Despite being able to set up a Shopify store with a free theme, many merchants choose to get a custom Shopify design for their store. If you’re new to the ecosystem, you may be confused about why many choose to get a custom Shopify theme.
A custom theme lets you set up a highly unique and flexible store design based on very specific requirements you have. In this guide, we’ll help you understand more about custom Shopify designs and how our team of Shopify experts help stores like Blue Door Organic set up their Shopify store design.
What is Custom Shopify Theme?
A custom Shopify theme allows you to hire Shopify experts who can build a store design from scratch, helping you set up a Shopify store design that is unique to you.
Unlike a pre-made theme, a custom Shopify theme is made from scratch, prioritizing elements and functionalities that the merchant specifically needs, rather than what is already built by theme developers.
Here’s a quick look at the differences between pre-made Shopify themes and a custom Shopify theme.
| Pre-Made Shopify Theme | Custom Shopify Theme | |
| Suited for | New or small merchants | Perfect for brands looking for long-term growth |
| Cost | Free. But the paid themes are expensive. | More expensive than pre-made themes but affordable. |
| Feature set | Limited | Highly customized |
| Mobile responsive | Dependent on the theme | Assured responsiveness |
| Code | Dependent on the theme | Clean code |
| Flexibility | Code and design is limited in flexibility | Made from scratch so it highly flexible |
Reasons to Set Up a Custom Shopify Theme
1. Unique design
A custom Shopify theme is built from scratch. Unlike a pre-made theme, the custom theme looks unique to your own store, based on your expectations, needs, industry trends, and consumer preferences.
2. Built-in functionalities
With a custom theme, you can get many of the unique functionalities built into your store design rather than depend on third-party apps. This means providing a customized shopping experience that cannot be achieved with pre-made Shopify themes.
3. Create a user flow to help shoppers flow through your store to checkout
Oftentimes, many pre-made themes aren’t optimized for use. Shoppers have difficulty navigating through the store and have to go through multiple unnecessary actions to complete checkout.
With a custom Shopify design, you can test and improve the way customers flow through your store, ensuring they can quickly get to checkout.
5. Direct design support
After set up, you can reach out to your Shopify experts directly for any support you need to fix issues, optimize your site design, or make updates. Your Shopify experts will work with you closely, tending to your every requirement.
6. Built for long-term scale
Unlike pre-made Shopify themes, custom themes are built for long-term scale. Since it is set up by a Shopify expert, you can improve the custom theme, working with the experts to expand your store design, improve the functionalities available, and set up additional features. A custom theme can easily be improved and polished over time, as you scale your Shopify store.
How XgenTech Helps Stores Set Up a Custom Shopify Theme
At XgenTech, we work with Shopify merchants to help them set up their Shopify store design as well as revamping their design. When it comes to setting up a custom Shopify theme, we have a thorough process in place to ensure that your theme is optimized to meet your needs as well as industry standards.
Here’s how we go about setting up a custom Shopify theme:
1. We brainstorm with the brand
Before we start planning and researching, we work with the brand to understand who they are and how they want to be portrayed. A store’s design reflects its personality so it’s crucial for us to work with the store owner to understand their expectations.
2. We conduct in-depth market research to understand target customers
Next, we understand who your customers are, what they expect from stores they shop from, and their shopping habits. This insight helps us set up a store design that matches the expectations that these customers have, engage them better, and increase conversions.
3. We pull up industry benchmarks and competitors
We want to ensure that your Shopify store design is miles ahead of your competitors. This is why we spend time researching industry benchmarks and competitor practices to formulate an airtight plan for your store design.
4. We create a research-driven plan for the custom Shopify theme design
Using this research and your expectations, we plan the different requirements for the custom Shopify theme design, including all the technical functionalities required. This plan helps us ensure that we don’t miss the different elements required on your Shopify store.
5. We draw up a mockup to nail the branding
Before we start setting it up, we design a mockup of your custom Shopify theme. This design helps us get the branding right for your store design and make any last-minute improvements.
We share this mockup with you, getting feedback and making changes to tweak the final design.
6. We take the custom theme live and offer continuous support for optimizations
Once finalized, we build the custom Shopify theme and take it live!
Going forward, we work with the brand closely to help them with any theme optimizations they need, whether it’s fixing issues or updating the Shopify theme for sales and events. This instant support can help you optimize your Shopify store design, ensure any bugs are resolved instantly and update the design without any delay.
Ready to set up a custom Shopify store design?
Getting a custom Shopify theme is not for every merchant. As a store owner, you need to evaluate your requirements, understand whether the pre-made themes available match your requirements, and how you can set up a custom theme. If your goal is to set up a unique and scalable Shopify theme, a custom Shopify design is for you.
Getting a custom Shopify theme is easier when you’re working with the right Shopify expert. Our experts at XgenTech are specialized in Shopify design, helping you through the best practices for your store design and working with you closely to set up a design that reflects your brand and meets the expectations of your target customers.
Reach out to us on info@xgentech.net and we’ll help you plan and set up your custom Shopify store design!
Looking for inspiration for a custom store design? Check out some of the brands we’ve worked with here.
