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4 Major Reasons to Upgrade from Free to Paid Shopify Themes

Published on
May 11, 2023
Contributors
Gabriele Rucinskaite
Marketing Executive
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What website platform comes to mind first when you consider launching an e-commerce website? It's probably Shopify. Businesses in various niches and industries don't experience many difficulties while launching an online store using Shopify.With more than 1 million website users or nearly 19% of all currently accessible websites online, trust Shopify as one of the top eCommerce systems in the globe. A number of factors, including flexibility, usability, and expandability, make one of the top eCommerce systems appealing to business owners.

A large selection of premium Shopify themes combined with helpful Shopify apps greatly speeds up the website-building process, enabling businesses to receive the best results in the shortest amount of time. "What about free themes?" you may think. Are they deserving of our focus? Learn more about the difference between free and paid themes in this article and take into account the benefits of moving from free to paid Shopify themes.

What Draws Users to Free and Paid Shopify Themes

Shopify is a flexible eCommerce platform that works for all different types of businesses and entrepreneurs. Both small business websites and extensive corporate websites can benefit from it. This software-as-a-service (Saas) enables companies to launch and expand by implementing cutting-edge strategies and techniques that appeal to the eCommerce market.

One of the factors contributing to Shopify's current popularity is its affordable membership pricing, which starts at just $29 per month. You may access all the functionality required to establish a viable and competitive website after you choose a subscription package. Additionally, you can always improve the functionality of your website with third-party plugins and themes in a range of designs and costs.

Shopify's vast theme library, which lets users customise the look and functionality of their online businesses, is another factor that draws millions of people from all over the world to it as a solution. There are several paid and bespoke Shopify themes available in addition to the free ones. Although some people might view free Shopify themes as a more affordable option, there are numerous reasons why premium Shopify themes are well worth the money.

Four Important Reasons for Using Premium Shopify Themes

Premium themes include a number of benefits that can improve the appearance and functionality of an online store. Let's examine the four primary reasons in favour of choosing premium Shopify themes over free ones.

Visual Appeal

First impressions are important. The success of your business greatly depends on the visual appeal of the online store. A well-designed e-commerce website creates a favourable first impression for the shopper, promotes customer confidence, and results in better conversion rates.

There are numerous options for design available with premium Shopify themes. Customised colour schemes can be used to create Shopify themes based on pre-made designs. They can be modified by changing fonts, layouts, etc. Paid Shopify themes are created by expert web designers and established site design firms. You're more inclined to use their items if they seem and feel more appealing and useful.

Functionality

The best premium Shopify themes offer more features and functionality in comparison to free Shopify themes, providing a richer customer experience and boosting sales. For instance, many luxury goods come with paid plugins or pictures that are included in their designs. So, by purchasing a premium Shopify theme, you save money on the site's premium features.

Technical Support & Updates

Anyone who has ever attempted to set up and run an e-commerce store understands how important it is to rely on professionals when building or customising your website. Paid web design products, in contrast to freebies, frequently include committed support from the development team. The majority of premium Shopify theme providers help businesses and website owners by offering access to a  knowledgeable technical support team.

Premium Shopify themes often come with free lifetime updates in addition to support. A routinely updated web theme enables you to keep your website up-to-date and fraud-resistant for any length of time you need. It is the element that many free web designs lack.

Usability

Drag-and-drop page builders are a common feature found in expert web design assets, enabling store owners to modify Shopify themes without having to possess complex technical knowledge. You don't need to hire an experienced site designer. Using paid themes is frequently simpler than using free ones. It increases the cost-effectiveness of dealing with expensive designs.

For enhanced online store visibility, premium Shopify themes are more quickly and effectively optimised for various devices with mobile-friendly design options available.  Dedicated support will make sure that your e-commerce website is optimised for speed, which is vital as sales and your site's rating might both suffer from a slow-loading website.  It would be so disappointing if there was damage to your company’s credibility based on a slow or difficult to navigate site.

Summary - Upgrade to Paid Shopify Themes

In summary, if you can't decide between free and premium Shopify themes, I prefer the latter. Paid themes have numerous advantages compared to free themes. They appear more unique, making it easy to build a web store that reflects your brand's personality. Other businesses in your market are less likely to use an identical web design for their stores. Even if they do, premium Shopify themes come with an array of customisation choices and page-building functionality, allowing you to fully customise the look and feel of your website to match your unique brand identity.

Paid themes typically offer all of the features required to launch your particular subject website. Premium plugins and extensions that come with premium site designs frequently feature significant customisation possibilities. Freebies will supply you with the usual set of features, forcing you to purchase additional tools to increase the performance of your website. Do you actually save money by using a free web design? I doubt it.

Premium themes come with expert lifetime updates and support. The usefulness of paid web design solutions frequently causes freebies to fall behind. Therefore upgrading will be one of the best decisions you could ever make and will be money well spent.

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