Are you building a new Shopify store and looking for inspiration from other successful websites? One great way to get ideas is to find out what Shopify theme your favorite stores are using. Knowing the theme can give you insights into the design, layout, and functionality that are resonating with customers in your niche.
In this in-depth guide, we’ll cover several methods you can use to detect the Shopify theme of any website. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced Shopify developer, these techniques will help you uncover the secrets behind the stores you admire. Let’s dive in!
Why Detect Shopify Themes?
Before we get into the nitty-gritty of how to find Shopify themes, let’s discuss why this information is valuable:
- Inspiration for your own store: Seeing how other successful stores design their websites can spark ideas for your own. You might discover layout ideas, color schemes, or unique features you want to emulate.
- Understand what works in your niche: If you’re targeting a specific industry or customer base, looking at themes used by top performers in your space can clue you in to design trends and user experience best practices.
- Evaluate the competition: Knowing what themes your direct competitors are using is helpful for benchmarking and ensuring your own site is on par or better. You can also spot areas where you can differentiate.
- Identify customization opportunities: Once you know a site’s base theme, you can dig deeper to see how they’ve customized it with unique page templates, sections, app integrations, etc. This can inspire your own theme tweaks.
With these benefits in mind, let’s look at the different ways you can detect Shopify themes.
Method 1: View the Page Source
The quickest and easiest way to find a website’s Shopify theme is to look at the page source code. Here’s how:
- Go to the Shopify store you want to inspect.
- Right-click anywhere on the page and select “View Page Source”. Alternatively, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + U (PC) or Option + Command + U (Mac).
- This will open a new tab with the site’s HTML code. Press Ctrl + F (PC) or Command + F (Mac) to open the search box.
- Type in “Shopify.theme” and press Enter.
- Look for a line of code that contains the theme name, like this:
Shopify.theme = {"name":"Impulse","id":775,"role":"main"};
In this example, the theme name is Impulse. If the theme is made by Shopify, there will also be a theme ID number. You can Google “Shopify theme” plus this ID to find the theme’s listing on the Shopify Theme Store.
However, many stores use custom themes that have been modified or built from scratch. In this case, you may see something like:
Shopify.theme = {"name":"Custom Theme","id":null,"role":"main"};
This indicates the site is running a custom theme not available in the Theme Store. To get inspiration from a custom theme, you’ll have to rely more on visually assessing the design and inspecting specific elements using developer tools (covered later).
Method 2: Use a Shopify Theme Detector Tool
If digging through source code isn’t your thing, there are handy tools specifically made for detecting Shopify themes. Here are a few options:
- Shopify Theme Detector: Just enter a store’s URL and this free online tool will return the theme name, price, and link to the theme store (if applicable). It can also detect some popular theme frameworks like Turbo.[1]
- Koala Inspector Chrome Extension: This browser extension adds a “Koala” button to your Chrome toolbar. When you’re on a Shopify store, click the button to instantly see the theme name, version, price and more. It also lists the Shopify apps being used on the site.[2]
- SimilarShops: In addition to finding similar stores to the one you enter, this tool shows the Shopify theme and other details like monthly traffic, social stats, etc.
These tools make it super simple to check any Shopify site’s theme without having to comb through code yourself. They’re great for quickly assessing a lot of sites.
Method 3: Inspect Specific Page Elements
Sometimes you’re less interested in the overall theme and more curious about how a particular design element or section of a page was built. In this case, your best bet is to use your browser’s built-in developer tools.
Chrome and Firefox have the most robust tools for this. Here’s how to access them:
- Right-click on the specific page element you want to inspect (e.g. a product image, button, heading, etc.)
- From the right-click menu, select “Inspect” or “Inspect Element”.
- This will open the developer tools panel, which shows the HTML markup for that element plus the CSS styles being applied to it.
For example, let’s say you like how a store displays its product images with a hover-to-zoom effect. By inspecting the image element, you might see CSS classes like .product-image or .product-image--zoom. You could then search for these class names in the theme’s stylesheet (usually named theme.scss.css) to see exactly how the effect is coded.
Inspecting elements is also useful for discovering unique Liquid templates or sections being used on the page. For instance, if you inspect a product page’s main content area, you might see a section named product-template.liquid which would indicate that the store has a custom product page template.
Knowing how to inspect elements is handy for going beyond the theme and uncovering specific customizations you might want to apply to your own store.
Method 4: Browse the Shopify Theme Store
If you find a theme you like and it’s not custom, chances are it’s available for purchase on the Shopify Theme Store. The store lets you browse themes by industry, catalog size, and features.
Once you know a theme’s name, you can search for it directly. Or, if you only have the theme ID number, you can Google it plus “Shopify theme” to find the listing.
On the theme listing page, you’ll be able to see example stores using the theme, read reviews from other users, and get a sense of the theme’s capabilities. If the theme looks like a good fit for your store, you can purchase it directly from the Theme Store.
Tips for Choosing the Right Shopify Theme
While detecting Shopify themes is a great starting point, ultimately you’ll need to decide which one is right for your specific store. Here are some factors to consider:
- Industry fit: Choose a theme that aligns with your products and target market. For example, a minimalist theme might work well for a high-end fashion brand, while a colorful, playful theme is better for a toy store.
- Functionality: Make sure the theme has the features and capabilities you need, such as product filtering, quick view, related products, etc.
- Customization options: Consider how much control the theme gives you over the layout, fonts, colors, etc. Some themes are more flexible than others.
- Responsiveness: With more and more traffic coming from mobile devices, it’s critical that your chosen theme looks great and functions well on smartphones and tablets.
- Reviews: Read reviews from other store owners to get a sense of the theme’s strengths, weaknesses, and level of support from the developer.
- Price: Shopify themes range from free to hundreds of dollars. Set a budget and look for themes that offer the best value for your needs. Keep in mind that paying for a quality theme can save you money on development costs down the road.
Conclusion
Detecting the Shopify theme of any website is a powerful way to get inspiration and insights for your own store. By using the methods outlined in this guide, you’ll be able to uncover the themes behind your favorite stores and start replicating their success.
Remember, while a great theme is important, it’s just one piece of the puzzle. To build a truly successful Shopify store, you’ll also need compelling products, strong branding, smooth navigation, and excellent customer service.
Use theme detection as a starting point, but don’t be afraid to customize and make the design your own. With some creativity and attention to detail, you can create an online store that delights customers and drives sales.
Happy theme hunting!
[1] https://shopthemedetector.com/blog/find-out-what-shopify-theme-a-store-is-using/ [2] https://koala-apps.io/shopify/theme-detector/ [3] https://www.logbase.io/blog/find-out-what-shopify-theme-a-store-is-using [4] https://blog.packdigital.com/detect-shopify-theme/ [5] https://getshogun.com/learn/how-to-find-store-shopify-theme/
Citations: [1] https://pixelunion.net/pages/compare-our-shopify-themes [2] https://koala-apps.io/shopify/theme-detector/ [3] https://shopthemedetector.com/blog/find-out-what-shopify-theme-a-store-is-using/ [4] https://www.logbase.io/blog/find-out-what-shopify-theme-a-store-is-using [5] https://blog.packdigital.com/detect-shopify-theme/ [6] https://getshogun.com/learn/how-to-find-store-shopify-theme/ [7] https://tiny-img.com/blog/how-to-find-shopify-theme-used/ [8] https://avada.io/tools/shopify-theme-detector/ [9] https://www.aftersell.com/tools/shopify-theme-detector [10] https://outofthesandbox.com/blogs/shopify-theme-blog/shopify-theme-comparision [11] https://gempages.net/blogs/shopify/shopify-theme-detector [12] https://www.digismoothie.com/blog/detect-shopify-theme [13] https://www.shopify.com/blog/shopify-themes [14] https://archetypethemes.co/blogs/blog/shopify-themes-choosing-a-free-vs-paid-theme [15] https://www.sitelypro.com/pages/shopify-theme-detector [16] https://gochyu.com/shopify-detector [17] https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/shopify-theme-detector-by/dchfgfcpejlleahbdocecnggnakjdfab [18] https://pagefly.io/blogs/shopify/shopify-theme-detector [19] https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/shopify-theme-detector/npjkomjipdbengebpldgodddlinfjhhm [20] https://www.ecommerce-gold.com/fastest-shopify-themes/
