Shopify Horizon Themes 2025: Features, Limitations & How to Start Effectively

The introduction of Shopify Horizon themes as a part of the Shopify Summer Editions 2025 has marked a significant leap forward in Shopify store design, performance, and user experience. These themes promise unprecedented flexibility and powerful AI-empowered customization. However, what exactly are they, how do they stack up against the Online Store 2.0, and what do you need to know to harness their full potential? It’s time to discover everything with our experts.

This article will walk through the following points so that you can have a deeper understanding: 

• A summary of Shopify Horizon themes

• Groundbreaking features and limitations 

• 10 themes available on Shopify Horizon

• A roadmap for effectively using Horizon themes 

• Guide to level up Shopify Horizon design with GemPages 

Without further ado, let’s begin right away! 

What are Shopify Horizon Themes?

Shopify Horizon themes are the newest theme frameworks empowered by Shopify developers, or the next generation of Shopify’s free themes. They are built on component-driven architecture and can offer “total design freedom” with enhanced performance and intuitive visual editing capabilities, together with an advanced and more AI-integrated foundation for your online store. 

Shopify Horizon themes belong to Shopify Summer Edition 25, with updated themes

Below is a short comparison between Horizon Themes and Online Store 2.0 from our testing: 

Apparently, Shopify has made significant improvements to eCommerce UX for Horizon themes. Shoppers can enjoy faster shopping and browsing journeys, and Shopify merchants can reach a smooth, effortless customization experience. In short, both parties can benefit from this release.   

5 New Features Included in Shopify Horizon Themes 

1. Industry-Specific Themes 

Shopify has launched 10 new themes (or rather, presets of the foundational "Horizon (Base)" theme with various default settings) for specific industries. This means you start with a design that's already optimized for your niche, saving significant setup time. These Shopify Horizon themes are great for fashion, beauty, home goods, food & beverage, arts and crafts, and more.

According to StoreLeads, a leading eCommerce data platform, 42,736 active Shopify stores used the Horizon (base) theme within 2 months of the launch of the Shopify Summer Edition 25. This is followed by the Savor and Atelier themes, which indicate the booming popularity of these innovative Shopify theme frameworks and their powerful, compelling functions for store designs. 

Over 42,000 new active Shopify stores used the Shopify Horizon (base) theme

2. New layout system with 8-level nested blocks

One of the most notable points in Shopify Horizon themes is the introduction of a fully modular “theme blocks” system that supports up to 8 levels of nested blocks inside. This is in contrast to Online Store 2.0 themes like Dawn, where sections were limited to block nesting, only 2 levels. 

Horizon themes enable up to eight levels of nested blocks

• Empower users with the freedom to build complex layouts

With traditional themes and without third-party website builders, it’s difficult to customize blocks to match your needs and brand tone deeply. Horizon addresses this aspect by offering the ability to freely combine, rearrange, or design elements through a drag-and-drop built-in editor. This can bring a high-converting, unique storefront layout that can engage customers effectively.

• Make the design process easier with group blocks

Horizon introduces group blocks, a powerful new feature that lets you bundle related elements, such as headers, product grids, and promotional banners, into a single, manageable unit. This can help simplify complex layouts and keep your content neatly organized and easy to update.

You can copy, paste, and reposition entire sections anywhere across your Shopify store. Better yet, you can reuse these grouped components on multiple pages, ensuring design consistency.

Users can copy group blocks and then paste them later on the available sections 

• Offer full layout flexibility without page restrictions  

Unlike older free Shopify themes, where a banner created for your homepage couldn’t be used on a product page without coding files, Horizon allows you to place blocks wherever you want. You can even mix and match content freely, experiment with design variations, and build truly custom pages that align perfectly with your brand’s vision; of course, select, drag, and drop all.  

3. AI block generation

Leveraging the 2 leading Shopify technologies, Shopify Sidekick and Magic, the Horizon themes integrate AI design tools directly into the theme editor. You can now describe your desired content block in Sidekick chats (e.g., “a discount banner of up to 40% off all products with an image on the left and text on the right”), and AI Block Generator will help do the following tasks. 

Shopify AI Block Generator helps create a custom block within seconds 

Shopify Magic then processes all and generates the Liquid/HTML/CSS code for that block, inserting it into your current theme. This speeds up design iterations to offer custom elements. In other words, Shopify aims to reduce reliance on manual code, sections, or developer support.

Learn more: AI-Powered Website Optimization — Guide, Tools, Tips [2025] 

4. Rich-featured theme editor

The next advantage of experiencing Shopify Horizon themes is its rich-featured theme editor. You will access an upgraded and intuitive design interface built for speed, flexibility, and creative control. This helps you easily customize any page, section, and block, even if you’re a newbie. Here are the most notable features that you should know to leverage your Shopify store design. 

• Group Sections

Instead of stacking sections vertically, Horizon lets you group related content, like product images, headlines, and CTAs, into a cohesive unit. This boosts your ability to convey compelling stories, control layout hierarchy, and maintain consistent design across multiple website pages. 

• Quick Actions

In these theme frameworks, Shopify enhances your productivity with context-aware right-click shortcuts. You can utilize these features to copy, paste, rename, or duplicate sections and blocks without digging through menus. It’s a powerful way to help control large, complex layouts. 

Shopify Horizon themes editor enables quick and precise actions

• Clean Sidebar

The Horizon theme editor also stands out with a streamlined, nested sidebar with sections and blocks grouped logically. When Shopify users click an element, only that section’s customization options are displayed, minimizing visual clutter and allowing them to focus on the task at hand.

• One-click Inline Text Editing 

Shopify speeds up your workflow with direct text editing. You click on the text element you want to modify and edit it in place without extra panels or pop-ups, making your edition much faster. 

• Reusable Block Groups 

You can freely reuse grouped blocks across varied sections and pages to save time and effort. Many users love this feature because it allows for creating once and deploying whenever needed without rebuilding from scratch. It’s a simple yet powerful way to maintain consistency. 

Moreover, Shopify Horizon themes feature Shop app sign-in integration, pre-order functionality, in-menu promotions, back-in-stock alerts, subtle animation effects, and recently viewed items. 

5. Improved performance

Both Online Store 2.0 themes and Horizon themes are highly evaluated for their loading speed. However, Horizon pushes this aspect even further to ensure a faster, more seamless UX that positively influences SEO and conversion rates for Shopify stores. Horizon’s component-driven architecture also enhances scalability and maintainability, making it ideal to grow your business. 

What Themes Are Available On Shopify Horizon?

#1. Horizon (Base)

This Shopify Horizon theme is the core theme from which all other Horizon themes are derived. It offers a clean, bold, and modern aesthetic with robust performance and web design flexibility. This enables an out-of-the-box experience across all devices, serving as an ideal starting point.

Best for: A fast launch while defining specific concepts or e-commerce minimal fashion stores. 

Horizon is the base framework for all Shopify Horizon themes

#2. Savor

Savor is a tasteful and immersive Horizon theme designed to bring vibrancy and visual richness, creating an appetizing and dynamic feeling. It features airy layouts and subtle animations, creating an inviting shopping experience with high-quality imagery and detailed item narratives.

Best for: Food and beverage brands, artisanal goods, craftsmanship items, or lifestyle brands. 

Savor theme stands out with vibrancy and visual richness 

#3. Vessel

This theme is equipped with features like a built-in mega menu and intuitive filtering options, making it easy for shoppers to navigate extensive inventories and discover desired products. When visiting Vessel, you are also impressed with a clean, elegant, and open storefront design. 

Best for: Fashion, beauty, home goods, or any e-commerce businesses with large inventories. 

Vessel is a go-to Shopify Horizon theme for home goods

#4. Heritage

Heritage embraces a classic and sophisticated aesthetic, designed to elevate a strong editorial voice and emphasize tradition and quality. It features immersive galleries with asymmetrical, organic layouts that let your brand story shine, an essential for building emotional connections.  This can foster deeper customer engagement and long-term brand loyalty through your website.

Best for: Craft goods, vintage items, luxury products, or brands valuing a refined storytelling.

 

Heritage features fully customizable layouts for visual storytelling 

#5. Pitch

Pitch is a dynamic and attention-grabbing Shopify Horizon theme built to make an impression. It has bright, enticing layouts with massive-centered typography and a high-contrast color palette. This theme is designed to grab attention and quickly convey your brand's energy and message.

Best for: Sports, activewear, streetwear, or businesses with a desire for an energetic presence. 

Pitch engages users with massive-centered typography, targeting a strong impression

#6. Dwell

Dwell creates a warm, inviting Shopify store space that encourages customers to explore and connect with your brand. With its soft visual tones, structured layouts, and content-rich sections, it is perfect for showcasing home products, curated collections, and lifestyle imagery cohesively.

Best for: Home decor, furniture, interior design, handcrafted goods, or lifestyle brands.  

Dwell themes create a sense of warmth and offer content-rich sections

#7. Ritual

Ritual is a minimalist and serene Shopify theme designed to elevate your brand with bold luxury and designer-inspired aesthetics. It emphasizes solid color tones, well-organized product grids, and easy-to-navigate product lines, which are key to boosting the online shopping experience. 

Best for: Luxury fashion stores, fragrance brands, or premium skincare and beauty products. 

Ritual stands out with the minimalism style and solid color tones 

#8. Fabric

Fabric is a modern storefront with bold, casual appeal, specifically designed to highlight textiles. Products truly pop with edge-to-edge photo grids, large swatches, and engaging lifestyle blocks. It is also voted for your brand’s personality with immersive visuals and a contemporary design. 

Best for: Clothing brands, accessories, textile-based products, or outdoor & fitness businesses. 

Fabric is designed explicitly for clothing, fashion brands, or textile products 

#9. Tinker

Tinker offers a playful and creative aesthetic with a practical, bold, and efficient structure. This Shopify Horizon theme’s layouts also help highlight craftsmanship with organized product grids, bento-style collection cards, and rich video blocks, making it ideal for unique, handmade items.

Best for: Arts and crafts, children's products, unique gifts, custom items, or any creative store. 

Tinker comes up with the vibe of playful and energetic brands 

#10. Atelier

Atelier is designed for brands that thrive on visual storytelling for a sense of luxury and elegance or want plenty of space to spotlight their products. It features large media banners paired with bold typography to capture customer attention and elevate your brand presence immediately.

Best for: Expert services, high-end retail, bespoke products, creative studios, or luxury brands.

Atelier is a desirable Shopify Horizon theme for luxury brands

What Limitations to Expect with Shopify Horizon Themes 

While Shopify Horizon Themes offer advancements, it's essential to approach them with realistic expectations. As with any new technology, there are some limitations and a learning curve here:

1. Early bugs from the theme editor

Some Shopify users have reported issues such as product media displaying incorrectly, aspect ratios becoming chaotic, and difficulties with displaying blog post sections. Shopify is actively working to resolve these issues, but merchants who implement early should be well-prepared. 

“Product media on Horizon not reflecting any changes made”, the recent feedback from Jiane. 

2. Limitations to interacting with blocks 

While the nested block system is powerful, there might be initial limitations or a learning curve in how certain blocks interact or how complex layouts can be achieved purely through the editor. Also, AI-generated sections might not be automatically carried over during theme updates, requiring manual recreation or file copying; as a result, you’re still in a time-consuming process. 

3. Embrace feature gaps and the learning curve

Sellers using Liquid-based themes or custom builds might find that custom features, meta fields, or unique design elements need to be rebuilt using App Blocks or React components. Your in-house teams also need to learn how schema, slots, and extensibility work in Horizon themes. 

“I am struggling to figure out how Blog pages and Blog posts work in the new Horizon Theme. I am switching over from Dawn, but I can't find much on Blog Posts.” from the GeeDub account. 

Learn more: Shopify Customization: How to Build Custom Shopify Pages That Sell?

How to Start with Horizon Themes on Shopify

What to consider before using Shopify Horizon Themes

Best for: Design flexibility without coding, and performance & mobile UX improvement.

For new Shopify stores:

If you're launching a brand new store, starting with a Horizon Theme is highly recommended. You'll benefit from the latest design features, optimized performance, and AI block generation. It’s recommended to start with 10 presets, use nested blocks for modular layouts, ultilize AI as a helpful assistant, and prefer block grouping or reusable components to keep the store uniform. 

For existing Shopify stores

If you’re already running an active store, switching to Shopify Horizon themes is more strategic. It’s essential to carefully review your current customization, test Horizon on a staging store first, avoid rushing the transition after Horizon’s release, and plan your migration thoughtfully. This can ensure a smooth shift without disrupting your store’s performance or customer experience.

Steps to start with Horizon Themes

• Step 1: In your Shopify Admin, select Themes under the Online Store tab. 

• Step 2: Click Visit Theme Store and find Horizon Themes in the search bar. 

• Step 3: Choose a proper theme and click Try Theme. 

• Step 4: Click the Customize button to navigate the editor for customization. 

• Step 5: Publish the store when ready or test it in the preview mode. 

Level Up Shopify Horizon Themes Using GemPages 

While Shopify Horizon themes offer incredible out-of-the-box flexibility, you need more design control and high-converting templates to kickstart your creativity and site optimization effectively. That’s where powerful website builders like GemPages have become a top-of-mind alternative.

GemPages is the #1 landing page builder on Shopify, featuring a drag-and-drop editor the lets users freely design custom pages with pixel-perfect precision. You can work well with diverse types of pages, such as landing pages, product pages, homepages, thanks pages, and more. Notably, not only for 10 pre-set themes like Shopify Horizon, GemPages offers a vast library of 200+ CRO templates that can align with a lot of industries and the AI-powered Image-to-Layout. 

Moreover, after finishing your Shopify store design, you can use its built-in A/B testing feature, called GemX to optimize your page performance. You can test different layouts, content, calls to action (CTAs) to identify what resonates best with your audience, leading to higher conversions.

Learn more: How to Run a Proper Shopify A/B Testing on Your Store?   

Conclusion

Shopify Horizon Themes represent a pivotal advancement in e-commerce design, offering merchants unprecedented flexibility, powerful AI assistance, and significant performance gains. Many of the 10 industry-specific presets share core elements derived from Horizon (Base), so if you’re unsure which one to choose, starting with Horizon (Base) is a safe and versatile option. Last but not least, take time to evaluate your store’s needs for a thoughtful plan before starting. 

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