Shopify boasts a wide range of themes, both free and paid, offering users numerous choices. This big advantage, on the flip side, could be a hurdle for users to decide on the best fit for their online store.
If you’re reading this, chances are, the Impulse Shopify theme—among the plethora of Shopify themes out there—has grabbed your interest. This makes sense because the theme has a minimal and sleek look with a focus on showcasing products effectively and boosting sales. With plenty of powerful features, especially the eCommerce ones, Impulse is definitely worth consideration.
While you’ve likely heard of this theme or even learned about it, you still feel unsure if it’s the right one for your Shopify store. This is where this blog post comes in handy.
Contents
1. An overview of the Impulse Shopify theme
1.1. Impulse Shopify theme OS 2.0: A general look
Developed by the Archetype team, the Impulse theme for Shopify stores has received high praise from both tech-savvy and not, with more than 900 reviews and an impressive 95% positive rating. The theme heads the list of most popular premium themes on the Shopify market.
In the past over 5 years since its release (2018), Impulse has been regularly updated with more new eCommerce features and improvements. Accordingly, store owners can rest assured of customers’ shopping experience on their website and therefore increased sales.
This Shopify theme stands out with its clean, polished design that helps display products in a prominent and easy-to-navigate way. With an intuitive interface, loads of eCommerce features, and sufficient customization options, Impulse lets you create an aesthetic yet functional store that aligns properly with your brand—no coding skills required.
- View demo store: Visit here
The Impulse theme comes in three styles: Modern, Clean, and Bold. As the names imply, we’ll showcase each using illustrations without going into deep detail.
- Modern:
- Clean:
- Bold:
1.2. Pricing
To own the Impulse Shopify theme, users pay a one-time fee of $380. This covers all future updates—including bug fixes, improvements, and enhancements—without additional costs. You’ll receive free support centered around the theme via email. If you want to find the solution yourself, you can access their help center with tutorials and FAQs.
It can be said that Impulse is one of the priciest themes on the Shopify market. This makes sense because this theme features a selection of highly customizable options and features that allow merchants to build a comprehensive e-store.
Impulse is highly praised for its clean, well-structured codebase, delivering a smooth experience for both users (you) and customers. And, it would be a shame not to mention their free lifetime updates and great customer service.
If you have time to read customer reviews, you’ll notice that there are few to no complaints about its pricing but praise for its high quality and service.
1.3. Ideal for which businesses?
The Impulse Shopify theme is designed to cater to large stores. Thanks to its high performance, owners can handle significant amounts of traffic and transactions without worrying about their website’s stability.
While this Shopify-based theme can be a good fit for a variety of businesses, it’s specifically perfect for businesses of visual-centric industries, such as clothing and accessories, health and beauty, sport and fitness, and arts and crafts.
The reason behind it is that the Impulse theme boasts a clean and modern design and diverse merchandising features—including large product images, image gallery, image zoom, lookbook, etc. These allow those businesses to present products in a way that catches shoppers’ eyes and helps them see them in detail.
1.4. What people say about the Impulse Shopify themeÂ
The Impulse Shopify theme has received much praise from its users. With more than 940 reviews and 95% positive ones, this theme can be worth further consideration.
Let’s check out some reviews, both positive and less positive.
- Positive reviews:
I have beeen using this theme for a couple of years now and absolutely love it. It is easy to customise, look fabulous and has loads of features. Support is second to none – very quick to respond and address any queries I have.
Great theme for fashion, with very well thought features to easy guide the customer in the shopping journey. Some small improvements on my wishlist would be related with fixing the wrap text buttons and on collection lists – german words for certain product types that are then used as collection titlte can be quite long. Nonetheless, we are now since 2 days live with the theme and very happy.
Purchased this theme twice now, great features, clean look, and great customer service! I have had multiple questions and needed help with customizing code to get the mobile and desktop views to line up with my design. They are fast and helpful. Highly recommend.
Not only is the theme very good and suits my site very well, but the backup and after service is amazing, I’ve ask so many questions and had them all answered but not only that they have really helped me changing things when I was not 100% sure how to do it myself! Totally recommend from me.
We’ve looked through many reviews, not just the ones mentioned earlier, and found that most customers are happy with the theme. They particularly appreciate its clean and fabulous look, numerous great features, ease of use, and the helpfulness and responsiveness of the team.
- Less positive reviews:
The theme is aesthetically pleasing and has a lot of customization options; however, customer support has NOT been helpful. Whenever I reach out, I don’t get a clear answer or any resolution. Instead, they always recommend that I hire an “expert” for simple changes (literally every time I ask a question). It feels like I am always being upsold even though it’s not necessary.
The company has a beautiful theme, but their information is outdated. Their employees lie. I asked simply how to make my featured section full width. They gave me the wrong code for CSS, then gave me the wrong code for the theme liquid. The employees have no idea what they are doing. They claim they fixed my issue, but have no screenshot for proof. They are full of it.
Overall it’s a good theme but after using it for a long time I started to notice some limitations (especially for mobile) compared to others. Example: Collection List does not have a single row scrollable version for mobile and there is no buttons only row. Without these features it feels like im making endless pages. I’m aware i can make these costume changes but i want to keep updating the theme.
There is some less positive feedback about the theme, regarding their support, updates, and feature limitations. However, as our research, many customers praise their fast and supportive customer service.
So we checked their support policy and found that they don’t offer support with product customization or feature additions. This might be a reason why some customers don’t receive related support from the provider.
According to some users, the theme lacks certain features compared to others. However, it’s important to understand that it’s challenging for providers to cater to everyone. What they can do is prioritize the ones most of their customers are in demand.
1.5. Its pros & cons: Evaluate from our real experience
Below are the key pros and cons of the Impulse theme, assessed based on our real experience with its demo.
1.5.1. Pros
- The theme has a clean and nice-looking design (large images, minimal use of text in the design, product-centric layouts, etc.)
- You can add different types of content such as images, videos, FAQs, and countdown timers using different sections, making your pages or parts content-rich.
- It’s friendly on both desktops and mobile phones.
- It is well-coded. This saves admins from frustrating crashes and the need for frequent theme updates.
- The theme has been regularly updated to work well with ever-changing Shopify feature sets.
- Their support team is responsive and supportive.
1.5.2. Cons
- It may take time to get used to their interface and functionalities especially if you’re completely new to eCommerce & Shopify and have no technical knowledge.
- The customization options meet standard needs, but if you want a more personalized online store, they might not be sufficient. You’ll need to tweak CSS codes or use third-party page builders, which come with additional costs.
- After a while of working with the theme, the page may load slowly, and elements might lag.
- The theme doesn’t offer many templates for pages and sections.
- It lacks customer support live chat, phone, or any messenger service.
- The cost might be quite high, especially for those needing basic features and functionality only.
2. Impulse Shopify theme review: Highlighted features
2.1. Design & Layout
Impulse doesn’t offer many pre-made templates for pages and sections, to be honest. It just gives users some product and collection templates to choose from.
However, their templates are well-designed and clutter-free, making the shoppers take the desired action—like clicking on CTA buttons to explore the collection—when they’re browsing your site.
As aforementioned, Impulse gives you 3 popular styles—Modern, Clean, and Bold—letting you choose the one that matches your brand vibe the most.
2.2. Customization Options
The Impulse Shopify theme is customizable with multiple built-in and custom sections, including Hero, Custom Content, Testimonials, Promotion Grid, etc. So you can add various types of content to your page and modify them the way you want using available settings, without the need for coding.
For instance, if you want to give a square button a slightly rounded look for a friendly look, you just need to access the button’s settings and choose the desired option.
2.3. Ease of use
The theme offers a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface, giving users the ability to learn to use the Impulse theme, even without relying on the tutorials and the provider’s help. Just by using drag-and-drop gestures and available customization options, users can adjust the layout, color, or font without touching any line of code.
If, on the other hand, you’re an absolute newbie, learning to use the theme may be a bit challenging.
2.4. eCommerce features
A theme having robust eCommerce features helps enhance the shopping experience for customers and, as a result, boosts conversions and sales.
Speaking of the Impulse Shopify theme, it’s equipped with well-thought eCommerce features, helping store owners reach their sales goals. Let’s explore the important features of this minimalist theme.
2.4.1. Product discovery
a. Powerful mega menu
The Impulse theme offers users powerful mega menus that enable you to display them in a visually appealing and well-organized way. Especially if you have diverse categories, subcategories, and even single products to showcase, you’ll definitely need this feature.
For customers, mega menus make it easier for them to navigate and effortlessly find the products they’re looking for.
b. Product filtering and sorting options
Ever shopped for clothes online? If you have, you probably used the website’s filters and sorting tools to find what you want quickly. These are crucial for any eCommerce store, especially those with a large catalog and various product variations.
The good news is both features are available in the Impulse theme.
c. Breadcrumb
With Impulse’s breadcrumbs, your shoppers can easily navigate their path and explore your store with confidence.
2.4.2. Merchandising
a. Images
Impulse offers handy image tools like large banners, full-width images, and slideshows to help you showcase your products attractively. Plus, the theme allows users to access Shopify Bust to get free high-quality stock photos while supporting high-resolution image uploads without slowing down your website.
b. Image zoom
With the Image Zoom functionality in the Impulse theme, your customers can zoom in on product images to see them in detail.
c. Color swatches
The color swatch feature in the Impulse theme helps shoppers visualize the product’s actual color and texture and therefore choose their desired items.
d. Size chart
The Impulse theme provides a Size Chart feature to help your customers choose the right size, thereby minimizing product returns for your store,
e. Lookbook
If you’d like to showcase a collection of products in one image instead of every single one, the Lookbook feature in Impulse can help. Just click on the marker on your desired product, and its brief information will appear.
f. Product custom tabs
The product page tabs in the Impulse theme are a great eCommerce feature. They neatly organize extra product details, like technical specs, reviews, testimonials, FAQs, and more, without taking up too much space.
2.4.4. Marketing and Conversion
a. Advanced custom promotion
You can highlight your sales or inform a new collection with Impulse’s promotion grids. It’s a great tool to display them in an engaging, well-organized way.
b. Quick view
Impulse’s quick view enables shoppers to preview your product details while staying on the same page. So customers will be able to quickly determine if an item is worth further considering, increasing the chance of them purchasing it.
c. Stock counter
With the Impulse’s functionality, shoppers can know if an item is available. This technique also creates a sense of urgency, prompting an impulse purchase.
d. Countdown timer
The countdown timer packs a punch. By giving limited-time offers, shoppers tend to fear missing out and consider their interested items as scarce things. So they’re likely to make immediate purchases.
e. Product badges
This functionality is great for adding eye-catching labels to your product images to highlight new arrivals or discounts. This is likely to entice customers to explore and make a purchase.
f. Cross-selling
The Impulse theme provides cross-selling as a functionality that suggests products that complement what the customer is already buying, increasing the chance of boosting sales.
2.4.3. Cart and Checkout
a. Quick Shop
Another feature that makes the Impulse theme incredible is Quick Shop. This is a perfect tool for any shopper who wants to implement instant checkout right from the current pages.
b. Slide-out cart
Impulse’s slide-out cart functionality, or mini cart, gives shoppers an easy and convenient way to review their shopping cart without navigating from the current page.
c. In-store pickups
This useful feature enables your customers to buy online and pick up at a brick-and-mortar store. This way, customers don’t need to wait for shipping and pay delivery fees.
For store owners like you, in-store pickups can encourage customers to make purchases, thereby increasing your sales. Also, you can save money on order fulfillment.
2.5. Compatibility
The theme provider frequently updates with new features, enhancements, and bug fixes. As a user of the Impulse Shopify theme, you can be assured that your theme stays updated with the latest Shopify features and eCommerce trends, such as its compatibility with Shopify Online Store 2.0.
For third-party app compatibility, it’s advisable to check with providers to ensure the theme and your existing apps work in tandem.
2.6. Performance & Speed
The Impulse Shopify theme satisfies its users with a relatively fast loading speed—which meets Shopify’s performance standards. The theme is designed with minimal code to ensure quick-loading pages and therefore a faster shopping experience, without sacrificing style or features.
2.7. Mobile Responsiveness
As one of the best Shopify themes for mobile, websites using Impulse look great and work well on all devices such as tablets and smartphones. This delivers fantastic mobile experiences for your shoppers.
2.8. Support
The Impulse Shopify theme provider offers free support for theme-related questions but doesn’t handle conflicts with other third-party products or advanced theme customizations.
They provide support through email, and even though live chat or phone isn’t available, customers highly appreciate their helpful and responsive service. For quick help with basic issues, users can visit their Help Center page with tutorials and frequently asked questions.
The theme is well done, highly configurable and has a nice and clean look and feel – I like it very much! But what is also very important that there is a good support in case you need help or have questions about the theme. Even on the weekend the support came back with a solution within a few hours – really impressed & thanks a lot! I can fully recommend this theme and Archetype Themes.
3. Top 5 stores using Impulse Shopify theme
Let’s explore these 5 eCommerce websites using the Impulse Shopify theme to see if it’s the right fit for you.
| No. | Website | Niche |
| 1 | Armitron | Men’s & women’s watches |
| 2 | Kappa | Sportswear |
| 3 | Supply | Grooming and hygiene products |
| 4 | NanaMacs | Women’s clothing |
| 5 | Modern Nursery | Nursery furnishings and decor |
3.1. Armitron
This US. watch brand smartly leverages the Impulse theme’s strength—which has a clean and modern look with a focus on effectively displaying the product. There’s not much text; instead, the homepage includes various large, product-focused images. The layout is clean and neat, making it a breeze for shoppers to navigate.
3.2. Kappa
The popular sportswear brand, Kappa, opts for the Impulse theme for its online store. Visitors to their website are impressed by an eye-catching, large-image carousel with a smooth transition.
Scroll down a bit, and we can see well-organized featured collections. Every product thumbnail in the collection is equipped with Quick View, Impulse’s useful tool that lets visitors preview the product info right from the current page.
3.3. Supply
Supply is an eCommerce website specializing in a selection of grooming and hygiene products for men—such as shaving kits. The clean and sleek look of this website enhances the focus on their products.
This men’s brand makes full of Impulse’s eCommerce features such as product sliders, tabs, cross-selling, suggested products, etc. on their product pages to boost their conversions and sales.
3.4. NanaMacs
We can instantly tell which style this women’s clothing brand uses just by looking at their brand logo prominently displayed on the central top page.
Due to the wide selection of clothing the brand wants to showcase, there is nothing better than the Modern style. In addition, NanaMacs utilizes Impulse’s multi-column mega menu that allows displaying a large number of categories and subcategories neatly.
3.5. Modern Nursery
This website for nursery furnishings and decor also utilizes Impulse’s Modern style to achieve a crisp and stylish look. Like NanaMacs which has a vast array of categories and subcategories, Modern Nursery harnesses the power of the theme’s layout and mega menu to display all of them.
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4. Our verdict
Overall, is the Impulse theme ideal for your business? Let’s recap.
If you’re in visually-oriented industries like apparel, shoes, accessories, health & beauty, arts & crafts, sports, etc., and especially if your store has a large inventory and attracts significant traffic, then the Impulse theme is an ideal choice.
While Impulse’s price may be higher compared to many themes, what the theme can do for you—including a modern, product-focused design, multiple eCommerce features, mobile friendliness, and great customer service— is definitely worth it.
However, if you’re launching your own Shopify for the first time and budget is your concern, we recommend you start with one of the Shopify free themes. Don’t stress about finding the best Shopify theme. Instead, you should choose the one that suits you best.
Find this blog post helpful? Leave your comment in the section below to let us know. Don’t forget to follow eComStart.io to get more insights and knowledge for running and growing your online store.
5. FAQs
