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__The new Premium Theme "Emporium" for Shopware 6 has arrived, joining the recently released Premium Themes "Cinema", "Shape", "Showroom" and "Elle". We spoke with Shopware theme expert Julia Leusing, and in this blog post, we will show you what to consider when choosing a theme, what distinguishes the Shopware themes and which shops they are best suited for.__ ## Why is the choice of theme so important? When a customer enters a new shop for the first time, they immediately take in the atmosphere, whether consciously or unconsciously. In the first few seconds, the first impression is crucial. And it is no different from an online store. The design of your online store is the first thing your visitors and potential customers see. It immediately determines whether the person feels comfortable and starts browsing, or whether they prefer to leave straight away. In an online store, the visual is possibly even more important than when visiting a physical store, as other sensory impressions, such as smell, are irrelevant. This makes the user interface of the online store all the more important: the impression of how uncluttered the storefront appears, how harmonious the design is and what your attention is first drawn to. All of this is determined to a large extent by a __theme__. It is therefore worth taking a close look at the themes available to find out which one suits you, your store, and your Sales Channels best.

Digression: What is a theme?

A theme is the graphical interface design for your store. It contains a bundle of design elements, which you can usually configure. This also changes the visualization of your online store. In the Shopware administration, you can get an overview of your themes via Content > Themes. There you will find, for example, the default theme, which is always supplied by default and is assigned to your storefront. By the way, in Shopware you can not only use one theme but assign each Sales Channel its own theme.

## __The five Shopware Premium Themes__ After the release of our fourth Premium Theme "Cinema" last spring, now you can wow your customers with the fifth Premium Theme "Emporium". The Premium themes have been specially developed by Shopware and are available alongside the regular Standard Storefront Theme for Shopware 6. All five Premium themes are available in regard to our commercial plans as cloud or self-hosted variants. Discover you how the designs differ and what the common features are. ## __What do the five Premium Themes have in common?__ The five Premium Themes are easily configurable so that nothing stands in the way of a straightforward change of theme. This means that you can get started with new themes easily and smoothly, even without professional support. Despite how simple the themes are to use, they still have plenty of customization options so that you can customize them according to your own preferences. This means that you can design the theme according to your individual wishes without getting lost in complex settings options. Since the five __Premium Themes "Elle", "Showroom", "Shape", "Cinema", and "Emporium"__ were developed by Shopware itself, you can be sure that they are perfectly adapted to Shopware and its functions. This means they are also compatible with other apps and can be easily extended. They also feature a flawless display on smartphones and other mobile devices – which, as we know, is more important for the user experience today than ever before. All Premium themes have been optimized for a good user experience and designed to the highest standards. The themes differ in the type of product placement, the color palette, and the arrangement of the elements – so each theme has its own style based on a perfectly harmonized symbiosis. ### __This is what makes the Shopware Premium theme "Elle" unique__ "Elle" is reminiscent of the Standard Shopware theme with its light and fresh look. But the __Premium Theme "Elle"__ also stands out from the Standard thanks to the distinctive modern look. * Focus on the perfect product presentation * The configurable color palette for header and footer bars * Incorporate your own shop logo in the footer * Suitable for both small and large product ranges, as the theme scales well * A narrow header puts your company story in the foreground * The optimal balance of white space and contrast provides even more emphasis for your content

More about the Elle theme

### __How the Premium theme "Showroom" helps you to create your virtual showroom__ The __Premium Theme "Showroom"__ impresses with a minimalist and clear structure and stands out with its stylish and clean design. * Focus on unique product placement, functions as a showroom for your items * Configurable color palette for header and footer bars * Incorporate your own shop logo in the footer * Suitable for both small and large product ranges, as the theme scales well * A clean, small menu bar provides space for large-format product photos

More about the Showroom theme

### __The Premium Theme "Shape" gives your brand identity style and recognition value__ The __Premium Theme "Shape"__ stands out with its elegant and expressive look. Featuring an open and dynamic design, this theme offers you plenty of space to optimally present your products and content. With "Shape" you can put your brand identity in the foreground and give your brand style and recognition value. * Focus on images and editorial content; vibrant product experience * Flat structure, navigation designed for small category trees * Perfect for small and individual product ranges, as the category depth is limited to three levels * Coordinated accents and shadows – linked to the main color * Specially created illustrations for special shop pages, for example, page in maintenance mode, 404 error page, etc.

More about the Shape theme

### Why the Premium Theme "Cinema" is especially suitable for single product stores The __Premium theme "Cinema"__ convinces with a modern and high-contrast design. The appealing product detail page offers space for detailed shots and large product photos, which is why the "Cinema" theme is particularly suitable for single product stores. * Unique layout with a focus on product photos * The header and footer are linked to the secondary color * Incorporate your own shop logo in the footer * Scalable and therefore suitable for smaller as well as more extensive product ranges (support of category depth) * Reduced display of product boxes in listings (no variants or rating information) * Configurable and customizable images for empty state pages (404 error page, maintenance, etc.)

More about the Cinema theme

### The Premium Theme "Emporium": Create your own virtual marketplace The __Premium theme "Emporium"__ provides you with a modern and sleek wide-screen design, giving you plenty of space to focus on the essentials – your product images. "Less is more", also applies to the customizable product detail page, which appears extra clean and clear due to the collapsible product information. But don't worry – if you're already used to the standardized look of the product detail page, you have the option to keep the style of the Emporium theme while using the default layout, thanks to the Shopping Experience feature of Shopware. * Modern and sleek design * Understated layout with a focus on product photos * Minimalist wide-screen design * Scalable for small and large product ranges (support for category depth) * Restructuring of product information on product detail pages * More compact depiction of product boxes in listings * Implementation of social media symbols in the footer * Configurable and customizable, for example, you can choose your own images for empty state pages (404 error pages, maintenance, etc.)

More about the Emporium theme

### __All Shopware Premium Themes are customisable across industries__ All five Premium Themes impress with fantastic new designs that stand out from the Standard and offer you individual configuration options. Because similar to the Standard theme, you can customise the Premium Themes according to your wishes. The following screenshot shows what you can customise in the Showroom theme, for example. screencapture-themes-swstage-store-admin-2021-11-23-15_18_57j7hwjy7CrvHVk

screencapture-themes-swstage-store-admin-2021-11-23-15_18_57j7hwjy7CrvHVk

Now that you have an overview of the themes, here are some deeper insights. With Julia's help, we were able to clarify some interesting questions.

Q&A on the development of the themes with Shopware's Product Owner Area Sales Channels Julia Leusing

Hey Julia, you were involved in the development of the themes. How long did the development process take overall?

This is not easy to answer and varies from theme to theme because there were different design requirements and changes compared to the default template. All in all, a lot of work and commitment went into the themes: from the conception phase, to the feasibility testing by developers, to quality assurance, then on to release and marketing.

What were the biggest challenges in the development process of the themes?

The biggest challenge was and is to weigh up what added value the design adjustments have for the shop operator and ultimately also for the end customer and how much maintenance effort is involved. Some things only become apparent during development and then a decision has to be made.

What is the background of the theme names "Elle", "Showroom", "Shape" and "Cinema"?

The names were created in consultation with our designers. Care was taken to ensure that the names were neutral and could not be assigned to any particular industry. Anything can be created in a "Showroom". "Elle" is a name, but says nothing about a color scheme or a product. In the same way, the name "Shape" can be freely interpreted and means "to give something shape, to form something". We chose the name "Cinema" because in our example store, like in a movie theater, you start with a large dark screen and then go on a journey of discovery, not only through the store, but through the story and the products of the brand. For our fifth theme we chose the name Emporium, because the theme concept corresponds to the definition of an emporium. It symbolizes a large store with a variety of goods and conveys high value.

Do you have a favorite theme?

No, I don't, because each theme has its own design language. I'm happiest when I see that the themes are being used and that the shop owners like them. That's why I'm looking for any feedback – including suggestions for improvement or design ideas. Users can submit these to us via the Issue Tracker.

How can I decide which theme suits me?

Try it out! You have the opportunity to test which theme provides the best framework for your product and brand. Just remember that the most beautiful framework is of no use if the product images are not impressive.

What does the future of the Premium themes look like?

The Premium themes are constantly optimized and developed by us and always represent the complete feature set of Shopware.

Thank you Julia for the insights and tips!

shopware

Julia Leusing, Product Owner Area Sales Channels, shopware AG, Twitter: @whizzymind

## __Conclusion: Choosing a theme should always be an individual decision__ In general, it makes sense to choose your themes carefully. If your customers feel comfortable in your online store and can find their way around quickly and easily, this will ultimately have a positive effect on the user experience and thus also on your sales. So feel free to test them out and convince yourself of the look and feel of the different designs before you finally assign one to a Sales Channel. The __Shopware Premium Themes__ are particularly suitable for this, as they are simple to install, quick to configure, and you can switch between them easily. However, those who prefer a more complex theme with more extensive configuration options will find many more themes in the Shopware Store.

Want to try the Shopware Premium Themes?

The Premium Themes are freely available in all commercial Shopware plans (Shopware Rise or higher). How to get to the themes:

Shopware Cloud: Go in the Shopware administration to the menu Themes.
Shopware self-hosted: Go to the Shopware admin and navigate to Extensions > My extensions > Themes. Then simply install and activate the desired themes.

## Learn more about themes here: * Shopware themes tutorial and documentation * How your theme can make you more successful

Shopware's Premium themes – the perfect design for your online store?

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