Garrison Martin

Tag: themes

  • Which Shopify Theme Should I Pick?

    Quick answer

    Pick the theme that best fits the catalog and editing needs, not the one with the most demo features. For a first or rebuilding store, start with a modern Shopify theme, test it with real products, check mobile first, and avoid buying a premium theme just because the demo looks expensive.

    The theme is not the brand

    A theme is a system for presenting products, content, navigation, cart behavior, and reusable sections. It is not a replacement for product photography, copy, merchandising, or a clear offer.

    The most common theme mistake is judging the demo instead of testing the theme with the store’s real products. A fashion demo with perfect photography can make almost any theme look good. A real catalog with uneven images, long product names, variant complexity, and badges tells the truth faster.

    Start with the catalog

    The right theme depends on what the store sells:

    • Small catalog: choose a theme that explains the brand clearly and gets people to a few key products fast.
    • Large catalog: prioritize navigation, collection filtering, search, product card clarity, and performance.
    • Visual products: prioritize media, editorial sections, galleries, and flexible product pages.
    • Technical products: prioritize specs, comparison content, metafields, accordions, and product detail structure.
    • B2B or wholesale: prioritize clarity, account behavior, price display, and low-friction repeat ordering.

    Free theme or premium theme?

    A free Shopify theme can be the right answer. The Horizon family and other modern Shopify themes are built for current theme architecture and Online Store 2.0 patterns. A premium theme can be worth it when it gives the store the exact sections, merchandising patterns, or catalog handling needed without custom development.

    The price of a premium theme is not the real question. The real question is whether it reduces custom work or adds future limitations.

    What to test before committing

    1. Load five real products, including the messiest one.
    2. Test the product page on mobile.
    3. Check collection filtering and product cards.
    4. Check whether app blocks appear where the store needs them.
    5. Review theme documentation and support quality.
    6. Preview performance with real images and sections.
    7. Ask whether a non-developer can maintain the homepage.

    When a custom theme makes sense

    Custom theme work makes sense when the store has a real business rule or design system that themes cannot handle cleanly. It does not make sense just because the owner wants the site to feel custom. Many stores need better content, cleaner product data, and fewer apps before they need a custom theme.

    Common misunderstanding

    A premium theme is not automatically a better theme. It is a package of assumptions. Those assumptions need to match the catalog, team, and growth plan.

    How to test this

    • Preview with real products and images.
    • Open the cart, search, collection page, product page, and blog page on mobile.
    • Check theme documentation before buying.
    • Duplicate the theme before major edits.
    • Confirm that required apps support app blocks or documented install steps.

    Sources and further reading

  • What Should Be on a Shopify Homepage?

    Quick answer

    A Shopify homepage should quickly answer four questions: what is this store, who is it for, why should I trust it, and where should I go next? The best homepage is not the longest one. It is the one that gets the right visitor to the right product or category with the least confusion.

    The job of the homepage

    The homepage is not a museum wall for everything the brand has ever done. It is a routing page. It should orient new visitors, support returning shoppers, and send people toward products, collections, offers, or useful content.

    For many stores, the homepage gets too much copy and not enough decision structure. For others, it becomes a pretty hero image with no real path. The right version is somewhere in the middle: clear offer, clear navigation, strong products, trust signals, and a reason to keep going.

    A strong Shopify homepage order

    1. Hero section: one clear promise, one clear image or visual idea, one main action.
    2. Shop by category: the fastest path into the catalog.
    3. Best sellers or featured products: proof that the store has real things worth buying.
    4. Why buy from this store: shipping, quality, guarantee, materials, fit, support, or brand advantage.
    5. Social proof: reviews, press, customer photos, testimonials, or trusted logos.
    6. Education or comparison: short guidance when the product requires explanation.
    7. Email capture: only if there is a real reason to subscribe.
    8. Footer: policies, contact, shipping, returns, account links, and secondary navigation.

    What most homepages get wrong

    The biggest mistake is treating the homepage like a poster instead of a decision path. A visitor should not have to guess what to click. If the store has categories, show them. If the store has a hero product, make it obvious. If the products require education, explain the buying decision before sending people into the catalog.

    Homepage sections by store type

    Single-product store: focus on the product, problem, benefits, reviews, guarantee, and purchase path.

    Catalog store: focus on categories, filters, best sellers, search, and navigation.

    Premium brand: use editorial sections, proof, materials, process, press, and stronger product photography.

    Technical product store: use comparison tables, specs, FAQs, and links to buying guides.

    Common misunderstanding

    The homepage does not need to tell the whole story. It needs to help visitors take the next useful step. If a section does not clarify, build trust, or move someone closer to the right product, it may not belong on the homepage.

    How to test this

    • Ask a person unfamiliar with the brand what the store sells after five seconds.
    • Check whether the first mobile screen contains a clear action.
    • Open each homepage link and make sure it sends visitors to the right next step.
    • Review analytics for homepage exits and top clicks after launch.
    • Test the homepage with real product images, not demo content.

    Sources and further reading

  • Why Is My Shopify Store Loading Slowly?

    Quick answer

    A slow Shopify store is usually caused by a mix of theme weight, too many apps, heavy images, third-party scripts, excessive sections, animations, and old custom code. Start with Shopify web performance reports, then audit what actually loads on the storefront.

    Start with evidence

    Do not guess. Shopify web performance reports show how the store performs across loading speed, interactivity, and visual stability. These are tied to Core Web Vitals, which measure how visitors experience the page.

    After checking Shopify’s report, use browser developer tools or a performance tool to see what scripts, images, fonts, apps, and requests are loading on the page. The goal is not to chase a perfect score. The goal is to remove the things that slow down real shoppers without adding enough value.

    Common causes

    • Too many apps: especially apps that inject storefront scripts on every page.
    • Old theme code: outdated architecture, unused snippets, heavy JavaScript, or abandoned customizations.
    • Oversized images: large images used in places where smaller images would work.
    • Too many homepage sections: especially sliders, videos, animations, maps, reviews, popups, and feeds all on one page.
    • Third-party tags: ad pixels, chat widgets, heatmaps, reviews, subscriptions, loyalty, and tracking scripts.
    • Animations and page transitions: often pretty, often expensive.

    The app audit

    Make a list of every app installed. For each app, answer:

    • Does it load something on the storefront?
    • Is it used on every page or only specific pages?
    • Does it directly generate revenue, reduce support, or improve operations?
    • Can the same job be done with theme settings, Shopify Flow, native features, or a lighter integration?
    • If uninstalled, does it leave code behind?

    One painful truth: uninstalling an app does not always remove every piece of theme code or embedded script. Shopify’s performance guidance also notes that you may need to contact the app developer for complete removal instructions.

    What to fix first

    1. Remove unused apps and leftover scripts.
    2. Compress and resize images based on how they are displayed.
    3. Reduce homepage sections that do not help conversion.
    4. Turn off unnecessary animations.
    5. Move to an up-to-date theme if the current theme is the bottleneck.
    6. Test before and after each change so you know what actually helped.

    Common misunderstanding

    A speed score is not the whole user experience. A store can have a decent score and still feel heavy if popups, layout shifts, and slow scripts interrupt shopping.

    How to test this

    • Check Shopify web performance reports.
    • Test the homepage, collection page, product page, cart, and blog separately.
    • Measure before and after removing apps or scripts.
    • Check mobile on a real device, not only desktop Lighthouse.
    • Use a duplicate theme before removing old code.

    Sources and further reading

  • What Sections Actually Belong on a Shopify Product Page?

    Quick answer

    A Shopify product page should help the shopper decide, not just display a product. It needs strong media, clear price, variants, availability, shipping and returns, product details, trust signals, and a path to related or complementary products when relevant.

    The core product page job

    A product page should answer the questions that stand between interest and purchase. What is it? Which option do I need? What does it cost? Is it in stock? Can I trust it? When will it arrive? What happens if it does not work for me?

    Core sections

    1. Product media: images, video, models, scale, packaging, and detail shots.
    2. Title, price, and variant picker: clear enough that no one buys the wrong thing.
    3. Add to cart and accelerated checkout: obvious, stable, and mobile friendly.
    4. Short description: the reason to buy, not a wall of specs.
    5. Shipping and returns: visible before the customer has to hunt.
    6. Details and specs: structured where possible through metafields.
    7. Reviews and proof: placed where they support decision-making.
    8. Related or complementary products: used to help discovery, not distract from the main purchase.
    9. FAQs: only for objections that come up often.

    How product type changes the layout

    Fashion: sizing, fit, fabric, care, returns, reviews, and model details matter.

    Beauty: ingredients, skin type, shade, usage, routines, and reviews matter.

    Technical products: specs, compatibility, downloads, diagrams, and comparison tables matter.

    Furniture or home: dimensions, materials, delivery, assembly, and room photography matter.

    Use metafields when details repeat

    If the same information type appears on many products, do not keep rewriting it as freeform description text. Metafields and metaobjects can make specs, materials, badges, care instructions, and downloads easier to manage and display consistently.

    Common misunderstanding

    A long product page is not automatically a better product page. The right page answers buying questions in the right order. Extra sections can hurt if they bury the buy box or make mobile scrolling feel endless.

    How to test this

    • Watch a user try to choose a variant on mobile.
    • Check whether shipping and returns are visible before checkout.
    • Confirm product recommendations are relevant.
    • Review whether repeated specs should become metafields.
    • Check product page speed after adding reviews, media, and apps.

    Sources and further reading