Newsletter #14: how to choose a Shopify theme, Taylor Swift’s road to $1 Billion and the best interviewer

Hi there,

I hope you're feeling good.

I just spent a few days in Madrid with a friend. It was my second time there, after visiting for the first time in 2016. I really like this beautiful city.

I enjoyed speaking Spanish with the locals, walking in the peaceful Parque del Retiro and eating tapas at the Mercado de San Miguel.

In today's edition, we're discussing how to choose a Shopify theme, Taylor Swift’s road to $1 Billion and the best interviewer.

Let's dive in.

Work

Not a single week goes by where I don’t get ask one particular question: how should I choose a Shopify theme for my store?

Here is my detailed answer.

When choosing a Shopify theme, there are 7 criteria you should take into account:

1. Features: make sure the theme has most of the features you're looking for. For instance, if you need a product comparison feature, it's better to choose a theme that already includes it. The goal is to avoid building these features from scratch, as it can be costly and time-consuming. Themes offer an unlimited free trial period. Make the most of it: test all of their features thoroughly to ensure they align with your requirements.

2. Mobile-first approach: when visiting the theme’s demo stores, start with their mobile view. In today's mobile-centric world, it's essential for your theme to look stunning and function flawlessly on mobile devices.

3. Established theme partners: themes built by established theme partners have a strong track record and are trusted by major brands. They also have a full-time team working on making their themes the best they can be. With Shopify releasing new features almost every week, it’s important to know that your theme is maintained by a team that has enough human resources.

4. Reviews: as always, dedicate some time to reading the reviews left by merchants. They provide valuable insights and will guide your decision-making process.

5. Support responsiveness: support is crucial when you encounter issues or have any questions about your theme. Reach out to the theme developers with pre-sales questions and evaluate their helpfulness. Fast and reliable support can save you valuable time and headaches.

6. Theme documentation: it’s nice to get a clear answer from the support team over email, but it’s even better if you get a theme documentation that allows you to find the answer yourself. Favor themes that come with a detailed documentation, answering common questions and showing you how to set up sections or blocks such as color swatches. A solid theme documentation will also be a great asset during the onboarding process of any new member in your team.

7. Developer documentation: even if you carefully choose your Shopify theme, chances are you will still need to customize its code to suit your needs entirely. When this time comes, you’ll hire a freelance Shopify developer. Make their life easier: choose a theme that comes with a developer documentation. It will allow the developer to know exactly what they’re working with and what tools are available to them inside the theme. For example, some themes incorporate custom JavaScript events to ease their extensibility. If your developer knows their way around the theme and is comfortable customizing it, they’ll be more efficient and you’ll save money in the long run.

Inspire

It’s about time I highlight a woman in this “Inspire” section.

Today I would like to tell you about Taylor Swift.

Taylor Swift is an 33 year-old American singer and songwriter. She has an impressive discography and received many prestigious awards including Grammys.

I feel very inspired by her because she is about to break a massive record: Taylor Swift’s international “Eras Tour” is on its way to become the first $1 Billion Tour, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Besides her original 52 dates in the United States, Taylor Swift will be playing 54 shows overseas, which brings her to a total of 106 shows in this “Eras Tour”. And more dates could be added.

According to Bloomberg, the average ticket price to attend this show is $254.

Each concert is 3 hours long. It has 44 songs, divided into 10 acts corresponding to each of her albums. During this marathon, she wears more than 40 different outfits each night.

A concert film has even been made to extend the experience or please the fans who were unable to purchase a concert ticket. It’s called “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour” and will be released on October 13th 2023 in the United States.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Taylor Swift generates an astonishing average revenue of $10 million per show. And she is taking home approximately 50% of it, after having paid all third parties involved (hosting stadium, promoter, traveling costs, etc.).

Right now, Elton John holds the record for the highest-grossing global tour, with his “Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour”, which ran from 2018 to 2023 and made $939 million, according to Billboard.

I look forward to the end of Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” to see if she manages to become the first $1 Billion Tour artist. That would be such an accomplishment!

Discover more by listening to Taylor Swift on Spotify or reading the Wall Street Journal’s article about her tour.

Explore

When I’m having lunch alone at home, one of my favorite activities is to watch interviews conducted by Mouloud Achour.

Mouloud is a French journalist. He presents a television show called “Clique” on Canal +.

On the YouTube channel “Clique TV”, Mouloud interviews artists coming from the music and film industries.

He sat down and discussed with many celebrities such as Omar Sy, Stromae, Aya Nakamura and Damso.

Mouloud’s interviews are simply the best interviews ever made. He is passionate about music and it’s obvious that he truly cares about the people he interviews.

Mouloud has all the qualities that so many interviewers lack: preparation, patience and genuine curiosity.

He manages to create a casual and cosy atmosphere where the interviewee feels comfortable and listened to.

For once, I can’t choose a favorite video. I love so many of his interviews. It does not matter if I like the artist’s music or not, it’s always interesting to hear them talk about their creative process and their vision. It opens new horizons for me.

The vast majority of Mouloud’s interviews is in French. However, one of my all-time favorites is in English. It’s the one with Alicia Keys, recorded 7 years ago.

If you don’t have time to watch it entirely, just fast forward to 7:00min to see what I’m talking about.

One of Alicia Keys’s sentences reminds Mouloud of the famous song “Juicy” by Notorious B.I.G. so he quotes it. Alicia Keys immediately understands the reference and follows along. Then they just laugh together. This moment is a pure gem.

Enjoy.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for reading this edition until the end.

I'll talk to you soon.

Take good care of yourself.

Coralie