[intro]When you have completed this Guide, you’ll understand how to change the Theme of your EKM online shop and how to view the new design on the front end. [/intro]

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The first step to creating your EKM online shop is to apply a Theme, as this applies the bare bones of your shop design before you add your own branding and images to it. On EKM, the Themes have been divided into industry types as a guideline to help you select the right design for your brand and your products. However, all Themes can be applied simply by adding your own logo and design images that complement your brand.

[tips]If you're not sure which Theme to choose, this Guide lists all of the available Themes on the EKM online shop platform. [/tips]

Selecting your Theme

1. To change your theme, log into your account and click Design on the left-hand menu:

2. Then you need to click Theme:

3. On this page, click the More Actions button on the far left beneath the largest Theme image, and from the drop-down menu, select Change Theme:

4. This will take you to the Themes area, populated with every Theme currently available on the EKM platform. This page displays the Featured Aerial Themes first by default, as these are the latest to be released by our Design Team:

5. Down the left-hand side of the screen, you’ll see a grey menu bar where you can select your Theme based on your industry if you choose. 

Legacy Themes are our older Themes, and they are different from Aerial Themes. This guide explains the differences between Aerial Themes and legacy Themes. 

[tips]If you plan on using a legacy Theme, ensure that the menu of the Theme is how you want it to be going forward. There are many different kinds of menus, but these cannot be edited as they are native to the Theme. However, all other aspects of a legacy Theme, including headers, design images and editable elements can be edited by our Tweaks Team if need be.[/tips] 

6. When you see a Theme you like, click it, and this will open a page about the Theme with a preview of how it appears on different devices. If you like the Theme, click the green button to apply it to your EKM online shop, or click the X symbol in the top right-hand corner to select a different Theme:

7. If you click to apply the Theme, you’ll see this window. Click the green button:

8. You’ll then be redirected to the Design page:

[remember]The more recent the Theme, the more use you will have from it - we recommend that you upgrade your Theme every two years - this ensures that your online shop design will be unaffected by upgrades to browsers, user experience research and a host of other factors which can affect how your site displays to potential customers. Some of the older Themes will eventually be discontinued as their layout and structure pertain to older standards for user experience and browser compatibility.[/remember]

Testing your Theme

9. To see how your EKM online shop looks with the Theme applied, you need to View Shop on the left-hand menu to open the front end of your EKM online shop in a separate browser tab:

When experimenting with different Themes, it’s a good idea to keep this browser tab open so you can view how the different Themes display until you’ve discovered one that you’re happy with. 

[tips]Whilst you are creating your site, it’s a good idea to hide your shop behind a password wall until it is complete, so you can launch it to the public when it is ready. Click here to find out how to install the Password Protect feature.[/tips]

[remember]Every EKM online shop has a default domain name to begin with, as technically the shop is live the moment the account is opened. The domain name consists partly of your Account ID and this default domain name is visible on the front end of your EKM online shop until an actual domain name has been applied. You can claim a free domain name from EKM Domains by following the steps in this Guide.[/remember]

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[contact]If you need our help with your EKM online shop, contact your Ecommerce Expert, Account Manager, or the Customer Support Team, who can point you in the right direction. Our opening hours are 9 am - 5.30 pm Monday to Friday, for telephone calls, live chats, and emails. Over the weekends, we're open from 9 am - 5.30 pm, both Saturday and Sunday, to answer emails and live chat, which you can access from the Dashboard of your EKM online shop. Outside these hours, you can leave a message for us in the live chat window or email support@ekm.com, and we will answer as soon as possible.

If you'd like to suggest a feature or an upgrade on any of the EKM platforms, please let us know on the EKM Suggestions Board. If you have a non-account-specific question to ask the EKM Team, join us in the EKM Community. [/contact]