There’s a few main differences between Shopify 2.0 and Shopify 1.0 but we’ll run through some of the bigger ones here.
Better User Experience:
The default theme in Shopify 2.0, Dawn, is a much sleeker experience which is optimised for mobile. The interface has been improved so that it’s even easier to visualise the content on your pages in the theme editor. You can also add liquid code (Shopify’s open-source coding language) directly to the editor too.
Improved Site Speed:
As mentioned above, the new default theme ‘Dawn’ is allegedly 35% faster than the previous default theme ‘Debut’. Shopify 2.0 was developed from scratch, allowing the platform to make tweaks to issues previously present in it’s first iteration. This is always going to help with optimising speed and performance. Not only this but Shopify 2.0 has been updated to allow you to install apps via extensions instead of on top of JavaScript, which will have a positive impact on speed.
App Integrations:
As well as additional functionality added to Shopify 2.0, there is now a bigger selection of available apps with smoother integration. This means less development time needed for certain functionalities and easier removal of apps you no longer need - ultimately slimlining and speeding up your site.
Customisation:
Updated theme editor means that you can build the layout of your pages using content blocks, giving you more flexibility and control of every page. Before Shopify 2.0, you were limited to only being able to move sections on the home page, with product, collection and blog pages being fixed sections only. Now you can add, remove and rearrange sections to customise throughout the entire site.
Marketing:
Shopify 2.0 has updated Metafields, allowing you to add more detailed information about your products. If there’s one thing that is helpful to your SEO it’s useful, categorical detail about the items that you are selling! As well as Shopify 2.0’s Improved site speed, this is always a good booster for your SEO performance and has a positive impact on engagement and conversion rates.
If you’re running a Shopify 1.0 theme and want to upgrade to a 2.0 compatible theme to take advantage of the benefits we’ve gone through get in touch to find out more from our team. Find out more about our Shopify offering here.
