Today’s enterprise brands face endless obstacles. From increased competition, to rising customer acquisition costs (CAC), to macro-economic pressures, just to name a few, it is critically important for these leading brands to create bespoke, highly customized ecommerce website experiences that stand out and leave a lasting impression with consumers.
When it comes to building an online store on Shopify, there are two dominant paths for design and development: a headed versus a headless architecture. For the purposes of this article, we will focus on the first, most commonly ventured path of building a headed architecture using Shopify’s native CMS tool, referred to as a Shopify theme.
With this route, many brands face a second decision: choosing between an ‘out-of-the-box’ theme from the Shopify Theme Store, or building a custom theme on Shopify. This decision is riddled with myths about the limitations of the Shopify platform at the enterprise level. For example, many assume it’s impossible to create a bespoke experience using only Shopify’s CMS. In this article, we’re here to bust these misconceptions, and look deeper into the differences between building a custom theme or opting for one of Shopify’s pre-built options.
Myths About Customization on Shopify
Ensuring that an ecommerce platform can be adequately tailored to meet your brand’s unique needs is paramount to instilling confidence in a project as expensive and time-consuming as an ecommerce migration. When evaluating Shopify as an ecommerce platform for your brand, the question of customization potential to achieve business goals is one of the largest concerns for enterprise or scaling mid-market brands.
Brands may associate Shopify with some common myths– usually around the idea that the look and feel of Shopify websites is “always the same,” and ultimately rigid and uncustomizable. As a result, enterprise brands might overspend on another ecommerce platform (Salesforce Commerce Cloud, Adobe Commerce, etc.) because they fear a lack of customization with Shopify. However, the reality is that a Shopify store has endless customization potential, just like all of these other platforms, often at a fraction of the cost and with more flexibility.
Myth 1: Shopify isn’t customizable
The facts: Shopify is very customizable. If your brand wants to start from scratch, it is possible to create a fully custom Shopify theme that is unique to your brand and unavailable on the Theme Store. Brands can build and own their website theme utilizing Shopify’s robust APIs and Liquid template language to create custom functionality and bespoke experiences.
Myth 2: Every Shopify store looks the same
The facts: In some cases, multiple brands may utilize the same Shopify theme from the Theme Store. However, themes can be customized or created entirely from scratch for brands willing to make the investment. Additionally, taking advantage of certain out-of-the-box Shopify components does provide benefits across the board for any merchant using the platform. For example, Shopify’s checkout- Shop Pay- is proven to be the world’s highest-converting, customizable, one-click checkout, and is the result of heavy investments in research and innovation, giving both brands and customers the most optimized experience.
Myth 3: Brands move to Shopify because they don’t want “custom”
The facts: Shopify has built a CMS that can be completely customized and easily maintained long-term through pre-built sections and elements. Merchants also have the flexibility of integrating with top-tier vendors in the ecommerce marketplace through its App library to extend their reach and meet their customers’ needs.
What is an “out-of-the-box” theme on Shopify?
While Shopify’s customization capabilities are vast, it’s also true that the platform’s out-of-the-box website themes have a lot to offer. Out-of-the-box themes in the Shopify Theme Store come with pre-designed layouts, while the custom route requires designing completely from scratch. For this reason, merchants looking to get their ecommerce store up and running quickly and with little to no development resources may opt for one of Shopify’s out-of-the-box themes.
With this approach, setting up a new website can be as simple as purchasing and downloading a theme that includes a pre-designed layout and straightforward usability. This is a great option for emerging brands, or brands new to ecommerce, that are looking to manage this entirely in-house.
What is a “custom” theme on Shopify?
For brands who want to create and own an entirely bespoke buying experience, it is possible to build a fully custom theme on the Shopify platform. This route requires more extensive planning and a longer project timeline. Here at Domaine, we wholeheartedly believe this investment is worth it, especially as brands scale into the mid-market and enterprise level.
Building a custom theme requires ecommerce expertise, technical resources, and creative vision. In addition to fully mapping out the website’s theme pre-development, brands who build custom themes will also need to enlist the help of a Shopify developer or agency that understands tools such as the Shopify CLI, Shopify APIs, and theme management options like the Shopify GitHub integration.
At Domaine, our technical experts guide merchants on how to extend functionality in the Shopify platform. With Shopify’s CLI and API library, it’s easy to present a brand’s unique identity and desired ecommerce journey through design, a customized checkout experience, or third-party integrations. As with any platform, there will inevitably be limitations in certain areas; however, Shopify’s focus on innovative technology and an extensive partner ecosystem ensures that brands can meet business goals and also move with speed and agility.
The Spectrum of Customization on Shopify
There are three levels of customization when it comes to Shopify themes. From completely pre-built, out-of-the-box themes that can save brands time and money, to intricate, entirely bespoke themes- it’s all possible with Shopify. With such a large range of functionality, there’s the potential for merchants to combine the best of Shopify’s pre-built technology with their own custom needs.
Option 1: “Out-of-the-box” Shopify
Starting with the basics–merchants can purchase and download one of Shopify’s out-of-the-box ecommerce themes with the potential to have a business up and running quickly, without the help of a developer. With an out-of-the-box Shopify theme, no coding is required, and it’s ready for content configuration. Merchants can also take advantage of the thousands of built-in tools and apps offered through Shopify, resulting in a solution that is overall less expensive and saves time.
One of the downsides of an out-of-the-box theme is that there is a greater chance that it will look similar to other stores. Out-of-the-box themes without any customization offer limited design options, and although this cuts down on costs and resource needs, it does mean that a brand will have a smaller range of visual expression.
Option 2: Customizing Parts of a Shopify theme
For brands that wish to add upon one of Shopify’s out-of-the-box themes, there is a middle ground. Businesses can still purchase an out-of-the-box theme and then build custom features onto it. By investing in custom functionality or enhanced branding beyond the pre-existing theme, a merchant can create a more bespoke buying experience that is still within their budget/scope.
This hybrid solution requires enlisting the expertise of a Shopify developer or an agency. Unlike an out-of-the-box theme, which does not require upfront technical support, creating custom features takes more time and resources. However, the benefits of this approach include starting with Shopify’s pre-existing technology, which often saves a huge amount of time, while still resulting in a curated online experience that represents the brand in the best way possible.
Option 3: Building a Completely Custom Theme
On the other side of the spectrum, it is also possible for brands to build an entirely custom theme on the Shopify platform. With this route, the brand can have complete control over the website's look, feel, and functionality.
Some brands choose not to build a custom theme because of the additional time and cost; building a theme from scratch requires development resources, a much longer timeline, and ongoing maintenance. At Domaine, this is our recommended approach for established brands who are looking to move to the Shopify platform. With a custom theme, there is greater control over everything from the creative and branding, to the technical aspects and performance, to the user experience and “surprise and delight moments” you present to your customers.
Key Benefits of Shopify Custom Themes
The customization potential of building a theme on Shopify is immense. Here are a few key benefits that can come with opting for this route, particularly as an Enterprise merchant:
- Custom pays off in the long run: When starting with a custom theme, the brand owns the ecommerce storefront from the beginning. This means ultimate control, limitless potential, and the ability for the website to grow with the business into the future.
- Ease of use (CMS): When it comes to managing website content, building a custom theme allows for updates and changes when and as needed. Benefits can include an easier path when:
- Changing elements
- Content updates
- Ongoing maintenance
- Flexibility
- Tailored design: One of the areas that truly shines more with a custom theme is the visual design. When using an out-of-the-box theme, a brand is extremely limited in the visual aspects of the storefront. If a brand is looking to truly display its unique flair, provide a unique purchasing experience, and be able to easily change the look-and-feel of the website, a custom theme will be the right path forward.
- Personalization/User-experience: Hand-in-hand with design comes personalization and user experience (UX) potential. Without the design limitations found in using out-of-the-box themes, there are more creative possibilities to surprise and delight the user.
- Custom app integrations: An out-of-the-box theme limits the way a storefront can integrate with custom apps. If a merchant fully owns their theme’s design and development, they can also build out custom applications as needed.
Ready to level-up your brand with Shopify? We’re here to help.
