When researching Shopify stores, I often come across a design or layout that makes me curious about which theme the store is using.
Knowing the theme can be useful for research and inspiration, although it obviously doesn’t tell the full story when a store has been heavily customized.
We recently built a Shopify Theme Detector to help identify the theme used by a Shopify store. The goal is to make theme research a little easier for merchants, developers, and anyone exploring different Shopify stores.
We’re still improving it, so I’d genuinely like to hear from the community:
Would you find a tool like this useful?
How do you currently check which theme a Shopify store is using?
What theme-related information would be most helpful to see?
I’d appreciate any feedback or suggestions from people who regularly research Shopify stores.
Thanks for sharing that. You’re right that checking window.Shopify.theme can be a quick option for someone comfortable with the browser console.
The tool we built is mainly for merchants and users who aren’t comfortable using the dev console or digging through source code. The idea is to make this type of research more accessible by simply entering a store URL.
It’s not meant to replace the manual method, just to make the process easier for people who prefer a simple interface. Appreciate you pointing this out!
For me and the other stores I work with, a theme and app detector tool is extremely helpful.
That said, I currently use tools like Koala or Shopscan. They have a Chrome extension (super convenient) and cover a wide range of themes and apps. They also support tracking stores, ad campaigns, website traffic, social media, etc.
You might want to find a clear USP, so your tool can stand out from ones like those.
Thank you, Ellie! Really appreciate the feedback and the suggestions.
You make a good point about finding a clear USP. We’re still working on the tool and thinking about how we can make it genuinely useful and different for Shopify merchants.
If you have a moment, could you please check out our tool and share any suggestions based on your experience with tools like Koala and Shopscan? We’d especially appreciate feedback on what features or improvements would make it more useful for Shopify merchants.
Thanks again for taking the time to share your thoughts and for the encouragement!
Ellie makes a good point about USP. A theme detector alone is helpful, but it’s not enough to stand out.
Since you’re building this for merchants who aren’t technical, here are a few features that could make it genuinely useful:
1. Show whether the theme is heavily customized or mostly stock. Merchants often find a design they like, but if it’s heavily customized, they can’t just install the same theme and get the same look.
2. Show which apps the store is using alongside the theme. That gives a fuller picture of their tech stack—especially useful for merchants doing competitive research.
3. A quick “similar themes” suggestion based on the store’s industry or style. Helps merchants discover options they might not have considered.
Koala and Shopscan cover a lot of ground, but they’re also aimed at a more technical audience. If you keep the interface simple and merchant-friendly, that could be your edge.
Curious—what’s your focus? Making it easy for merchants to find inspiration, or more for competitive research?
Thanks for the detailed feedback. These are some really useful suggestions, especially showing whether a theme is heavily customized and providing a clearer picture of a store’s overall setup.
Our main focus is making this type of research simple and accessible for merchants who may not be comfortable using browser developer tools or analyzing a store’s code. So I’d say it’s a mix of helping merchants find inspiration and supporting competitor research, but with a simple, merchant-friendly experience.
If you have a moment, could you please check out our tool and share your thoughts based on these suggestions? It would be really helpful to hear what you think is currently missing or what would make it genuinely useful for you.
Thanks again for taking the time to share such thoughtful feedback!
If you’re leaning toward Option 1 (native discounts + Custom Liquid), I’d say go for it—it’s free and works well for simple tiered pricing.
One thing to keep in mind: if you ever change your prices or tiers, just remember to update both the discounts in Shopify admin AND the two lines of code (tier_qty and tier_price). Easy to forget, but important.
How many products are you planning to apply this to? That’ll help narrow down whether the native approach will scale or if an app might be worth it."
For me and the other stores I work with, a theme and app detector tool is extremely helpful.