Shopify Tips: 5 Telltale Signs That Your Shop Needs a Theme Upgrade

Online stores have been around for more than two decades now (at least the ones that we know today) and there is no sign that it is going to decline in the coming years. As the world was hit by a pandemic and changes in the way businesses conduct their thing has changed, online shops have become even more popular as people needed a way to still do purchase of their favorite products and brands without being exposed to the CoVid-19 virus.

That is why Shopify’s status being the top e-commerce platform has been made even stronger and better. And one of the reasons why merchants choose to use Shopify in their businesses is the variety of themes that are available which are meant to make instant changes a lot like breeze. The customizations that used to require some coding and advanced web design skills suddenly became an easy task that can be performed even by someone who doesn’t have any knowledge or skill in making some website design edits.

But changing your theme should be a calculated decision since doing so can also lead to confusion especially to your loyal customers who have been visiting and purchasing from your shop for several times already. A sudden unannounced change in your shop’s overall looks is something that should not be done on a regular basis especially when you’re just starting to build up your customer base. Just like any other change or adjustment that you can do to your Shopify business, there are telltale signs that you already need to upgrade or change your theme and we’re going to discuss them one-by-one in this article.

The Top 5 Signs Your Shop Needs a Theme Upgrade

There will always be reasons why you would want to make some changes in your shop especially in terms of its looks and overall design. A change in your online shop’s theme is something that can be considered a major upgrade. Your shop will never be the same again once you choose to do such that is why it’s important that you think it over several times before taking the step. If you’re not sure yet why your shop needs a theme upgrade, here are 5 signs that you can look for to justify taking such a step for your shop.

1.The Default Shopify Theme Does Not Match Your Product or Business

Consistency is one of the most important values that customers look for in an online shop. You can’t build a good reputation if customers see your shop as something that doesn’t have a consistent design. That is why it is important that you use a theme that perfectly matches the product you are selling and the industry to which your product or business belongs to. Find a theme that will demonstrate what your shop is about and show customers that it is the place where they will find the stuff that they are looking for.

A theme can help you implement some form of consistent design and overall brand image and once you do, be sure to maintain it doing a little bit of upgrade here and there as you go on and as your business starts to grow. Don’t just go on and make changes here and there without thinking about your brand’s image and personality. These two should serve as your guide as you change different details about your shop.

2. You Are Not Getting Enough Sales

There can be several reasons why your shop will be slow in terms of sales and a badly designed theme could be one of them. There are themes that are optimized for a variety of purposes. Some are optimized to showcase products better than others while there are themes that are aimed at making the checkout process a lot better so your job is to choose which ones you really need. If your shop is struggling with sales then maybe the theme that you’re using has a complicated layout especially in the checkout process or maybe your site works slower than what customers expect.

Get every theme tested for both speed and layout so you can be sure that it is the perfect one for the type of business and customers that you have. If your product’s main customers are people who have a busy lifestyle then choose a simple theme that has a smooth checkout process and a layout that does not confuse, one that makes things faster and better for people who want to purchase your product without any of the hustle-and-bustle.

3.You’re Getting Some Feedback from Customers About Your Website’s Design

Customers are a good source of constructive feedback and criticism. If you want to improve your shop’s overall looks and performance then you need to listen to what your customers are saying. That is why you need to at least look at customer reviews, feedback, and even the emails and inquiries that they send so you can see what they have to say about your website. A couple of feedback on your websites layout and theme can be a sign that you need to review how your website looks like and see what’s wrong in it.

If you’re getting more feedback about your shop’s overall design then surely, you need to make some big changes by choosing a better theme. Not paying attention to such constructive criticism could cost you a lot. For instance, your customers might be looking for a product which you are selling but the way you presented it on the product page looks confusing so customers will prefer looking somewhere else and purchase from them instead of getting it from your shop. Being particular with even the slightest details would actually spell a big difference!

4. You Are Seeing Plenty of Abandoned Carts

Abandoned carts are another sign of a bad theme. When customers see that the checkout process is too complicated or is asking too much information that what other online shops are asking. You need to put in mind that most customers right now are very concerned about identity theft and is cautious about entering their bank details in online shops for fear of losing money or becoming prey to hackers that feed on such details to be used for fraudulent transactions.

That is why it’s important that you choose a theme that is capable of providing a smooth and less invasive checkout process to every customer that orders from your shop. Taking a conscious decision on this will spell a big difference especially when you find the perfect theme and couple it with the abandoned cart recovery feature of Shopify. Again, there are several tools within Shopify itself that you can use together with other methods and strategies that you can find and want to use but a change to a better theme will definitely be a big help.

5. Your Site Performs Slower Than it is Expected

A slow website is a sign that you need to check on some aspects of the overall layout and design component and it is possible that the theme you are using is causing the slowdown. When you’re just starting with your shop, you need to ensure that it is optimized for speed and great performance and as you advance towards further growth and expansion, you can add more design and layout components that will help showcase more products and keep everything as attractive and immersive as possible. A great theme will promote your product or brand and showcase it in a way that doesn’t slow down the page loading times.

Test your chosen theme and see what other users can say about it. Be sure that the theme creator issues a constant stream of updates to the theme itself so that bugs can be fixed and speed can be optimized. You can also help make your website pages load faster by using images that are optimized for great quality but are compressed to decrease the size. Large files are a reason of slow page loading times which is why you should learn how to optimize every image that you use in every page that you have in your website.

Conclusion

Changing your shop’s theme shouldn’t be a step that you take on a regular basis. It’s true that it is one of the most important steps in ensuring that your shop works at its best every single time but you need to take such step with a lot of considerations to put on the table and make sure that what you’re going to choose will stay as the theme that your shop would use for an extended period of time if not permanently.

Whether you are new to Shopify or you’ve been into online store business for a long time, the certainty that you will need a new theme is sure and it will come whether you like it or not. So it is smart that you start looking for a perfect theme, one that will match your business or product and would effectively communicate your brand’s personality and core values. Choosing would be hard but once you find the best one, the rewards and benefits will surely taste sweet. Remember, customers judge by their eyes first, take time to look for a theme today and enjoy all the benefits later on!

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