In 2018, Out of the Sandbox continued its mission to give customers practical and useful tips on how to set up and use Shopify themes — as well as run a more successful Shopify store.
Nested navigation
2018 kicked off with a roundup of a big new feature which Shopify had rolled out — nested navigation. This post focused on how to use the new feature and troubleshoot the transition. Read the post about Shopify nested navigation.
Choosing a Shopify theme
We also took a look at tips for picking a Shopify theme — but through the lens of how you approach running your own particular shop. See these tips on picking the best Shopify theme for your store.
Shopify theme piracy
Also in 2018, we took a look at one of the "dark sides" of Shopify — theme piracy. Our goal with this post was to educate and inform and show you how to protect yourself from using unlicensed Shopify themes. Later in the year, we took a look at Shopify theme registration and specific Shopify theme registration and licensing issues for Shopify developers and experts.
Turbo 3.0
In March, Out of the Sandbox released Turbo 3.0, which included a new Shopify theme style — Florence. In conjunction with this release, we also took a look at Turbo's user experience and how it accommodates a wide variety of online shoppers. Another post took a look at how Turbo's new predictive search feature can be used to optimize the shopping experience.
Dynamic checkout buttons
In May, Shopify released its "dynamic checkout buttons," and Out of the Sandbox themes were updated to be fully compatible. In addition, we took a deep dive into how the dynamic checkout buttons work with your Shopify theme. Later that month, we also took a look at Shopify's improved font picker for themes.
Selling services
Mid-year saw a series of tips on how to use Shopify to sell services — either as an add-on to your current catalog or as a standalone business. We also took a look at how to illustrate service products online — which can be a challenge in itself. In addition, we also showed how selling digital products on Shopify can be a way to boost your bottom line.
Artisan
In July, Out of the Sandbox released its newest Shopify theme — Artisan. Originally conceived with service-orientated businesses in mind, this flexible theme is packed with features (including custom shapes!) that make it a great fit for any store. We focused on Artisan feature by feature and also tracked its first major update.
BFCM
In September, Out of the Sandbox got a jump on Black Friday and Cyber Monday with the first in a series of posts about how to optimize your Shopify theme and store in time for the biggest retail event of the year.
Responsive 7
Not quite ready to rest before BFCM, in September Out of the Sandbox released Responsive 7, a major update to the ever popular Responsive Shopify theme.
Turbo 4.0
And finally, Turbo also got another big update just before BFCM — including another fab new style, Dubai — so we took a look at all the new features added to this premium Shopify theme.
