At SalesHunterThemes (a theme developer in the Shopify ecosystem), we’ve realized that not all merchants have the same needs. Instead of cramming everything into a single theme, jokingly referred to as a “Super Theme,” we’ve chosen to cater to specific niches in the Shopify market with tailored theme solutions.
Given the nature of the project and the rapid growth of the Shopify market—especially in the large catalog segment, which now surpasses 300,000 stores (accounting for 12% of the global market share), and the wholesale market segment, which has grown by over 30,000 stores in under two years since early 2023—we’ve identified an opportunity. These merchants need powerful tools to transform the complexity, which large catalog stores often grapple with, back into a well-ordered structure.
And so, with the goal of expanding our customer base and stepping outside the confines of our existing product offerings, we are proud to introduce…
…Normcore.
Ready to help merchants tackle the toughest challenges in the large catalog segment.
So, how exactly does Normcore address the unique problems of the large catalog segment, from catalog navigation to enhancing product discovery experiences? 🤔
This article focuses solely on the UX design and feature set of the Normcore theme. There are many other crucial factors that contribute to the success of a product, which I won’t cover here!
Table of Contents
I. Abracadabra! Transforming Chaotic Navigation into Orderly Structure
For large catalogs, the biggest challenge merchants face is the overwhelming volume of information—product details, catalog categories, store info, promotional campaigns, and so on—that overlaps and desperately needs to be organized systematically. This foundation is crucial for enhancing the product discovery experience. Without careful organization, this information overload can truly become a disaster 🥴.
Normcore’s mission, as a theme product, is to somehow provide tools for scientific catalog organization that make it easier for customers to find products, merchants to manage their stores, and—just as importantly—look great while doing so.
Mega Menus Are Essential for Large Catalog Stores
Normcore offers three different layouts for mega menus, each designed to address the diverse needs of merchants. One layout focuses on presenting categories in columns with subcategories neatly listed below, following IA best practices for clear information hierarchy. Another layout uses a sidebar approach, showing subcategories one at a time, perfect for stores aiming for a simplified interface and navigation.
Beyond categorization, Normcore elevates the experience by allowing merchants to add illustrative images alongside category lists. Merchants can even embed promotional banners to highlight campaigns without compromising the aesthetics and clarity of the menu.
Highly Flexible ‘Header’ and ‘Footer’ Design Options 🤯
Utilizing HTML grid systems and modularizing components (logos, menus, utilities) into independent blocks with customizable formatting and order, Normcore allows merchants to create hundreds of variations for headers and footers. This versatility supports countless styling scenarios tailored to the informational structure of each store while ensuring practical navigation and accurate information layering.
A Must-Have Feature for Large Catalog Stores: Search 🔎
Search functionality is critical for any online store, but even more so for large catalogs where “searching” takes precedence. To address this challenge, Normcore offers a robust search tool featuring intelligent suggestions, the ability to promote personalized campaigns for no-result searches, and turning “empty” states into touchpoints to drive sales.
Moreover, through deep integration with Shopify’s Search & Discovery app, Normcore enables powerful features like segmentation result tabs and smart suggestions, providing extensive customization and improving search effectiveness in real-world scenarios.
II. Diverse Visuals, from Images to Text
Let’s be honest—customers don’t always visit a store to find a specific item. Sometimes, they’re there to explore, especially in large catalog stores that spark their curiosity. But how can we make this journey of discovery less of a “daunting expedition”? This is where Normcore’s strengths shine.
A Bloom of Visuals 🌸
Normcore provides more than 20 sections designed to help merchants elevate their ability to showcase images and videos with remarkable flexibility while maintaining visual consistency, catering to diverse creative intentions.
From presenting media in a concise, straightforward manner focused on clarity, comprehension, and easy consumption.
To showcasing multiple clusters of information simultaneously, maximizing customer touchpoints at any given moment.
Or even creating immersive, awe-inspiring experiences with full-screen layouts that make the most of the beauty and richness of images and videos.
Typography-First Text Sections 🪄
In addition to sections that support merchants in showcasing images impressively, Normcore also offers a range of text-focused sections designed with an IA-centric mindset and a typography-first design philosophy. The goal is not just to convey information but to ensure that customers absorb the content seamlessly, comfortably, and effortlessly.
At the top of the page, we have the first prominent example, the ‘Announcement Bar,’ with a variety of flexible display styles tailored to different use cases: from drawing attention to seasonal announcements with looping marquee effects, to clearly presenting long-term information using column splits. This diversity allows merchants to personalize their messaging while maintaining sophistication and professionalism.
Towards the bottom of the page, the ‘Cross-page Promotion’ and ‘Copyright Bar’ are two key components that Normcore provides to enhance store credibility and professionalism—elements often overlooked or under-customized in most Shopify themes available on the market. With ‘Cross-page Promotion,’ merchants can easily highlight core values like “Free Shipping” or “Trustworthy Store,” displaying them across all pages with just a single setup. Similarly, the ‘Copyright Bar’ is designed to allow full freedom to customize content and styling, ensuring alignment with the store’s unique tone and branding.
When it comes to emphasizing key messages, ‘Running Content’ is the perfect tool. By combining text and visuals with looping marquee effects, this tool transforms static content into a visual highlight, making messages more captivating and easier for customers to engage with.
Finally, the ‘Spotlight Quotes’ and ‘Testimonials’ sections act as perfect pieces to build trust. ‘Spotlight Quotes’ helps merchants showcase high-quality feedback in a sleek, slideshow format to create a luxurious and professional impression. Meanwhile, ‘Testimonials’ displays multiple customer reviews at once, fostering a sense of community and trust from the collective voice.
III. Optimizing AOV with Powerful Product Presentation
Exploring the store is just the beginning. To convince customers to add products to their carts and proceed to checkout, merchants need tools that are not only powerful but also intuitive and effective. Normcore delivers on this front with uniquely crafted design solutions.
Seamless Navigation Across and Within Categories
A store with numerous categories requires clear and smooth navigation, and… ‘Breadcrumbs’ alone aren’t enough. Normcore understands that merchants need more. Alongside ‘Breadcrumbs,’ Normcore offers two features: ‘Category Link’ and ‘Image Link List,’ enabling merchants to create cohesive information flows and optimize product discovery across categories with diverse design styles.
Within categories, Normcore provides two product presentation options—infinite loading for a seamless browsing experience and pagination for clearer segmentation—ensuring the best fit for the diverse needs of different merchants.
Personalization to Unlock Customer Engagement
Today’s customers expect personalized shopping experiences. With deep Shopify integration, Normcore delivers features like ‘Related Products’ and ‘Complementary Products’ that appear strategically at multiple touchpoints throughout the shopping journey, encouraging upsells.
The ‘Recently Viewed Products’ feature is another powerful tool, enabling customers to easily return to products they’ve browsed without having to search again—especially valuable in a large catalog store.
Scientific and Flexible Product Presentation
Beyond modularizing ‘Product Details’ components into blocks—a standard practice for Shopify themes—Normcore goes a step further by allowing merchants to add a variety of information blocks to ‘Product Cards.’ With seven distinct information blocks and the ability to customize, rearrange, and reorder them independently at different touchpoints, Normcore makes products more accessible and visually appealing, adapting to merchants’ diverse selling styles.
Normcore also offers an innovative ‘Product Variations’ feature, enabling merchants to link separate products as variations of each other. This resolves navigation challenges and enhances specialized product displays that older layouts couldn’t address—seamlessly and directly within Normcore.
Moreover, by integrating bulk purchasing options alongside traditional single-purchase experiences, Normcore allows merchants to flexibly transform their store into a retail, wholesale, or hybrid model without causing any disruption to the shopping experience for different customer groups.
Boosting Sales with Powerful Supporting Tools
In addition to these essential features, Normcore includes other high-potential tools to help merchants increase their average order value (AOV). Tools like the ‘Countdown Timer’ create urgency, while ‘Shop the Look’ and ‘Product Bundles’ encourage customers to add related items to their cart. The ‘Free Shipping Bar’ is also an indispensable upselling tool for optimizing cart value.
IV. “But… I Don’t Have Much Time and Need to Launch ASAP”
With so many features and details, it’s easy to assume that using Normcore would be complex and time-consuming. For newcomers to online store building, initial setup might seem daunting. Understanding this, Normcore has made the process as smooth as possible.
Ready-to-Use Templates with Smart Default Settings
Normcore comes with a variety of pre-designed templates that merchants can quickly choose from, catering to retail, wholesale, media-driven, or info-driven business scenarios. Smartly configured default settings ensure that stores can go live immediately with minimal customization, making it an ideal choice for new merchants looking to save time and effort.
Deeper Customization When Needed
Of course, with over 40 specialized sections, Normcore still offers comprehensive customization options for merchants who want to fully leverage the theme’s potential. As their business grows, they can tinker with, adjust, and upgrade their store to match their evolving needs and scale effortlessly.
V. Wrapping It All Up
So, there you have it—a comprehensive “showcase” of Normcore, a product we’re incredibly proud of as we make our debut in this challenging market segment. Of course, there are countless factors beyond UX and features that contribute to a product’s success, such as visual design, pricing strategy, page speed, and more.
That said, in terms of UX and features, our design team has done an excellent job. Now, we just need to wait for Normcore to officially launch on the Shopify Store and enjoy the results.
Thank you to everyone who has accompanied us on this journey! 🎉
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