If you're planning to launch an e-commerce store, you'll need to choose a platform that makes it easy to create and manage your online presence. Shopify is a popular choice for many businesses, offering a user-friendly platform that allows you to create a professional-looking online store without the need for any coding knowledge.
Once you've decided to use Shopify, you'll need to choose a template for your store. You can either use an off-the-shelf template that's available on the Shopify marketplace, or you can create a bespoke template that's tailored to your specific needs.
So, what are the benefits of using a bespoke Shopify template vs an off-the-shelf template? Here are a few key advantages of using a bespoke template:
- A bespoke template is unique to your business. When you use an off-the-shelf template, you're likely to find that many other stores are using the same design. This can make your store look generic and unoriginal. On the other hand, a bespoke template is designed specifically for your business, ensuring that your store has a unique and distinctive look that sets you apart from the competition.
- A bespoke template allows for greater customization. Off-the-shelf templates are designed to be used by a wide range of businesses, which means that they may not include all of the features and functionality that you need. With a bespoke template, you can specify exactly what you want and have it built to your exact specifications. This allows for greater flexibility and ensures that your store has all of the features and functionality that you need.
- A bespoke template can improve the user experience. Off-the-shelf templates are designed to be used by a wide range of businesses, which means that they may not be optimized for the specific products and services that you offer. A bespoke template, on the other hand, can be designed with your specific products and services in mind, making it easier for customers to find what they're looking for and improving the overall user experience.
After deciding to go ahead with a bespoke Shopify template rather than an off-the-shelf template, it’s worth considering some options to optimise the building process and reduce production costs.
A number of factors that can impact the amount of time it takes to build a custom Shopify template, including the complexity of the design, the amount of customisation needed, and the experience of the person or team building the template.
In general, building a custom Shopify template can take anywhere from a few days to several weeks, depending on the specific requirements of the project. For a simple template with minimal customisation, it's possible to build a custom template in just a few days. However, as with any type of project, for a more complex template with a lot of customisation and advanced features, it could take several weeks to build the template.
The key to building a custom Shopify template quickly is to have a clear plan in place before you start, including deciding on the design and features of your template, as well as any customisation that need to be made. It's also important to work with an experienced Shopify developer who knows the platform inside and out and can help you create a template that meets your needs.
Another tip for speeding up the process of building a custom Shopify template is to use a pre-designed template as a starting point. This can save a lot of time, as you won't have to start from scratch and can instead build on an existing template to create your own custom design.
Although the timeframe can vary from project to project, actioning the points above can help you achieve a more time-efficient Shopify build.
