Passionate about building Shopify themes?

Join the Theme Store community

Shopify is the world’s fastest growing commerce platform and we have no plans to slow down! The Shopify Theme Partnerships team is on a mission to make sure our merchants have access to the highest quality themes available. Every month, thousands of merchants look for new themes for their online stores. Our team is on the lookout for skilled, passionate designers and developers we can work with to create amazing themes for the Theme Store.

Important information to know before you apply

Here are a few things to consider before you send us your Theme Partner application:

• Shopify themes need constant care and attention. We expect Theme Partners who work with us to be engaged, passionate about their theme(s), and apply any theme updates we request in a timely manner.
• Being a Theme Partner is a full-time job. You will need to dedicate a lot of time updating your theme(s) as well as supporting the merchants who are using your theme. If you become a Theme Partner, you’ll need to consider how you’ll balance Theme Partner work with other jobs you are currently doing, or are planning to be engaged in.
• Our current Theme Partners are a tight-knit group of people. We expect potential Theme Partners to be approachable and collaborative with the Shopify Theme Partnerships team, as well as merchants using your theme(s).
• We want Theme Partners to actively contribute to the Shopify themes ecosystem, and work with us to help merchants succeed. The Theme Partnerships team will be working closely with you every step of the way during the theme submission process, and will continue to work closely with you once your theme is published. We have dedicated email and Slack channels set up to provide feedback, advice and support for all your theme-related questions and issues.
• The revenue share for Theme Partners is 70/30. The Theme Partner receives 70% of each theme sale.

What to submit when you apply

Please email themes@shopify.com and include all of the following:

1. A link to an active Shopify website you built for a client. This must be a live, fully functioning shop that you built for a client.
2. A case study for the above Shopify website that details your experiences on the project. You will need to provide an overview of the project and the client.
3. A cover letter.
4. A link to your design portfolio.

How we review your application

For the active Shopify website our review will cover:

• Problem solving ability (the solution outlined in the case study is visible).
• Originality (the shop is using a custom theme, not a free or paid theme from the Shopify Theme Store).
• Art direction (choice of photography, images, icons, color, and overall originality).
• Layout (flow of content, hierarchy, balance, contrast, white space, responsiveness, grid, and alignment).
• Typography (font pairings, font sizes, line spacing, hierarchy of text, number of fonts used, and legibility of text).
• Consistency in design patterns (between pages and on a single page).
• Accessibility (hover states, colour ratios, and touch targets).
• Customer UX (purchase flow through the collection, product, and cart pages).
• Technical ability (up-to-date with Shopify platform, website functionality, code consistency, and lack of errors).

For the case study we will be looking for you to provide this information:

• What brought the client to you?
• What were the client’s needs?
• How did you go about solving their problem?
• We would like to see your research, your workflow (prototyping and refining), and what you learned.

For the cover letter we would like to see the following information:

• An outline of who you (and your team) are.
• Why you want to join the Shopify Theme Partner community?
• Why you think you’d do well as a Theme Partner?

Feel free to put your own personal touch or spin on the cover letter. We highly value originality, enthusiasm, and motivation when considering applications.

For the design portfolio we will be reviewing the same design related points as mentioned above for the active Shopify website:

• Art direction.
• Layout.
• Typography.
• Consistency.

The Shopify Theme Partnerships team is not able to provide detailed feedback on why an application does not pass our review process. If we do reach out to you about becoming a potential Theme Partner, we will work with you on the next steps of the approval process.

Your theme in the Shopify Theme Store

Once a theme has been built and approved, it may only be distributed via the Theme Store. Please do not distribute your theme on other marketplaces or third-party channels, or try to take customers away from the Theme Store.

Theme support

If there is a technical issue with your theme (for example: broken layout, dead link, logic error) you will be responsible for fixing the issue in a timely fashion. Critical bugs must be fixed immediately or your theme may be temporarily removed from the Theme Store.

Theme Partners are responsible for supporting merchants who use their theme(s). You will need to provide a public support email address, theme documentation, and assist merchants with their theme-related questions.

Themes will be removed from the Theme Store if they have made less than 25 sales in a 3 month time period. Theme Partners are responsible for keeping their themes up-to-date with core Shopify features and any improved standards Shopify implements in the future. These can include improvements to the overall user experience, the user interface, accessibility, and more.