - Best Shopify Themes

Customizing your Shopify theme: Make it your own

Customizing a Shopify theme is your ticket to turning a generic template into a unique storefront that matches your brand’s identity. Start by choosing the right theme, then use Shopify's theme editor to modify:

  • Page layouts

  • Colors

  • Fonts

  • Content blocks 

You can personalize headers, homepages, product pages, and checkout. The result? A cohesive, engaging online store that stands out from the crowd.

Header customization: The face of your store

Your header is key to real estate. It houses your logo, navigation menus, and search functionality. Upload your logo and adjust its size and position for desktop and mobile views. 

Customize your navigation menus by adding or modifying links, categories, or pages relevant to your store. Use the Announcement Bar to display promotions or key messages to your visitors.

Designing a homepage that captures the attention

Your homepage is the first thing customers see, so make it count. Use Shopify's block system to organize content. Include: 

  • High-quality images

  • Featured products

  • Promotional banners

  • Testimonials

Showcase the most important aspects of your brand, such as product categories, value propositions, or trending items.

Product pages: Where decisions happen

Customers make purchasing decisions on product pages, so they need to be detailed and user-friendly. To improve the user experience, create custom product templates for each category and add elements like: 

  • Size charts

  • Product reviews

  • Related items

Enhance additional pages: Build trust and engagement

Don’t overlook pages like:

  • About Us

  • Contact Us

  • Terms & Conditions

  • Shipping & Returns

To make these pages more appealing, add personalized content and relevant media. Ensure you have clear and comprehensive policy pages to build trust with customers.

Shopping cart and checkout: Seal the deal

Customers finalize their purchases on the shopping cart and checkout pages. Use Shopify's cart template editor to add:

  • Upsell opportunities

  • Discounts

  • Customer rewards

Modify the checkout page's logo, color scheme, and fonts to match your brand identity.

Footer customization: A final touch

Your footer is static across all pages and often contains links to important information. Add or modify blocks for extra features like:

  • Social media links

  • Newsletters

  • Legal information

Remove the "Powered by Shopify" text for a more professional appearance.

Best practices for customization: Keep it simple and effective

Avoid overloading your store with too many features or blocks. Use high-quality images to create a compelling online shopping experience. 

Test mobile responsiveness to ensure your customizations look good on mobile devices. Integrate analytics to track user behavior and refine your design accordingly.

Using a page builder: A hassle-free way to customize

Page builders have revolutionized how people design and customize Shopify stores. With drag-and-drop functionality, you can create entire pages or sections without touching the code editor. For example, Instant is a page builder specializing in creating custom Shopify sections, which can be edited directly in Shopify’s theme editor for a seamless design experience.

Enhancing Shopify store performance with customizable landing pages

Instant is a user-friendly Shopify landing page builder that allows eCommerce teams and agencies to create fully customizable and advanced pages without any coding knowledge. With its intuitive drag-and-drop interface, users can quickly design and publish:

  • High-converting landing pages

  • Product detail pages

  • Sections

Instant also offers seamless integration with Figma and other eCommerce tools, making it a versatile choice for enhancing online store performance and increasing conversions.

Try Instant's Shopify landing page builder today!

5 Best practices for using a theme for your Shopify store

team deciding - Best Shopify Themes

1. Embrace Shopify 2.0 themes for a cutting-edge store

Shopify 2.0 is the future. Themes with the green "OS 2.0" badge are what you want. They offer a ton of flexibility and features to help you create a unique store design. You might still find older themes, but skip them. They lack the benefits of the new architecture and could hold your store back.

2. Skip the theme shuffle: Dawn is all you need

Are you thinking about switching to another free Shopify theme? Don't bother. Dawn and its free siblings:

  • Crave

  • Sense

  • Craft

  • Refresh

  • Ride

  • Colorblock

  • Taste

  • Studio

They are practically the same. They share the same code and settings, just with different defaults. Stick with Dawn and tweak its settings to match your style.

3. Choose a unique color scheme for your brand

A unique color scheme can boost brand recognition by 80%. Don't stick with a template's default colors. Use color theory and psychology to create an aesthetically pleasing and psychologically impactful design. It'll set your store apart and make it more memorable.

4. Keep your Shopify store simple

Overloading your store with animations, images, and widgets can overwhelm visitors. Instead, focus on clear information and options. 

Simplify your navigation, make CTAs stand out, and keep your copy concise. A clean, simple layout will delight visitors and make it easier to find what they need.

5. Design with mobile users in mind

Over 50% of website visits come from mobile devices. Make sure your design looks good on mobile. Use Google's mobile-friendly test to get a performance report and suggestions for improvement. If you're looking for a mobile-first theme, check out Electro. Its demo pages scored 90+ on Google's Pagespeed test for mobile devices.

FAQs on the best Shopify themes

woman working on laptop - Best Shopify Themes

Customizing your Shopify theme: Yes, you can

Are you wondering if you can tweak that Shopify theme? Absolutely. Shopify themes are designed to be flexible. Head to your Shopify admin, and you’ll find a theme editor where you can change, add, or rearrange content to fit your brand's style. Whether shifting a product display or revamping the homepage layout, the editor’s intuitive drag-and-drop interface makes customization straightforward.

Free vs. paid Shopify themes: What’s worth your dollar?

Deciding whether to shell out for a Shopify theme? Here’s the deal: free themes are well-suited for new or smaller businesses. They offer essential features to get you started. 

Paid themes, on the other hand, unlock advanced customization and functionality. Investing in a premium theme can be worthwhile if your business has complex needs or a specific aesthetic.

Meet dawn: The most popular Shopify theme

Dawn is Shopify’s go-to theme and for good reason. Its minimalist design suits a range of products, while its ability to showcase large images makes it versatile. 

New store owners often start with Dawn because it’s straightforward, has many tutorials, and has community support. As a Shopify-developed theme, Dawn adheres to best practices for performance and reliability, making it a solid choice for many businesses.

Boosting sales: Impulse is the Go-to theme

Impulse stands out for its high conversion rates. With features like:

  • Advanced filtering

  • Customizable promo sections

  • Mega-menu

It’s designed to enhance user experience. The clean design and mobile responsiveness help convert visitors into buyers. Thanks to its intuitive layout and engaging features, store owners often report higher sales with Impulse than other themes.

Top Shopify themes for 2024: Dawn, impulse, and motion

Looking ahead to 2024, Dawn remains a top choice with its robust features and free availability. But don’t overlook premium themes like impulse and motion, which are also high performers. 

Motion, in particular, is ideal for brands focusing on visual storytelling, as it supports animations and video content. Your business needs will dictate the best choice, but these themes are consistently highlighted for their performance.

Related Reading

Optimize your Shopify store for conversions without breaking the bank with Instant's Shopify landing page builder

Instant is a user-friendly Shopify landing page builder that allows eCommerce teams and agencies to create fully customizable and advanced pages without any coding knowledge. With its intuitive drag-and-drop interface, users can quickly design and publish:

  • High-converting landing pages

  • Product detail pages

  • Sections, all while maintaining complete control over their store's design

Instant also offers seamless integration with Figma and other eCommerce tools, making it a versatile choice for enhancing online store performance and increasing conversions. 

Transform your store’s performance with Instant. Try Instant's Shopify landing page builder today!

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