This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
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How can you create and sell custom Shopify themes? Listen, this is a really big market. There's some people making a lot of money in this market, in this space. It's a bit of a niche space, like there's not a ton of people doing it, but the people who are doing it, they tend to price at pretty good margins. So it is a good opportunity for the right person with these skills.
Let's talk about how you might enter this market. And if you're not interested in this market, of course, let's talk about how you gain entry into something else. Everything we do here is meant to be applicable to lots of different categories and interests. So today we'll hear this question from Rafael in Michigan. He wants to know how to create themes that stand out, how to appeal to specific buyers or industries and how to effectively market and sell them.
That's a lot there, so we'll try to kind of narrow it down. But if you're into web design or e-commerce, this episode should be helpful. And if not, well, I'll just keep it short, action-packed, and hopefully give you a point of inspiration. How do you create and sell custom Shopify themes? That's our episode, "The Detailed Question," and my answer after this message.
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Hello, this is Rafael from Traverse City, Michigan. I've been working as a web designer and I recently got interested in creating and selling custom Shopify themes. So I'm particularly interested in targeting niche e-commerce businesses. Just wondering, what's the best way I could approach this? And how do I create themes that stand out and appeal to specific industries?
And I'm just wondering what's the best way to strategize for marketing and selling these themes? I'd love to know what you think and what you would recommend. [Music]
All right, so how does this business actually work? Let's explain that first. If you have a Shopify site, it means you are likely selling something.
Like you have an e-commerce business. Tomorrow, for example, we have an episode about acupressure mats. There's somebody who is using Amazon to sell acupressure mats. So for example, let's say you have your own Shopify store where you're not using Amazon, or in addition to using Amazon, you're selling these acupressure mats. You need a website that will display those mats, allow for the checkout process and so on.
And Shopify does this for you, like they give you a bunch of basic templates, but some people, some creative designers and programmers have made custom Shopify themes that might be more tricked out, might have additional features, might have custom design or other conversion elements that are gonna help people buy more expensive mats or just buy more, whatever the case may be. And they sell these custom Shopify themes, typically for $100 to $500. So it's not custom web design, it's being sold to lots of different people, but you can then customize this site in your own way. You can choose your colors and there might be other ones out there that look similar, but it probably doesn't matter if nobody else in your category is using that particular theme. So smart people have done this and Raphael wants to enter the market.
Let's talk about how he can do that. First of all, like who are we trying to reach? Are you trying to create themes that work for food stores, for example, or specific e-commerce products like those acupressure mats that we'll talk about tomorrow? Or it could be something entirely different, but it really helps to like say, okay, I'm gonna make themes specifically for this market. And maybe you can branch out and do multiple markets, but just starting somewhere is helpful.
Then you want to design with purpose, like your themes design should solve the specific problems of the businesses that you're targeting, with functionality, with visual appeal. Keep in mind, they can get free themes from Shopify or they can get low priced themes somewhere else. So why are yours going to be so much better? Like you want to make sure that you are truly designing with purpose. And then once you feel like you have something that is interesting and worthwhile, then it's about getting them out there.
So the Shopify theme store actually allows you to do this. So if you have a great theme that meets a need, you can list it directly there. I don't think it costs anything. I assume they take a cut of the sales, but that's okay because you're reaching customers you wouldn't otherwise reach. So just doing that on its own could work.
And of course you can do all kinds of other marketing as well. You could promote on social media, you could build up your own website and email list and so on. And some of the most successful sellers have done that. But if you don't want to do that, if you just want to design it and list it in the Shopify theme store, and there's probably some other directories as well, then that could work or at least get you going. And in terms of pricing, you want to research what other custom themes you're selling.
I don't think you should undercut the price too much, maybe a little bit, but I think if you're creating something that is of quality, people are going to recognize that. They're not going to want a $29 theme. If all the other ones in your category are selling for hundreds of dollars, you actually want to kind of match that pricing or be in the same range. And those are the steps basically. More we could talk about, but basically if you take a look at the Shopify theme store, that will get you started.
You could also consider offering upsells like customization, installation, or ongoing support. That can be helpful both to the customer and to you. It can definitely give you some increased revenue once the sale has already been made, but you basically have your first steps here. So hopefully Raphael, that's helpful to you. Let us know how it goes.
We'd love to see your custom themes. Listener's always cheering you on as well, hoping for the best. Let me know, sidehustleschool.com/questions. Let me know what you're up to. Updates, questions, concerns, ideas that we should talk about at some point.
And of course we got much more coming out. New episode every day, always completely free. My name is Chris Guillebeau. This is Side Hustle School. [Music]
From the Onward Project.
