When to rebuild a Shopify store?

A Shopify store must be compelling to showcase its products to the right audience and achieve good sales figures. If this is not already the case, there's a strong chance a website redesign is needed. Indeed, the design of a Shopify store must align with the target audience and encourage potential customers to make a purchase. This redesign can be visual or structural, depending on the needs and current state of the online store. On this page, after providing a description of a redesign, we will discuss situations in which an e-merchant should start considering redesigning their website. Here is also our ultimate guide to help you choose a Shopify agency for your redesign.

Website redesign: what is it?

A website redesign is a process of reorganization through content updates, layout and design actualization, and navigation improvement. A redesign involves a significant change to the website's code and visual appearance and is not just a simple refresh.

The 3 main objectives of this approach are:

• increased online presence;
• better user experience;
• higher conversion.

Thanks to all of this, a website redesign can help increase a company's revenue.

Depending on the needs, the redesign can be more or less comprehensive. It can involve a new visual identity for the brand, a restructuring of ergonomics, the integration of new applications and functionalities, or even a migration to a new CMS (Content Management System) like Shopify. The first thing to do is to conduct an inventory, which means identifying objectives and analyzing the website's weaknesses that can be improved, and its strengths to build upon.

Shopify: an effective e-commerce solution

Among CMS solutions, Shopify is a benchmark in e-commerce. And for good reason, this solution is one of the most effective. This platform offers any company access to the creation of product sheets, as well as the management and organization of:

• catalog;
• stock;
• deliveries;
• orders;
• customers;
• and payment methods.

4 reasons to redesign a Shopify store

One of the questions that regularly arises for businesses and brands is knowing when it's necessary to redesign their Shopify store. Here are some cases where a redesign may prove indispensable.

The Shopify store is a few years old

After several years in operation, a Shopify store that doesn't change risks losing visibility. Indeed, web design practices are constantly evolving, and the trends users are accustomed to today are not the same as a few years ago. The Shopify store's design may lack functionalities that modern internet users expect. During a redesign, it's important to create a design that responds to current trends to optimize the user experience. In this case, there is UX work to be done.

The brand or product has evolved

Business growth is a strong indicator of the need for a Shopify store redesign, as the needs of an established brand are not the same as those of a brand entering the market. Online products may be more numerous or different. It is also possible that the brand's image has evolved, that it decides to communicate a new message, or that it completely changes its identity. It is important that the Shopify store reflects all of this to engage visitors: the theme must therefore be changed to perfectly match the brand's current vision.

The Shopify store doesn’t get enough visitors

For a Shopify store, it is imperative to proceed with a redesign when the number of visitors is not satisfactory and does not meet the objectives. If performance is stagnating, it's probably because the content is poorly optimized, and therefore internet users are not finding it in search engines, or visitors are not satisfied with their experience and do not wish to return. During a redesign, Shopify experts work specifically on natural referencing (SEO) and navigation. After a Shopify store redesign, an increase in the conversion rate can generally be observed.

The Shopify store is not “responsive”

The "responsive" aspect must be a key element in the strategy of brands and businesses with a Shopify store. A "responsive" website means that its design adapts in real-time to the size of the screen on which it is displayed. Thanks to this:

• The user experience is optimized: a large number of internet users today use their smartphone or tablet rather than a computer, which is more difficult to transport. Customers are therefore more likely to browse an online store on a small screen. If the store's navigation is not adapted to all digital devices, it will make the user experience difficult, for example, they may struggle to read the content. By facilitating the use of an online store on all formats, better sales are inevitably achieved;
• The Shopify store is better referenced: it turns out that mobile-friendly websites are more likely to be suggested by Google when users perform a search from their smartphone than those that are not.

The user experience should not be neglected on any digital device, whether it's a computer, tablet, or mobile phone.

Why use a Shopify agency to redesign your online store?

Shopify is an e-commerce solution that allows for quick and easy website creation. However, redesigning a Shopify store is a meticulous project that should not be taken lightly. It is therefore advisable to be accompanied by a platform expert throughout the project. Here are some arguments.

• By working with a Shopify agency, the client can benefit from support in creating a new logo, a new theme, and choosing which functionalities to add.
• The client benefits from web development skills: for a simple redesign, which only requires changing images or adding pages to the website, the e-merchant can indeed proceed alone, without risk. However, a redesign can be more extensive and the existing source code of the Shopify store may need to be changed.
• The client benefits from expertise and advice in marketing strategy and SEO: not all e-merchants have the necessary skills in terms of marketing or natural referencing. By using an agency, you also benefit from valuable advice that will help acquire new customers.

In conclusion, by using a Shopify agency, you benefit from the expertise and range of skills of a team.