Setting Up Your Shopify theme for bookings
As a Shopify store owner offering experiential products like tours or workshops, you may need to customize your product pages to better suit booking-style purchases. This guide will walk you through setting up your store for experiential bookings using Experiences by Shopify.
Creating a Custom Product Template
Go to your Shopify admin panel and navigate to "Online Store" > "Themes".
Click "Customize" on your current theme.
In the theme editor, click on "Home Page" > "Product".
Create a new product template by clicking "Add new layout" and name "Experiences new" (or any name you prefer).
This new template will be based on your default product layout, allowing you to customize it for your experiential products.
Customizing the new Product Page template
1. Ensure your new Experiences-based template is active in the theme editor.
2. Add the Experiences booking widget:
- Click "Add block"
- Go to the "Apps" section
- Select the "Book now button" (Experiences booking widget)
3. Arrange the booking widget on your page as desired. You may want to place it above the product description for visibility.
4. Customize the appearance:
- Adjust the button color to match your brand (e.g., #FF0000 for red, for example)
- Choose whether to show multiple time slots or just the next available slot
5. Hide unnecessary elements for experiential products:
- Price (if it's displayed in the booking widget)
- Variant picker
- Quantity selector
- Buy button
Applying the Template to Experiential Products
1. Go to the Shopify product page for one of your experiential products.
2. Scroll down to "Theme template" in the product settings.
3. Select your new "Experiences new" template from the dropdown menu.
4. Save the changes.
Adding Bookable Dates
1. In your product settings, go to the "Booking" section.
2. Set up your available dates and times:
- Choose a date range or select "Doesn't end" for ongoing availability
- Add specific time slots (e.g., 8am tours)
- Set the capacity for each slot (e.g., 15 people)
- You can apply settings to multiple days (e.g., all Thursdays)
3. Save your changes and make sure the product is set to "Active".
Customizing the Booking Experience
The Experiences booking widget offers several customization options:
- Choose to display the next available time slot, the next three slots, or all available slots
- Customize the button text (e.g., "Book Now" or "See Other Options")
- When a customer clicks on a specific date, they'll be taken directly to that booking slot
Remember, using the theme editor, you can always adjust the placement of the booking widget and other elements on your product page.
By following these steps, you'll create a streamlined booking experience for your customers while maintaining the look and feel of your Shopify store. If you need further assistance or want to explore more advanced customizations, consider contacting Shopify's support team or exploring their partner agencies specializing in bookable retail experiences.