Kurt Elster launched his ecommerce company in 2009 and his first Shopify retailer in 2011. His “Unofficial Shopify Podcast,” which he began in 2014, is now required listening for that neighborhood of retailers, builders, and distributors.
He and I lately mentioned the state of Shopify — themes, upgrades, person engagement, and the general ecosystem.
Your complete audio of our dialog is embedded under. The transcript is edited for readability and size.
Eric Bandholz: Inform our listeners who you’re and what you do.
Kurt Elster: I run an company referred to as Ethercycle. We focus on Shopify migrations and customized themes. Moreover, I’ve developed a couple of Shopify apps and host “The Unofficial Shopify Podcast,” which has over 600 episodes.
I’m a longtime Shopify accomplice. I’ve labored with that platform since 2011 after I constructed one of many earliest shops with a customized theme. It was a studying course of, however Shopify’s ease of use and assist immensely helped.
Bandholz: What’s retaining Shopify forward of the curve?
Elster: Two issues stand out. First, Shopify focuses on quality-of-life enhancements. The newest replace included options that make the platform higher and simpler to make use of. These refined enhancements add as much as a smoother expertise, which is all the time welcome.
Second, they’ve began participating instantly with customers who supply criticism, embracing the “hug your haters” mentality. When customers voice an issue, they typically hear from product leads genuinely desirous about fixing it. I’ve seen this occur with others in the neighborhood, and it’s clear that Shopify is paying consideration and making modifications based mostly on suggestions.
Shopify has all the time valued its accomplice neighborhood, however now it’s pushing towards an much more user-friendly platform. It’s a wise transfer that retains them on the forefront of ecommerce.
Bandholz: What are some current updates?
Elster: Shopify’s native bundles app is a motive to modernize themes. It really works seamlessly with out messing up your stock. One other main replace is the elevated variant restrict. Beforehand, Shopify restricted merchandise to 100 SKUs. That was restrictive for merchandise with a number of variants, corresponding to sizes and colours. Now, they’ve doubled that restrict, which a theme must assist. Whilst you may have a developer customise it, it’s higher if the theme handles it instantly.
Themes are additionally sooner, due to enhancements in Shopify’s infrastructure and coding practices. My agency is doing much less customized coding than ever — with higher outcomes. Avoiding customized code in a theme makes updates simpler.
Updating a custom-made theme previously was a prolonged course of, however now, customizations can carry over with the updates. Shopify’s theme editor has change into so superior that it really works like a touchdown web page builder.
Many retailer homeowners ask me which touchdown web page builder to make use of, however the Shopify theme editor does every little thing you want. You’ll be able to create extremely customizable pages with an excellent theme with out a lot effort.
Apps additionally combine extra cleanly with themes now. They don’t trigger the chaos as earlier than, and turning them on and off is straightforward.
So the Shopify ecosystem is in a significantly better place.
Bandholz: Do you favor established themes or creating your personal?
Elster: We usually decide trusted themes from the Shopify theme retailer. They’re well-coded, and builders typically reuse code and approaches, which makes them dependable. From there, we customise sections or templates as wanted. We get a feature-rich Shopify theme that’s future-proof and versatile however with the customized look and branding the consumer needs. The theme retailer’s strict high quality management is great as a result of it ensures the themes are strong. I counsel shoppers to keep away from themes exterior the official retailer as a result of they’re extra problematic.
Free themes are additionally an excellent possibility for simplicity and focus. If you would like extra configurations, although, paid themes supply super flexibility. Paid themes are a discount when you think about the quantity of code you get for a couple of hundred {dollars}.
Bandholz: What are your suggestions for ADA compliance?
Elster: I’m not a lawyer or an accessibility professional, however I’ve seen the lawsuits. In lots of instances, ambulance chasers file claims repeatedly till they win. Sadly, these lawsuits don’t all the time assist folks with disabilities and are sometimes dangerous to small companies.
Web sites must be accessible, however defining what which means is difficult. Display screen readers are tough to make use of, and ecommerce websites are content-heavy. Making them totally accessible is difficult. Some instruments and providers may also help, however operators want to concentrate on the dangers and take steps to enhance accessibility wherever potential. It’s a tough situation as a result of compliance will be subjective and tough to realize completely.
Bandholz: Are you able to consider an revolutionary Shopify vendor that others may look to for inspiration?
Elster: One consumer that involves thoughts is Montana Knife Firm. They’ve grown quickly, primarily on account of storytelling. They’d provide points throughout the pandemic and couldn’t get sufficient metal, in order that they began launching limited-edition merchandise each Thursday. They’ve caught with that mannequin, and it’s been extremely profitable — they promote out nearly immediately each time. On Black Friday, they offered out inside minutes. Their merchandise aren’t low cost both; for instance, a three-knife set prices over a thousand {dollars}.
The important thing to their success is pairing an excellent product with glorious storytelling. They deal with every product drop as a launch occasion, with new branding, devoted touchdown pages, and matching attire. This course of creates pleasure and a powerful model identification. They’re now constructing a brand new facility in Montana to change into a significant participant within the knife business, competing with family names.
Bandholz: The place can people observe you?
Elster: Our company is Ethercycle.com. Search for “The Unofficial Shopify Podcast.” We publish a brand new present each Tuesday. I’m @Kurtinc on X.
