The forecast is out! According to Insider Intelligence, the demand for worldwide e-commerce sales growth is expected to rise to 9.4% in 2024, from 8.9% in 2023. Having an e-commerce website can help you make the $$$ you may be missing.
One of the e-commerce platforms you can leverage right away is Shopify. 4 million websites have been created with it, and the platform enables digital sellers to start and grow their online stores. The Shopify theme store also offers 100+ free and premium themes like Flex, Fastor, and many more! Users can design their site as per their needs.
When there are so many themes out there, it can be quite a task to decide which one to use for your website. While user functionality is an important factor, speed shouldn’t take the backseat.
Want to know why? Here are some key stats to demonstrate the importance of speed.
Benefits Of Selecting A Fast Shopify Theme
–Reduces the bounce rate and impacts SEO: Did you know that 9.6% of your audience bounces when the website loading time goes up from 1 second to 2 seconds? Yikes! This infographic better demonstrates bounce rates as per page speeds.
If your website load time is slow, it can also impact your website’s ranking in search engine results. Website load time is a critical page ranking signal as per Google.
-Ensures you don’t lose customers: (this one takes the crown) You can lose up to 2/3rd of your customers if your website is slow. In fact, studies show that a site loading in 1 second has a 3X conversion rate than a website loading in 5 seconds.
So, in 2024, you can’t miss out on incorporating the fastest Shopify themes that engage users on your site. We’ve compiled a list of themes for you to help you get started with the process.
Criteria For Theme Selection
User Functionality: We have picked the themes that offer opportunities for users to customize their websites.
Inclusion Of Both Free & Paid Themes: Besides user functionality, we have ensured to test both free and paid themes. In this way, if you have a tight budget, you can still find the fastest free Shopify themes for your store.
How We Tested The Themes:
a. We took into account popular themes and tested existing websites with a home page, products page, and collections page.
b. The websites were taken into consideration that already had a domain name, and we did not take into account any preview or work-in-progress pages.
c. We tested the sites using the Uptrends Speed Tool. Speed load times for each website were analyzed for the fast-loading Shopify themes on both desktop and mobile.
Now, let’s move to the fastest-loading Shopify themes that you MUST use.
Top 10 Best & Fastest Shopify Themes
1. Shella
Price: $59 (Regular License)
Key Highlight: Highly Responsive & Clean Theme
The Shella Shopify theme provides multiple features like header and footer customization, innovative sliders, and banner builders. The lightweight, modern theme comes with 100+ ready-to-use fastest pre-made Shopify design templates. There are also regular updates that get launched for the Shella theme, which means you can leverage the latest theme functionalities and speed in no time.
Key Features
–Mega Menu Builder To Configure Popup Layout Using A 12 Column Grid
–Builder Selection In The Home Page To Create A Unique Home Page Layout Based On 4 Content Blocks: The Revolution Slider, Instagram, Promo Box, Products, And Custom Content
–Filter Product Collections By Price, Description, Vendor, Type, Tags, Etc.
–AR View In Your Space For 3D Product Models
–Zoom Pop-Ups For Product Pages In Mobiles
–Infinite Scrolls On Product Collection Pages
–Set Color, Size, And Other Attributes For Products. Showcase Your Products As Swatches.
Shella Is For You If:
–You run an e-commerce store. With innovative UI/UX elements and 18 skins, you can customize your shop to your style.
–You appreciate a minimalistic, neat theme.
Support
If you require assistance using the theme, you can contact the customer support team at MPIthemes.
2. Booster
Price: $248/Year (One-Time License) Or $398 (One-Time Offer)
Key Highlight: 40+ Conversion Optimized Marketing Tools That Ensure Shopify Apps Don’t Slow Down Your Website
Known for its top speed, Booster is a highly scalable and user-friendly theme. With automatic image visualization, Booster ensures images don’t lose their quality. Additional CSS implementations are the cherry on the icing. Trusted by 40,000+ stores, it features geo-personalized content, product variant options, and the currency converter feature, and the fastest Shopify templates.
Key Features
–Smart Searching To Help Users Discover What They Want To Buy, Quickly
–A People Watching Feature To Display The Number Of People Purchasing Booster Products
–A Sticky Add-To-Cart Option To Boost Conversions
–Dynamic Checkouts Where Customers Can Pay With Their Preferred Payment Option
–Showcase The Estimated Date Of Delivery To Customers Before They Can Even Raise A Query
-Display Frequently Bought Together Items To Encourage Purchases
-Promotion Timers To Evoke A Sense Of Urgency In Buyers
Booster Is For You If:
–You want to save $281/month that would otherwise be lost in paying app fees.
–You want to prioritize both speed and functionality at the same time-not just one!
Support
The dedicated customer support team at Booster is available 7 days a week through both email and Facebook Messenger. The average response time is less than 12 hours.
3. Shoptimized
Price: $299 (lifetime license), $199/year, or $1199 (one-time)
Key Highlight: Conversion optimization
The premium theme is for e-commerce entrepreneurs who wish to grow their businesses. The fast Shopify theme leverages the power of psychological marketing principles to help creators attract buyers. Urgency, scarcity, and authority are the principles that are prioritized. There is a lifetime fee for this theme.
Key Features
–30+ Built-in Conversion Boosting Apps Worth $2,011/year
–Home Page & Checkout Banner Templates
–Built-In Upsell & Cross-Sell Tools
–Optimized For 200+ SEO Ranking Factors
–Mobile-First Shopify Theme
–Countdown Timer For Products
-Get-It-By-Timer For Customer Info
Shoptimized Is For You If:
–You want to maximize customer engagement through a user-friendly e-commerce store
–You run marketing promotions or offers and want to boost conversions
Support
Visit the Shoptimized website if you require assistance with customizing the theme. The team responds to business inquiries within 24 hours during working days.
4. Electro
Price: $89 (Regular License)
Key Highlight: Suitable for vendor-based marketplaces or affiliate websites
One of the fastest Shopify themes, Electro is clean, modern, and responsive. As the name suggests, it is most suitable for companies selling electronic products. Image optimization, lazy loading, in-line customization, store locator, recommended product options, and product badges make it stand out.
Key Features
-Create Intuitive Product Comparisons To Showcase Items Side By Side
–Mobile First Theme
–30+ Sections To Help Users Discover Products Easily
–Free High-Resolution Stock Photos
–Product Color Swatches To Showcase Variations
–HomePages Designed To Fit WideScreens For High Product Visibility
–Unlimited Free Trial: Pay Only When You Hit Publish
Electro Is For You If:
–If you sell products requiring you to process a large number of transactions in a short time, this theme is for you.
–You sell non-physical (digital) products.
Support
With a regular license, you will get 6 months of support from arenacommerce.
5. Plak
Price: $295 (Small Scale Businesses)/ $395 (Medium Scale Businesses)/ $595 (Large Scale Businesses)
Key Highlight: Eliminates Reliance On 30+ Shopify Themes
Plak is a lightweight theme heavily focusing on SEO and custom configurations. It is compatible with multiple browsers, including Google Chrome, Chromium, Firefox, Opera, and Safari. Available in 21 languages, it provides developers with a fast interface but helps them save time translating their content into other languages, especially if they sell products on an international scale. The theme also comes with 7 lazy loading effects.
Key Features
–Mobile First, Easy-To-Navigate Shopify Theme
–Blurry Coupon Code Feature To Encourage Users To Sign In To View The Code Details
–Choose To Show A Section Only On Mobile Or Desktop
–Sticky Add To Cart Options
-Dynamic & Static Free Shipping Bars
–Countdown Timers On The Product & Cart Pages
–Free Lifetime Support, 24*7
-Automatically Generated Table Of Contents
-Enhanced Collection/Blog Filters
-Advanced Structured Data And Link Title Attributes
Plak Is For You If:
–You are a basic or premium Shopify merchant and want to drive conversions for your store. Plak supports small, medium, and large-scale businesses.
–You want to grow your business without relying on any third-party tools or applications.
Support
The Shopify Forum and eCommerce Community assists users with any issues they may experience while using the theme. Lifetime free support is also included as a part of the paid plans.
Price: $495
Key Highlight: High Flexibility
With the Flex Shopify theme, you can choose between 13 unique style variants. The theme provides merchants with the opportunity to add custom CSS to any section within the Theme Editor. An icon library, options to add animations like zoom-in/zoom-out effects, 8 unique header and footer styles,10 mega menus, and 3 product page layouts add to its benefits.
Key Features
-Documentation For Users So They Can Use The Theme
-A Bottom-Fixed Message Bar
-Predictive Search Options
-Customized Popup Options
-Image Scrolling For Products
-Multiple Tag Filter Options
-Collections Page Sidebar
Flex Is For You If:
-You do not want to restrict yourself to themes that do not allow for a lot of customization.
-The Flex Shopify theme is a viable option for entrepreneurs, retailers, and small-to-midsize businesses.
Support
Users who require additional support while using Flex can visit this website.
7. Fastor
Price: $56 (Regular License)
Key Highlight: Responsive Theme For E-Commerce Stores
With Fastor, you can create listings, and upload items or photos through a user-friendly interface. You can easily filter by color, brand, size, and price. With 104 skins, Fastor has all you need to customize your Shopify store.
Key Features
-95 Ready-To-Use Demos
-Mobile Optimized Theme
-Express Installation In Just A Click
-Create Different Page Styles For Varying Categories
-Price Range Filters
-Dynamic Checkout Buttons
-Product Order Notifications
Fastor Is For You If:
-You want creative control over your website.
-You have an e-commerce store and want to ensure your products are visually appealing.
Support
Users who purchase Fastor will be eligible for 6 months of customer support.
Price: $280
Key Highlight: Stylish And Sophisticated Appearance
The Loft theme displays products as groups in captivating arrangements. It is great for promotion-focused brands as they can focus on conversions with functionalities like product pages, meganav, etc. The premium theme focuses on social-media integration and mobile responsiveness as well.
Key Features
–In-Menu Promos And Recommended Products Showcase
–Promo Banners And Titles
–Colour Swatches
–Product Filtering And Sorting
–Sticky Headers
–Enhanced Search Capabilities
–Image Galleries And Slideshows
-Modify Layers, Fonts, Colors, And Other Design Elements Through The Drag-And-Drop Function
Loft Is For You If:
–You want to tell a story through your content. You can optimize long-form text sections in the content.
–Processing a large number of transactions through your online store is one of your priorities.
Support
If you need help using Loft, head over to TRAILBRAZE media’s website.
Key Highlight: Minimalist Theme Where Images Take The Center Stage
The clean, minimalist theme has options to incorporate large images and you can use simplified fonts to get your message across to your audience. Flexible design and customization options are available along with sticky header and mega menu functionalities. The theme is suitable for all store owners, regardless of their level of inventory.
Key Features
–The Fastest Shopify JSON Templates
–Ultra-Lightweight With Minimal JavaScript
–CSS And Native Browser Features That Keep Load Times Low
-Accessible Color Themes
–Intuitive Interface For Flexibility And Ease Of Use
–Mobile First Theme Utilizing Atomic Elements
–Allows Customers To Follow Your Store In The Shop App
-Section Blocks For Easy Editing
Dawn Is For You If:
–Visual storytelling is your priority.
–You want to offer customers an experience where they can get a sense of what products are like before they purchase them, through media-forward product pages.
Support
You can obtain assistance for using this theme by leveraging the Shopify virtual Help Center Assistant.
Key Highlight: Elegant Appearance
Utilizing elegant typography and generous spacing, Craft is a tool to help you showcase your brand story. Packed with multiple sections and the fastest free Shopify themes, it has compelling narratives and advanced customization options for merchants.
Key Features
–Compatible With All 3: Desktops, Tablets, And Mobile Phones
–LooksBooks
–MegaMenu For Easy Navigation
–Quick Buy And Cart Notes
–Sticky Headers
–Responsive Design
-High-Resolution Images & Videos
Craft Is For You If:
–You have a home or a garden store of any catalog size or a fashion store and want to visually showcase your products.
–A neat and clean interface is what you prefer for your product store.
-You sell organic, craft, or environment-friendly products. Craft’s design can reinforce your brand’s values.
Support
If you need help using Craft, refer to this page to learn more about customizing the theme. Also, check out this video to see how Craft helps create store designs in real- time.
Summary Of Theme-Wise Speeds
In our analysis, we discovered Electro to be the fastest Shopify theme, followed by Booster and Loft.
| Theme | Average Speed | Collections (Desktop) | Collections (Mobile) | Home (Desktop) | Home (Mobile) | Product (Desktop) | Product (Mobile) |
| Shella | 3.98s | 2.0s | 4.1s | 2.2s | 3s | 6.5s | 6.1s |
| Booster | 2.42s | 2.3s | 2.1s | 2.1s | 1.8s | 2.7s | 3.5s |
| Shoptimized | 3.86s | 4.2s | 2.5s | 4.2s | 2.5s | 2.8s | 7.1s |
| Electro | 1.713 | 1.3s | 2s | 1.6s | 1.88s | 1.6s | 1.9s |
| Plak | 4.4s | 5.2s | 3.4s | 2.7s | 3.2s | 6.3s | 5.6s |
| Flex | 3.07s | 2.5s | 2.3s | 2.5s | 4.6s | 3.2s | 3.3s |
| Fastor | 3.7s | 2.4s | 2.3s | 4.1s | 3.1s | 7s | 3.3s |
| Dawn (Free) | 2.77s | 7.0s | 3.2s | 2.8s | 1s | 0.9s | 1.7s |
| Loft | 2.47s | 2.7s | 2.1s | 2.6s | 3.4s | 2s | 2s |
| Craft (Free) | 2.58s | 2.8s | 2.3s | 3.5s | 2.6s | 2.3s | 2s |
Shopify FAQs
Q1. What Makes A Shopify Theme Fast?
- Limited HTTP requests: When you access a website, your browser sends requests for various resources such as images, stylesheets, and scripts. Each request adds to the loading time. A fast Shopify theme aims to minimize these requests by optimizing and combining resources where possible. This could involve sprite sheets for icons, using image sprites, or bundling CSS and JavaScript files to reduce the number of requests made by the browser.
- Regular Updates: Regular updates to a theme ensure that it stays compatible with the latest changes in Shopify’s interface. This not only improves the theme’s functionality but also enhances its performance. Outdated themes may have compatibility issues, leading to slower loading times or errors.
- Reducing Reliance On External Libraries: Fast Shopify themes aim to strike a balance by using only essential libraries or, in some cases, by relying on custom-coded solutions to minimize external dependencies.
- Clear CSS: Clear and concise CSS rules ensure that the browser can quickly interpret and apply styles to the elements on the page. Well-organized CSS not only makes the theme visually appealing but also contributes to faster rendering times.
Q2. Apart From Themes, How Can I Boost Shopify Website Speed?
Selecting the right theme is critical, but the below ways to boost your website’s speed can’t be ignored.
- Reduce Sizes Of Large Images:
Large images mean that more resources are required for images to load on your Shopify site. Users need extra browser resources and data to view content. Keep the size of images small, which ensures faster website loading.
What To Do:
>Replace any images (100+ KB) with smaller images.
>Compress large pictures using tools like Crush.pics and Optimizilla.
- Limit Redirect Usage
A redirect is when a user who visits a web page gets forwarded to a different page altogether. Sometimes, you may use them while linking to sources or other internal links, but over-usage of redirects may increase page load time.
What To Do:
>If the purpose of the redirect seems unclear, avoid adding such a link on your website.
- Limit Third-Party JavaScript And Shopify Apps
Unnecessary code and applications may make websites slow.
What To Do:
>Assess if using an alternate Shopify theme can help you obtain the functionality you require in your store. Explore themes here.
>Review and remove any unnecessary JavaScript from your Shopify site’s code.
- Run Your Store Through GooglePage Insights
Google’s PageSpeed Insights helps analyze your website’s performance and provide information about the problems users are experiencing on your website. A few critical metrics that impact the PageSpeed rating include:
-Largest Contentful Paint, the amount of time it takes to load the largest piece of a web page
-First Input Delay, the time between a user’s first attempt to interact with a web page and when it responds.
-Cumulative Layout Shift, a measure of how much a web page shifts as it loads.
What To Do:
>Check your performance using Google’s PageSpeed Insights. Make adjustments like optimizing images, and use a content delivery network so content reaches users quickly.
>Monitor the Shopify features you use and remove the ones you don’t require.
Q3. Does speed guarantee conversions?
While using fast-loading Shopify themes can help, there is no rule that it guarantees conversions. There can be multiple reasons why you aren’t able to boost conversions, like a confusing CTA, unorganized or irrelevant images and text, and a site design that changes too much, even if it is within a single theme. In fact, the reason for low conversions may be completely unrelated to the elements on a website. The quality of a product may be low, deterring customers from making purchases. Hence, it is important to evaluate all factors determining store conversions and not just take a look at site speed.
Closing Thoughts
Now, you know about the top 10, fastest Shopify themes for your website. While it’s great to make use of these paid and free fastest-loading Shopify themes, remember that you need to continue making improvements to your site to keep customers engaged. Till then, keep “shop-i-fying!”