Hi @FUCHA,
Nick here from Shopify. Really great questions!
I spoke to our theme partners team about them and they said the Shopify Theme Store is not like other theme marketplaces, as we do not accept individual theme submissions for listing. Instead, we look for Theme Partners to work with us on providing the themes for the store. As the Shopify Theme Store has an extremely high level in terms of requirements and criteria, it is vital to us that we find the correct Theme Partners to supply those themes. We aim to work with the chosen Theme Partners on a long-term basis to create the themes we feel are relevant for our merchants using Shopify.
For an agency to become a Theme Partner they must undergo an intensive application process that assesses the applicant's ability and experience in design, UX, portfolio, case study, support structure, knowledge of the Shopify platform among other key areas. Our application process is difficult, and all items required are compulsory, as we have to ensure that the applicants are in a good position to be able to handle the pressures and demands. This is also to ensure that the merchants who invest in those themes are fully supported.
Several months ago we announced a forthcoming update to the Online Store Editor whereby sections are being added to all areas of the store. Other areas like Product Pages, Cart Page, etc will be getting the UX abilities that were previously restricted to only the Home Page. This is known as the new online store editor experience and will rebuild how themes are designed and function. This is a huge undertaking by Shopify to vastly improve the customizable elements for the store. Naturally, this has a massive impact on the structure and nature of themes. This will have a big impact on how our Theme Partners design, create and submit themes, as well as how our team reviews and accepts themes. Due to this, we won’t be accepting any new Theme Partner applications until the update has launched and all current themes on the Shopify Theme Store are live with the new functionality. There are no timelines on when we will be reviewing new applications but it is likely to be early 2021.
Regarding your question about ROI, that is something we can't comment on as it would be a violation of the privacy and security of the theme partners.
I hope this helps and answers what you were asking!
All the best, Nick
