Kurt Elster started his e-commerce agency in 2009 and launched his first Shopify store in 2011. His “Unofficial Shopify Podcast,” which he started in 2014, now seeks to hear from the community of sellers, developers, and vendors.
He and I recently talked about the current state of Shopify, including themes, upgrades, user engagement, and the overall ecosystem.
The entire audio of our conversation is embedded below. The transcript has been edited for clarity and length.
Eric Bandholz: Tell your listeners who you are and what you do.
Kurt Elster: I run an agency called Ethercycle. We specialize in Shopify migrations and custom themes. In addition, we have developed some Shopify app He hosts “The Unofficial Shopify Podcast” with over 600 episodes.
I’m a long-time Shopify partner. I’ve been using that platform since 2011 when I built one of the earliest stores with a custom theme. It was a learning process, but Shopify’s ease of use and support helped us tremendously.
Bandholz: What makes Shopify ahead of the curve?
Elster: Two things stand out. First, Shopify is focused on improving quality of life. The latest update included features that make the platform better and easier to use. These subtle improvements make the experience smoother and always welcome.
Second, they embraced the “hug the haters” mentality and began engaging directly with users offering criticism. When users complain of a problem, they often hear from product leaders who are genuinely interested in solving the problem. We’ve seen this happen to others in the community, and it’s clear that Shopify is paying attention and making changes based on feedback.
Shopify has always focused on its partner community, and now we’re aiming to make our platform even more user-friendly. This is a smart move to keep them at the forefront of e-commerce.
Bandholz: What are the latest updates?
Elster: Shopify’s native bundled apps are the reason to modernize your theme. It works seamlessly without disrupting your inventory. Another big update is the increase in variant limits. Previously, Shopify limited products to 100 SKUs. This was limiting for products that had multiple variations such as size and color. The limits that themes must now support have now been doubled. You can have a developer customize it for you, but it’s better if the theme handles it directly.
The theme is Also fasterthanks to improvements in Shopify’s infrastructure and coding practices. My company is doing less custom coding and getting better results than ever before. Avoiding custom code in your theme makes updates easier.
Previously, updating customized themes took time, but now customizations can be carried over during updates. Shopify’s theme editor has become very advanced and works like a landing page builder.
Many shopkeepers ask me which one landing page builder You can also use the Shopify theme editor, but the Shopify Theme Editor does everything you need. Effortlessly create highly customizable pages with great themes.
Apps are also now more clearly integrated with themes. It doesn’t cause any confusion like before and is easy to turn on and off.
So the Shopify ecosystem is in a much better place.
Bandholz: Do you prefer established themes or unique themes?
Elster: Trusted themes are usually selected from the Shopify Theme Store. They are well-coded and reliable because developers often reuse code and approaches. From there, customize the sections and templates as needed. Get a feature-rich Shopify theme that’s future-proof and flexible, yet has the custom look and branding your clients want. Theme Store’s strict quality control is great as the themes are solid. We advise our clients to avoid themes that are not from the official store as they are more problematic.
Free themes are also a good option for simplicity and focus. However, if you need more configuration, a paid theme gives you a lot of flexibility. Paid themes are a bargain considering the amount of code you can get for a few hundred dollars.
Bandholz: What do you recommend? ADA compliant?
Elster: I’m not a lawyer or an accessibility expert, but I’ve seen lawsuits. Ambulance chasers often make repeated claims until they win. Unfortunately, these lawsuits do not always help people with disabilities and are often harmful to small businesses.
A website must be accessible, but it’s difficult to define what that means. Screen readers are difficult to use, and e-commerce sites are content-heavy. Gaining full access to these is complex. Some tools and services can be helpful, but operators must be aware of the risks and take steps to improve accessibility wherever possible. This is a difficult issue because compliance is subjective and difficult to achieve completely.
Bandholz: Can you think of an innovative Shopify seller that others can draw inspiration from?
Elster: One client that comes to mind is montana knife company. They have grown rapidly mainly due to their storytelling. Due to supply issues and not being able to obtain enough steel during the pandemic, the company started releasing limited edition products every Thursday. They stuck to that model and had incredible success. It sells out almost instantly every time. On Black Friday, it sold out within minutes. Their products aren’t cheap either. For example, a set of three knives can cost over $1,000.
The key to their success is a combination of great products and great storytelling. They treat each product drop as a launch event, complete with new branding, dedicated landing pages, and apparel to match. This process creates excitement and a strong brand identity. They are currently building a new facility in Montana to become a major player in the knife industry, competing with big-name companies.
Bandholz: Where can I follow you?
Elster: Our agency is ethercycle.com. search “Unofficial Shopify Podcast” We release a new program every Tuesday. I @kurtinc With X.
