In the eCommerce world, having a great looking, mobile friendly, fast loading, and user-friendly online store is crucial for success. Shopify just released a collection of free themes collectively called Horizon, launched as part of the Shopify Summer ’25 Edition. Horizon is not just another theme; it’s a totally new way of building Shopify stores. This collection offers more design flexibility, and for the first time, AI-powered customization.
What is the Horizon Theme?
Unlike its predecessor, Dawn, which was Shopify’s leading free theme, Horizon is a modular, AI-powered theme foundation that includes ten distinct presets, such as Fabric, Dwell, Heritage, and Pitch, each offering a distinct look you can then customize to match your brand. While these presets share the same underlying code, they have settings that allow you to tailor them for whatever industry you’re in – from fashion and beauty to home decor and sports equipment.
The Horizon theme is built on Shopify’s “theme blocks” system, which allows you to create customizable, modular layouts without needing to write code. This system allows you to stack, rearrange, and nest content blocks up to eight levels deep, providing fine-grained control over every aspect of the store’s design.
Key Features of the Horizon Theme
- Modular Theme Blocks for Limitless Customization – Horizon’s strength lies in its use of theme blocks, a feature introduced in Shopify’s Summer ’24 Edition and fully put to use in Horizon. These drag-and-drop components—over 30 in total—include elements like video, product recommendations, rich text, and more. Merchants can group, reposition, and arrange these blocks across their store, creating custom layouts for any page without technical expertise.
- AI-Powered Customization with Shopify Magic – Horizon integrates Shopify Magic, an AI-driven tool that enhances the customization process. Merchants can describe what they want, such as “a banner with text underneath,” and the AI generates a theme block that matches the request.
- Performance and Mobile Optimization – All Horizon themes are optimized for performance to ensure fast load times. The themes are fully responsive, meaning they look great and function properly on any device, from desktops to smartphones. This mobile-first design is critical where a significant portion of shoppers browse and purchase via mobile devices.
- Versatile Presets for Diverse Industries – Horizon offers a range of presets to cater to various brands and product types. For example:
- Fabric: A casual theme, ideal for clothing, electronics, home decor, and more. Its design elements are perfect for those stores with multiple product categories.
- Dwell: Perfect for home decor, arts and crafts, and baby products.
- Heritage: Designed for retailers such as clothing, beauty, and garden brands.
- Pitch: Tailored for those brands in beauty, skincare, fashion, or jewelry who want an attention grabbing design for their storefront.
Why Store Owners Should Consider Using Horizon
First off, it’s free! For those with limited budgets for design or a theme, you’re already ahead of the game by using Horizon as opposed to a premium theme which can cost hundreds of dollars. Despite being free, Horizon offers premium-level customization and performance, making it the perfect option for startups, small businesses, or established brands looking to give their stores a refresh without breaking the bank.
Store owners without coding skills can create professional storefronts that rival custom-built sites thanks to Horizon’s visual editor and Shopify Magic. You can experiment with layouts, test new designs, and implement changes quickly, without having to learn code or hire a developer for small changes.
Shopify’s Horizon theme collection is a game-changer for store owners. If you’re looking for a cost-effective, future-proof, and user-friendly theme, Horizon is the perfect choice.
Ready to move to Shopify, or have questions about Horizon or any of Shopify’s features? As a Shopify Plus Developer Partner, Your Store Wizards can help migrate your existing store or build you a brand new one. Simply contact us at support@yourstorewizards.com for more information and to set up a time for a brief chat.
Scott Sanfilippo began his eCommerce journey in 1994 by co-founding one of the Internet’s first online retailers, TheFerretStore.com, which was acquired by PetCo in 2006. In 2001, he co-founded the eCommerce design and marketing firm Solid Cactus, which was acquired by web.com in 2009. Today, Scott is the General Manager of Your Store Wizards and lives in Delray Beach, FL. Scott can be contacted at scott@yourstorewizards.com.