WordPress Theme Marketplaces 2013: Trends

A good way to spot emerging trends in the WordPress themes market would be to look at the behaviour of theme marketplaces like Themeforest, Mojo Themes and other boutique WordPress marketplaces. Here are some of our observations of what is currently ongoing and our take on what is to be:

Themeforest – The WordPress Marketplace Giant

With about 2500 themes in its inventory, Themeforest is probably the largest theme marketplace there is. Collis Ta’eed, founder of Envato which runs Themeforest, observed that the main trends on theme sales for 2012 have been: responsive, e-commerce and app themes (themes that have app like functionalities).

These trends are indeed reflective of trends observed by developers in the industry. With mobile platforms taking their place as the new mainstream it is just fitting to find responsive themes becoming more of a necessity rather than a trend.

The introduction of Jigoshop and WooCommerce plugins are making people realize the viability of turning WordPress themes into robust e-commerce solutions.

Specialized app themes will remain and will continue to flourish because of the specific niches they service. These niche WordPress app themes will continue to evolve as the themes market matures.

Mojo-themes and other WordPress Boutique shops

A look at the top 10 sellers on Mojo Themes similarly shows 4/10 themes are already responsive indicating that the trend towards mobile friendly themes is indeed a phenomenon. Their top selling theme is an e-commerce theme validating the emergence of WordPress as an e-commerce solution. The rest of the themes are multi-purpose or portfolio themes which target professionals, small or medium scale businesses and corporations.

Boutique theme shops and clubs such as StudioPress, Thematic, Press75, iThemes, WooThemes, Templatic and many others continue to thrive with their own loyal following.

Outlook for 2013

Major and minor WordPress theme marketplace vendors are experiencing the trends towards responsive themes and e-commerce. The question is how will these trends influence these marketplaces as they prepare for 2013 and beyond?

It is our opinion that responsive themes will continue to be in high demand as the transition to mobile platforms is still ongoing. About 6.1B mobile subscriptions are still yet to convert to internet ready smartphone subscriptions. The recent introduction of WooCommerce and Jigoshop indicates that the market is also only in the early stages of adaptation and mainstreaming of this technology. 2013 will be a year for continued acceptance as more sites exploit the democratization of e-commerce with these two plugins. Perhaps more eCommerce plugins will be introduced into the market and WordPress users will have more options and solutions to choose from.With a big year ahead for responsive themes and e-commerce, developers now have to bid for the best products to serve these markets as well as look at what lies ahead in 2014.

As ThemeForest continues its commitment to evolve and improve its review standards on what WordPress themes are made available in the marketplace we can expect higher quality WordPress themes that will satisfy even the strictest Code gurus out there. The renewed commitment to become more involved in the WordPress community is also a welcome move that will surely benefit us all.

Freemium: Is This The Best Model For Selling WordPress Themes?

In a previous article we discussed the merits and disadvantages of free vs. premium WordPress themes. Which themes are better? The answer really lies on what type of user you are. Are you a newbie or are you maintaining a professional website? We have to admit though, that if you’re after great looks and superb functionality, nothing usually beats Premium themes. You’ll probably relate to the experience spending hours scouring the web for free alternatives to Premiums. We usually strike gold when we find freemium themes.

We often encounter freemium products/services in our daily lives. When you open your mailbox, you might find a 30-day trial disc of the latest creative software mailed to you. Think of all the free apps (full or lite versions) you download, test and enjoy everyday. Free versions of expense management applications are available for download on Google Play or App Store with limited capabilities enough to get you started. Gamers also encounter Freemiums often. Big name services like Skype, Dropbox and Gmail have freemium services that open the door to paid subscriptions later on.

What exactly are freemiums? These are limited versions of premium products or services offered at no cost. What makes the Freemium model unique is that it gives users a sufficient functional experience to acquire their loyalty to that particular product/service. In offering these products, developers make it easier for users to convert to premium versions as the need arises. In some cases, developers give away a service for free so it becomes a standard creating a demand for premium service among business clients later on.

The advantage of freemium themes is that it gives users the chance to test drive themes with real content. This helps them decide if the theme they try is really appropriate for their website. As you get more familiar with the theme, you can easily convert to a premium theme via upgrade buttons in the admin panel. The upgrade can be sold easier to an otherwise pre-converted user.

From a marketing standpoint, freemium themes gives a win-win solution for both users and developer. Even if users don’t upgrade a trial/lite theme, future products will be better and easier to sell because of the experience users gain from these specific developers.