Standard vs. Custom Shopify themes: How to choose the right approach for your brand by Linda Bleijenberg

Standard Shopify themes are absolutely wonderful. They are an ideal starting point for millions of e-commerce merchants worldwide, helping them sell without having to worry about technology. The Shopify Checkout alone is a prime piece of technology that gives every merchant on the platform a head start, compared to other platforms.

When those merchants start scaling up to mid-market and enterprise level, though, they often hit a ceiling with their standard theme. These are some of the limitations they run into: 

• Lack of flexibility. A successful brand is a brand that stands out from the crowd. A template limits your possibilities considerably, when it comes to original branding, visuals and features.
  
  

• Performance trade-offs. A successful online store is fast and functional. Generic themes often include bloated code, affecting load times and Core Web Vitals scores.
  
  

• Scaling challenges. There is a limit to the amount of third-party apps and custom code you can add to a standard theme, before it starts to have issues. Continuing with a standard theme often leads to technical debt: when brands prioritize short-term patches over long-term solutions.
  
  

• Future updates. Customizing your standard Shopify theme means overwriting Shopify’s default updates, which makes long-term maintenance more and more complex.

Code has a solution that combines the advantages of Shopify pre-built tech with those of built-from-scratch custom themes, without the drawbacks of either. The Code Base Theme (CBT) offers you the best of both worlds: it is scalable, fully customizable and high-performing but it won't eat your budget or delay your launch. 

The Code Base Theme is a modular, component-based system. It incorporates all the proven solutions of Shopify’s tech, as well as a range of pre-built, high-performance features designed for ambitious e-commerce brands, and the possibility to add whatever custom features your brand requires. 

• Faster to market. CBT enables brands to launch within 6-8 weeks instead of 12-16, which saves your business up to 50% of time compared to fully custom themes.
  
  

• Enterprise-grade customization. Unlike standard themes, CBT allows for deep customization while keeping Shopify’s flexibility.
  
  

• No bullshit build. CBT is developed for performance and keeps it simple, without compromising on functionality. Wherever possible, it solves things with native code.
  
  

• 100% Core Web Vitals scores. Optimized for speed and SEO, CBT ensures better conversion rates and search visibility, as well as high Core Web Vitals scores (depending on what is feasible for your store).
  
  

• Future-proof architecture. Always up to date with Shopify’s latest features, CBT eliminates long-term maintenance headaches.
  
  

• Scalable for growth. With a number of pre-built components offering popular and proven features, CBT enables ambitious e-commerce brands to scale rapidly. 
  
  

• Tried and tested. Used by 200+ successful brands since 2017, CBT has an excellent track record for solving the actual challenges encountered by e-commerce businesses while leveling up.
  
  

• Maintained by Code. CBT is developed and maintained by one of the best Shopify partners in Europe, widely recognized for their technical expertise. 

Since 2017, Code has launched over 200 Shopify stores on the Code Base Theme. What are the experiences of our clients? They typically report increased loading speeds, better conversion, and better results overall as major benefits of CBT.

• "Since Kabrita switched to Shopify in 2020, the store’s performance has improved considerably. Code implemented a range of optimizations that led to an impressive 23.4% increase in conversion, while the store’s AOV shot up with 200%." - Kabrita
  
  

• "We clocked a 7% increase of page speed on desktop, and an impressive 50% increase on mobile." - BURNHARD
  
  

• "We gained an average of 25% in overall speed and, most importantly, our conversion rate increased by 25%." - Namuk
  
  

• "Our overall revenue went up a lot with the new store, without any crashes or overwork, and for the first time our Google scores are all green - they used to be red! A very different experience from our Magento times." - McGregor New York

A recurring theme is our clients’ amazement at Code's ability to meet their deadline. Thanks to CBT, we have consistently been able to deliver on our promises. We leverage AI where possible, to ensure maximal efficiency and effectiveness. 

• "I was astonished that Code met our deadline. This was the fourth relaunch in my career, and all the other ones had delays." - BURNHARD
  
  

• "Code finished the new store two weeks ahead of schedule. That took us by surprise, I have to say!" - Muchachomalo
  
  

• "The launch of our Shopify store was uncomplicated and fast." - Namuk

Cutting cost and streamlining operations is another benefit of working with Shopify and the Code Base Theme. 

• "I would say: don’t waste your energy trying to build something that’s already out there. Find your challenge in the things you are good at, and leave the website building to the experts. Get yourself a ready-made, easily scalable solution like this." - Kabrita
  
  

• "You don’t need a huge development team because it’s easy to use and easy to launch, and you can focus on conversion and retention instead." - BURNHARD

Lastly, clients appreciate Code's collaborative approach:

• "I loved the collaboration with Code! They’re really transparent, think along with you, and their speed of working in particular is awesome. I was impressed by their documentation, too: I went on leave for four months and could basically hand my replacement Code’s customised documentation for the Code Base Theme as a bible." - McGregor New York
  
  

• "Code is technically savvy, and they have an Agile approach: that suits us perfectly. I also like their straightforward, Dutch style." - Lars Kristian Stråtveit, Head of E-commerce at Alpinestars