Launched in Shopify’s latest Summer ’25 Editions, the newest Horizon theme foundation has been the buzz of our client conversations and internal exploration. Introducing features that were once reserved for paid page-builder apps, the new Horizon theme design foundation will evolve your customization experience in Shopify’s theme editor. Now including nested blocks, several new layout and customization toggles, and further conversion optimization, Shopify’s new framework has launched with ten new themes, but are any of them right for you and what does this mean for your existing Shopify storefront?
Early Adoption: Should you jump on Horizon immediately?
While new themes and updates can be exciting, there can be drawbacks or pain points of early adoption. Several of our clients have seen the new Shopify Editions, including the Horizon framework, and asked our team if they should be making the switch immediately. Shopify conducts extensive QA testing, however as with any major platform shift, there is always a learning curve and potential for unforeseen challenges. The pros of early adoption may include a competitive edge with storefront speed and performance while gaining a competitive edge with newly released features. Cons may involve encountering initial bugs, a steeper learning curve and fewer self-help tutorials, and at worst – potential disruption to your existing site and customer experience if not migrated and tested properly.
Existing Customizations & Compatibility on Shopify Horizon Theme(s)
A critical question for many merchants is the compatibility of their existing customizations with the new Horizon framework. Due to the significant architectural changes within Horizon, most existing custom theme code, sections, and blocks built on the legacy framework will not be directly compatible with Horizon themes. This means a direct “drag and drop” migration of existing customizations is unlikely. While some simpler CSS adjustments might carry over, more complex Liquid or JavaScript-based customizations will likely require a complete rebuild or significant refactoring. Migrating to the new Horizon framework often necessitates a strategic approach, and engaging a Shopify Agency can be invaluable in assessing your current customizations, planning the migration, and rebuilding essential functionalities within the new framework to ensure a smooth transition and maintain your unique brand identity.
Custom Theme(s) & Blocks with Shopify Sidekick
Wish you could just enter some information about your brand or business and let Shopify do the rest? Now you can with Shopify’s new Theme Generate and Block Generate functionality. As per Shopify CEO Tobi Lutke’s AI memo, shared online earlier this year – AI adoption is now a baseline expectation internally at Shopify. With Sidekick, merchants can leverage AI to describe the type of theme or specific content block they envision, and the system will generate the foundational code and structure. This significantly reduces the time and technical expertise required for initial theme setup and block creation, allowing for rapid prototyping and iteration. For example, you could prompt Sidekick to “create a minimalist theme for a sustainable fashion brand” or “generate a product review block with star ratings and user avatars.” This AI-powered generation aims to democratize theme development and empower merchants to build more sophisticated and tailored storefronts with unprecedented ease.