Are you tired of every product and collection page on your Shopify store looking the same? Do you find yourself installing complicated drag-anddrop builders when you just want to add a simple FAQ to one product or a banner to one collection?
You’re not alone. Many Shopify merchants and designers overlook one of the platform’s most powerful native features: Shopify Templates.
In this step-by-step guide, we’ll show you how to use Shopify page and collection templates to create unique, high-converting layouts for specific products and collections—no expensive apps or complex code required.
What Are Shopify Templates? (And Why You Need Them)
Think of Shopify templates as custom-designed blueprints. Your theme comes with a default blueprint for product pages, collection pages, and regular pages. A template allows you to create a new blueprint and assign it to any product, collection, or page you choose.
Real-World Examples:
- Kylie Cosmetics: Notice how a product from the “Fragrance” collection has a different layout (with specific images and content) than a product from the “Cosmetics” collection.
- Top Influencer Brands: A “Skincare” product page might feature educational videos and ingredient bubbles, while an “Eyes” product page showcases different imagery and layouts.
All of this is achieved with Shopify templates. Let’s learn how to set them up.
Step-by-Step Guide: How to Create & Use Product Page Templates
Step 1: Create a New Product Template
- From your Shopify admin, go to Online Store > Themes.
- Find your live theme and click Customize.
- Once the theme editor opens, look at the top header. You’ll see a dropdown menu that likely says “Default page.” Click on it.
- From the dropdown, navigate to Products and then click on Create template. (Image Suggestion: A screenshot showing the “Create template” button inside the product section of the theme editor)
- Give your new template a descriptive name (e.g., “Wireless Charger Template”). Click Create template.
Step 2: Assign the Template to a Specific Product
Now that the template exists, you need to tell Shopify which product to use it for.
- Go to Products from your Shopify admin and select the product you want to customize (e.g., “Drop Classic Leather Wireless Charger”).
- Scroll down to the Theme template section. You will now see your new template in the dropdown menu.
- Select your new template (e.g., “Wireless Charger Template”) and click Save. (Image Suggestion: A screenshot highlighting the “Theme template” dropdown on a product page in the admin)
Step 3: Customize Your New Template
Head back to your theme editor (Online Store > Themes > Customize).
- Use the dropdown menu at the top to select your new template. It will show something like “Product pages > Wireless Charger Template (1 product).”
- The preview will now show the specific product you assigned. Any changes you make here will only affect products using this template.
- Add Unique Sections: Let’s add an FAQ section that only appears on this product.
- Click Add section.
- Find and select an FAQ section.
- Populate it with your questions and answers. You can use free AI tools like Google’s AI Studio to quickly generate product-specific FAQ content.
- Rearrange or Hide Sections: You can also hide sections like “You may also like” or add image galleries, video embeds, or trust badges specific to this product type.
- Click Save.
The Result: Now, when you visit that specific product on your store, you’ll see the unique FAQ section. All other products will still use the default template and won’t show this section.
Step-by-Step Guide: How to Create & Use Collection Templates
You can use the same principle to make specific collection pages stand out.
Step 1: Create a New Collection Template
- In your theme editor (Online Store > Themes > Customize), click the top dropdown menu.
- Navigate to Collections and click Create template.
- Name it after the collection you’re targeting (e.g., “Jeans Collection”). Click Create template.
Step 2: Assign the Template to a Collection
- From your Shopify admin, go to Products > Collections.
- Click on the collection you want to customize (e.g., “Jeans”).
- Scroll down to the Theme template section, select your new template (e.g., “Jeans Collection”), and click Save.
Step 3: Customize Your Collection Template
Back in the theme editor:
- Use the top dropdown to select your new collection template, e.g., “Collections > Jeans Collection (1 collection).”
- The preview will now show your specific collection. Let’s add a stunning hero banner.
- Click Add section and choose a Image banner or Hero section.
- Upload a compelling image that represents the collection (e.g., a model wearing jeans).
- Add a heading, like the collection title. You can often connect this to a dynamic source so it automatically pulls the collection name.
- Remove any unnecessary buttons or text.
- Click Save.
The Result: Your “Jeans” collection page now has a custom, branded hero banner at the top, making it look professional and unique, while all your other collections remain unchanged.
Key Takeaways & Best Practices
- No App Needed: This is a native Shopify feature. Using templates can help you avoid monthly subscription fees for page builder apps.
- Beginner-Friendly: It’s a visual process done entirely within the theme editor and admin, requiring no code.
- Scalable: You can create multiple templates and assign the same one to many products or collections (e.g., all products in a “Skincare” collection).
- The Foundation for Advanced Features: Templates are the first step to using dynamic content with metafields for even more powerful customization.
Ready to Level Up Your Store?
Shopify templates are the secret weapon for creating a sophisticated, tailored shopping experience without the complexity. By following these steps, you can easily make your best-selling products and most important collections look exactly how you envision them.
Need More Power?
If you’re ready to take the next step and learn how to connect these templates with dynamic data using metafields (e.g., automatically pulling different ingredient lists for each product), let us know in the comments below
