When using an off-the-shelf Shopify theme, you’re limited by its pre-built features. If you want to add some unique feel or custom functionality to it, you should start developing a custom theme or hire Shopify theme developers to help you speed up the customization process.
How can you make this work?
Here, we cover everything you need. We review the benefits of custom Shopify themes, common customizations you might wish to implement, and the main steps of integrating advanced features into your Shopify store through professional custom theme development.
Benefits of custom Shopify themes
Even though a pre-built Shopify theme could be an affordable and easy way to start your online business, it has some drawbacks compared to a customized theme. Next, we highlight the advantages of custom Shopify themes over native ones to give you the whole picture.
Improved user experience
You know your customers better than anyone else, and a custom theme allows you to tailor its features to customer preferences. For instance, you know your visitors often leave your website at a product filtering stage. It could be an indication of some difficulties they meet at this point. In this case, you need to change the filtering feature to something more appealing to your customers. With a native theme, you have limited options here, while custom theme development allows you to overcome the limits.
Increased conversions
Following the above logic, customized functionality leads to higher conversion rates. You can track user behavior through the buyer’s journey and determine at which stages you lose customers. By developing a custom theme, you have all the means to fill in the gaps in this journey and set your store’s functionality in a way that helps users make purchase decisions easier.
Money-save solutions
Custom themes eliminate the need for an extensive set of plugins and third-party apps that could extend pre-made theme functionality. Instead of opting into more and more apps, Shopify theme developers create custom code-based solutions.
Improved performance
By eliminating too many apps, you also increase website loading speed. This eventually results in reduced bounce rates and boosted conversions. Improved performance is also a strong signal for search engines to rate your website higher.
Professional look
Custom themes are the most convenient way to brand your website and make it look more professional. If you can access any part of your website code, you have tools to amaze your visitors and get your store to your dream look.
Common Shopify customizations
Let’s get straight to the customizations you can implement in your store.
- Create and modify sections in your Shopify template
- Add custom fonts and colors
- Implement a custom menu or mega menu
- Enhance compatibility with mobile devices
- Remove, replace, or install third-party apps
- Add discounts and special offers to the checkout
- Put additional fields to thank you pages
- Add fields to your contact form
- Create product bundles
- Tailor third-party services to your needs
- Optimize your layout
- Create interactive slideshow or image designs
And that’s not the complete list of what you can do with the assistance of professional Shopify theme developers. The final scope of customizations is up to you and depends on your business objectives.
How to develop custom Shopify themes
Developing custom themes requires a deep understanding of Shopify features, HTML, CSS, and Liquid. If you’re not familiar with these technologies, it could be draining for you to add any customization to your store. So, we recommend contacting a certified Shopify theme development agency with expertise in your field. Typically, integrating custom features with an agency includes three steps: analyzing requirements, deciding on the workload and workflow, and the development process itself. This approach will help you grow your business faster than if you did it yourself.
