Lute Shopify Theme Review: Irreplaceable Choices For Music-Focused Brands

Key Takeaways

• The Lute theme offers a quick and easy setup for launching online stores efficiently. Its intuitive interface and customizable options enable rapid site creation. It is perfect for entrepreneurs who want to get their business online swiftly.
• The theme provides mobile responsiveness and cross-browser compatibility for a seamless user experience. It adapts smoothly across devices like desktops, tablets, and smartphones, ensuring customers can conveniently access the store anywhere. 

Theme Overview

Brief Overview of the Theme

The Lute Shopify Theme by ThemeGoal is a customizable paid theme that costs USD 320. Unlike some fixed-designed themes, Lute offers seasonal designs for special occasions like Halloween and Christmas, allowing store owners to create a festive shopping experience.

While no reviews are available yet, Lute’s focus on using colors for communication suggests that it’s designed to make online stores visually appealing and engaging. This theme stands out by using color effectively to highlight important information and focal points on your site. It offers various design layouts to suit different branding styles, combining aesthetics and functionality.

Lute provides control over SEO, speed, performance, and flexible sections. Its multiple-product page layouts enable customization to meet specific brand and audience needs.

Key Findings & Recommendations

Key Findings

• Support for Multiple Languages: The Lute theme offers extensive language support, including translations for several European languages (EN, FR, IT, DE, ES), making it suitable for a diverse customer base.
• Effective Use of Color: Lute leverages the power of color to communicate and establish focal points, drawing attention to essential information and products.
• Creative Design Layout: The theme’s creative and modern layout combines aesthetics with essential tools such as SEO, speed optimization, performance enhancement, and flexible sections, contributing to an engaging user experience.
• Multiple Product Layouts: Lute provides flexibility with multiple product page layouts, enabling you to choose the one that best aligns with your brand and appeals to your target audience.

Recommendations

• Quick Setup: Lute’s minimal theme setup steps are ideal for quick store launches. Continue to streamline the setup process to ensure a hassle-free experience for users.
• Visual Storytelling: Capitalize on Lute’s emphasis on showcasing images to effectively convey your brand’s visual story, as visuals are a powerful tool in e-commerce.
• Cart and Checkout Optimization: Use features like cart notes, in-store pickups, quick buy options, and the slide-out cart to enhance the shopping experience and reduce cart abandonment rates.
• Marketing and Conversion: Utilize marketing and conversion features such as cross-selling, customizable contact forms, FAQ pages, in-menu promotions, product badges, and reviews to boost sales and engage customers effectively.
• Merchandising: Leverage animation, color swatches, high-resolution images, image rollovers, and product videos to merchandise your products attractively and engage potential buyers.
• Product Discovery: Enhance product discovery with breadcrumbs, collection page navigation, improved search functionality, mega menus, product filtering and sorting, recently viewed items, recommended products, and a sticky header.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Optimized for SEO, speed, and performance: The Lute theme ensures your online store ranks well in search engines, loads quickly, and performs efficiently, enhancing the user experience.
• Multiple language translation: It supports multiple languages, making your store accessible to a broader audience and potentially increasing your customer base.
• Quick setup: Lute offers a fast and easy setup process, ideal for those new to e-commerce or looking to launch their store swiftly.
• Includes all vital features to boost sales: The theme comes equipped with essential features designed to help increase sales and conversions, providing value to your business.
• Advanced customization options: Lute provides extensive customization possibilities, allowing you to tailor your store’s appearance and functionality to your needs.
• High-resolution photo gallery: The theme offers a high-quality photo gallery, perfect for showcasing products and creating an engaging shopping experience.
• Impressively unconventional design: Lute’s unique design is well-suited for stores selling distinctive or quirky products and services, helping your brand stand out.
• Can definitely sell more: With its modern features and focus on sales optimization, Lute aims to help you increase your online sales.

Cons

• Limited styling options: Lute offers only two preset styling options, which may limit your ability to create a highly customized look for your store.
• Higher price than other themes: The theme’s price of $320 USD may be considered relatively high compared to other available Shopify themes.

Key Features & Benefits

Here are some main features of the Lute Shopify theme:

Unique Multi-Section Sliders to engage brand visuals

Distinctive sliders on the homepage, each capable of working independently, showcasing images, text scrolls, and compelling calls to action (CTAs).

These sliders allow shop owners to create captivating visual stories and promotions. They are ideal for showcasing retro fashion trends, accessory collections, or festival wear styles with eye-catching images and compelling calls to action.

Information-Rich Sections to produce in-depth content

Multiple sections on the homepage incorporate images, embedded text, buttons with interactive effects, and more, providing visitors with engaging content.

These sections empower shop owners to provide engaging content, share customer testimonials, promote newsletters, and showcase galleries, making it easier for retro fashion, accessory, or festival wear brands to connect with their audience and promote their unique products.

Minimal Footer Sections to improve aesthetics

The theme’s footer consists of minimalist sections designed to quickly access links, collections, social media icons representing accepted payment methods, and language and currency selectors.

The minimalist footer design allows shop owners to maintain a clean and uncluttered layout while offering quick access to essential links, collections, social media, and currency options, enhancing the overall user experience for retro fashion, accessories, or festival wear shoppers.

Straightforward Collection Pages for easy product exploration

Collection pages with a clean layout featuring full-width header images and accompanying text for easy Navigation.

Collection pages with full-width header images simplify product browsing for shop owners, allowing them to present their retro fashion, accessory, or festival wear collections with clear visuals and enticing descriptions.

Sidebar Filters and Sorters for saving search time

Collection pages include a sidebar section where users can utilize filters and dropdown sorting options to refine their product searches.

Shop owners can provide customers with efficient product filtering and sorting options on collection pages, helping shoppers narrow their choices when exploring retro fashion, accessories, or festival wear items.

Grid-Based Product Listings for streamlined browsing 

Product listings on collection pages are presented in a grid format, enhanced by smooth image transitions, Product and trust badges, product reviews, color swatches, and discount information. Additional features may include promo banners, promo tiles, featured collections and products, product videos, slideshows, and galleries.

Grid-based product listings enhance the visual appeal of retro fashion, accessory, or festival wear products, enabling shop owners to showcase their items while highlighting product features, reviews, and discounts for a more engaging shopping experience.

Marquee Announcement Bar for promotional visibility

The marquee announcement bar is a scrolling or static bar displayed at the top of the website, enabling shop owners to convey important messages, promotions, or announcements prominently. 

Marquee announcement bar ensures that essential information, such as flash sales or new arrivals in retro fashion, accessories, or festival wear collections, grabs visitors’ attention immediately, increasing the likelihood of conversions and sales.

User Testimonial Section (User Review) 

The Lute theme includes a dedicated section for user testimonials or reviews, allowing shop owners to showcase positive feedback and experiences from satisfied customers.

The user review section adds credibility and trust to the store, reassuring potential buyers of the quality of retro fashion, accessories, or festival wear products.

Instant Search for fast navigation

The Lute theme includes a feature that provides real-time search results as users type in their search queries. This means shop owners can offer customers a quick and convenient way to find retro fashion items, accessories, or festival wear products. 

It helps users discover what they’re looking for without delay, making their shopping experience smoother and more efficient, leading to increased sales.

Design & Customization 

Presets

Vibrant

The “Vibrant” preset in the Lute Shopify theme is an example of a website designed for selling Christmas and Halloween gifts, figures, and related products. This preset features a lively and colorful design that captures the festive spirit of these holidays. It is an ideal choice for shop owners looking to create an online store that caters to customers seeking unique and vibrant products for special occasions. This preset lets you quickly set up your store with a festive and eye-catching theme.

Brutalism

The “Brutalism” preset in the Lute Shopify theme serves as an example of a website tailored for selling nutritional supplements. This preset reflects a more straightforward, minimalist design approach, emphasizing functionality and clarity. It is suitable for shop owners in the health and wellness industry who want to showcase their products clean and organized. The “Brutalism” preset allows easy customization to meet the specific needs of businesses focused on dietary supplements and related health products.

How to Add This Theme To Your Store

Adding the Lute Shopify theme to your store is a simple process. Here are the easy steps to follow:

• Step 1: Visit Shopify’s theme page and log in if needed.
• Step 2: In the search bar on the theme page, type ‘Lute’ and select the Lute theme from the results.

• Step 3: Click the “Try theme” button. Wait a moment for the theme to be added to your Shopify website.

• Step 4: Once added, you can make it your own by clicking the “Customize” button. This lets you personalize the theme to match your store’s unique style and requirements.

Visual Appeal & User Experience

The Lute Shopify theme offers store owners and customers a visually appealing and user-friendly experience.

• Modern and Vibrant Design: Lute’s design is tailored to captivate users with modern aesthetics. Its use of color, imagery, and layout makes it an excellent choice for businesses that rely on visual appeal, such as fashion boutiques and art galleries.
• Effortless Setup: Entrepreneurs seeking a quick, hassle-free setup will find Lute ideal. Its straightforward setup process minimizes delays in launching your online store, making it perfect for those who value efficiency.
• Cost-Effective for Start-ups: Lute’s affordability and feature-rich options make it particularly suitable for start-ups and small to medium-sized businesses. The free trial and download option provides a low-risk opportunity for new companies to establish an attractive and functional online store.
• Brand Expression: Businesses with a strong brand identity benefit from Lute’s extensive customization options. It enables them to express their unique style and values, ensuring their online store represents their brand.
• Tailored for Specific Niches: Lute is designed with specific niches, such as retro fashion boutiques, 90s streetwear brands, rave and festival wear shops, retro accessory stores, and nostalgic tech gadgets shops. This niche-oriented approach ensures that the theme meets the unique needs of these businesses.

Detailing Customization Options

Customize Marquee Announcements bar

Follow the animation instruction below to customize your shop announcement bar.

Customize Quick View Feature

To customize the Quick View feature in the Lute Shopify theme, follow these simple steps:

Enable Product Quick View

• From your Shopify admin, navigate to Online Store > Themes.
• Locate and select your Lute theme, then click Customize next to it.
• In the customization panel, click on Theme settings.
• Now, select Product.
• Check the box that says Enable quick view.
• Remember to click Save to save your changes.

Customize Your Product Quick View Settings

• Again, from your Shopify admin, go to Online Store > Themes.
• Select your Lute theme and click Customize.
• Find and click on Product Quick View on the left-hand side of your screen.
• You can add or modify the blocks you must include in the Quick View section.
• After customizing to your liking, remember to click Save to apply your changes.

Product Recommendation section

To customize the Product Recommendation section in the Lute Shopify theme, follow these settings

Section Settings:

• Section Width: Set to “Full width.”
• Show Top Outline: Leave unchecked.
• Show Bottom Outline: Check this option.
• Color Scheme: Select “Background.”
• Layout: Choose “Carousel.”

Section Header:

• Heading: Customize the heading to something suitable for your store, such as “You may also like.”
• Heading Alignment: Center.
• Heading Size: Set to “Medium.”

GRID:

• Maximum Products to Show: You can display up to 8 products in this section.
• Number of Columns on Desktop: Choose 4 columns for desktop view.
• Number of Columns on Mobile: Opt for 2 columns for mobile view.

PRODUCT CARD:

• Ensure that “Show Product Info” is checked.

SECTION SPACING ADJUSTMENT:

• Leave both “Top” and “Bottom” set to 0 for default spacing.

Customize User Testimonial section

To customize the User Testimonial section in the Lute Vibrant theme, follow these settings:

Section Settings:

• Section Width: Set to “Full width.”
• Show Top Outline: Leave unchecked.
• Show Bottom Outline: Check this option.
• Color Scheme: Choose “Secondary.”

SECTION HEADER:

• Heading: Customize the heading to something fitting for your store, like “Tell your story.”
• Header Alignment: Center.
• Heading Size: Set to “Medium.”

CAROUSEL:

• Number of Testimonials per Row: Display up to 4 testimonials in each row.
• Auto-Rotate Testimonials: Check this option.
• Change Testimonials Every: You can set the interval at which testimonials rotate; it’s currently set to 5 seconds.

CARD:

• Enable Avatar Top: Leave this unchecked.

SECTION SPACING ADJUSTMENT:

• Leave both “Top” and “Bottom” set to 0 for default spacing.

Testimonial Block:

• Image: Select a specific image for the testimonial’s avatar.
• Content: Enter the testimonial comment.
• Name: Input the commenter’s name.
• Job: Specify the commenter’s job or affiliation.

Mobile Responsiveness & Browser Compatibility

Mobile Responsiveness

The Lute Shopify theme is designed to perform well on mobile devices, ensuring a seamless shopping experience for customers, whether they are using a computer, tablet, or smartphone. You can easily test how it adapts to different screen sizes and devices through Shopify’s theme review function.

Browser Compatibility

The Lute Shopify theme is engineered to work smoothly on all popular web browsers, such as Google Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari, and more. This means that regardless of your customers’ preferred browser, they can expect a consistent and dependable browsing experience. The theme’s compatibility with various browsers guarantees that your website maintains its appearance and functionality for all visitors, enhancing accessibility and user-friendliness.

Theme performance

The performance of the Lute theme on GTmetrix is quite impressive, earning it a Grade A rating. It boasts a remarkable performance score of 100%, indicating that it loads swiftly and efficiently. Additionally, its website structure is well-optimized, achieving a score of 95%. 

When examining its web vitals, the Lute theme continues to shine. It achieves a swift Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) of just 458 milliseconds, ensuring that your website’s main content appears almost instantly for visitors. Moreover, it experiences no Total Blocking Time (TBT), guaranteeing a smooth and uninterrupted browsing experience. Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) is also at an excellent score of 0, indicating that no sudden layout shifts can disrupt users.

Overall, the Lute theme’s performance on GTmetrix showcases its ability to deliver a fast and seamless user experience.

Where to Buy this Shopify Theme

You can get the Lute Shopify theme exclusively from the official Shopify theme store. To make it yours, simply visit the Shopify theme store.

Remember that the Lute theme is priced at $320 US dollars, and once you buy it, there are no refunds. So, it’s essential to assess if this theme fits your needs before investing carefully.

Best for Who?

Thanks to its versatile features and customization options, the Lute Shopify theme is ideal for various online merchants. Here’s who should consider using the Kairo theme:

• Quick Setup Enthusiasts: Entrepreneurs who want an efficient and speedy store launch.
• Visual Storytellers: Brands that rely on visuals, like art galleries and fashion retailers.
• Start-ups and SMBs: Ideal for small businesses with affordability and a feature-rich set.
• Brand Conscious Businesses: Businesses with strong brand identities seek extensive customization.

Moreover, below are some specific categories that the Lute Shopify theme is best suited for:

• Retro Fashion Boutiques
• 90s Streetwear Brands
• Rave and Festival Wear Shops
• Retro Accessory Stores
• Nostalgic Tech Gadgets Shops

FAQs

Conclusion

The Lute Shopify theme is a good choice for starting an online store, especially for visual product sellers like boutiques or galleries. It makes setting up your store quick and easy. Lute works well on phones, tablets, and computers, so customers can shop from anywhere. It also loads fast and looks the same on different browsers. New business owners can customize their website with Lute to match their brand.