US Brands Ditch Standard Themes for Custom Shopify Builds

Top StoryUS Brands Ditch Standard Themes for Custom Shopify Builds

n24.com.tr

Scaling U.S. e-commerce brands are increasingly replacing standard Shopify themes with custom builds to address performance and operational constraints. Pre-built templates, while effective for early-stage businesses, often fail to support merchants scaling beyond $1 million in sales. Issues like slow page speeds, app conflicts, and limited checkout customization are driving this shift. Developers are leveraging Shopify Functions and Online Store 2.0 layouts to reduce third-party app dependencies and improve performance.

Brands like Gymshark and Allbirds are adopting tailored Shopify Plus infrastructure to meet complex needs such as multi-region storefronts and advanced discount logic. This trend reflects a growing demand for flexibility and scalability among high-growth enterprises.

Why it matters: This marks the second development in 11 days highlighting the challenges of scaling on Shopify. The shift to custom builds underscores competitive pressure from platforms like WooCommerce and Magento, which also target merchants seeking scalable solutions.