How to search Shopify stores: A complete guide

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To build a profitable ecommerce business, a non-negotiable first step would be to search Shopify stores that are successful within your niche.

Scouting out competitors, looking for trending products, and gaining inspiration can all benefit from you analyzing established stores, as they can provide valuable insights into the right product selection, pricing strategies, and marketing tactics.

Finding the right store to learn from may seem like finding a needle in a haystack. However, it becomes simple when you know where to look and how to go about it.

There are multiple methods you can use, such as Google searches and other specialized tools — both paid and free — that help you zero in on Shopify stores that match your niche and goals. 

In this guide, we’ll discuss how you can search Shopify stores and get niche-specific searches. We’ll also show you how to gather valuable niche insights, analyze a store’s bestsellers, and maximize your own email marketing efforts.

Why you should search for Shopify stores

Shopify is currently one of the most popular ecommerce platforms that allows businesses to establish, operate, and grow their online stores with ease. 

Unlike regular websites, Shopify stores are specifically designed for ecommerce. These stores offer features like product listings, payment gateways, and order and inventory management, among others.

Shopify stores typically have a domain name format like “storename.myshopify.com.” However, many businesses opt for custom domain names like “storename.com” to make their site look more professional and memorable.

For example, Gymshark, a top Shopify store, uses “gymshark.com” to establish a strong brand presence and build customer trust.

Searching for popular Shopify stores can help you adopt successful tactics while avoiding common pitfalls. Competitor research can help you: 

• Identify your competitors’ strengths, weaknesses, and market gaps
• Analyze design choices, product presentation, and customer engagement strategies
• Understand how established stores differentiate themselves and create a strong brand identity
• Observe how ecommerce stores structure their content, keywords, and blog posts for organic traffic

For example, if you’re a clothing brand, you may look at a Shopify clothing store to see how they use product photography or customer reviews to increase conversions. You can then duplicate their best practices to achieve the same outcome for your store. 

Or, if you run a jewelry business, you can analyze Shopify jewelry stores to explore their pricing strategies and unique selling propositions. 

Researching Shopify stores aids in finding strengths to replicate and helps you identify gaps and missed opportunities that can inform your ecommerce approach. You can then use these insights to position your business for success.

Key benefits of finding Shopify stores

Launching a new brand, starting your Shopify store, or optimizing an existing one all start with knowing how to find Shopify stores — so you can spot what works and what doesn’t in your market. 

Aside from this, here are the key areas where you can gain insight when finding Shopify stores that inspire you:

• Competitor analysis: A Shopify store search lets you examine pricing, product selection, and marketing strategies from top-performing stores in your niche
• Market insights: Studying Shopify stores helps you identify trending products, emerging business models, and gaps in the market
• Inspiration for your store: You can draw inspiration from these established stores for things like branding, store design, and customer engagement strategies
• Networking opportunities: Finding Shopify stores in your industry can help you connect with potential partners, influencers, or like-minded business owners 
• Supplier identification: By exploring product listings, you can discover suppliers and manufacturers that successful Shopify stores partner with 
• Pricing and positioning guidance: Understanding how Shopify stores price their products can help you develop a competitive pricing strategy for your brand
• SEO and content strategy: Reviewing how top stores optimize their product pages and content can provide ideas for your own SEO and marketing efforts

Keep reading to find out the best methods for searching Shopify stores. We’ll also discuss some insights that can help amplify your ecommerce success.

Quick answer: How to find a Shopify store?

There are various effective methods to explore when you want to find a Shopify store. You can: 

• Use Google search operators: Type site:myshopify.com on Google to find Shopify stores in a specific niche
• Check Shopify store directories: Search using directories like BuiltWith and Ecomm.Design that list Shopify stores by niche and popularity
• Use Shopify spy tools: Using Shopify Spy tools like Koala Inspector and Commerce Inspector provides insights into store data
• Search on social media: Use social media platforms for Shopify store search, including Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, which often feature Shopify store links under hashtags like #shopifystore
• Utilize source code and footers: Check a website’s source code or footer for clues, such as Shopify-specific URLs, themes, or platform mentions

Top 5 effective methods to search for Shopify stores

Knowing what your competitors are doing is an important step on a Shopify checklist before you launch your store. Here are five effective methods, ranging from easy Google search tricks to using specialized tools and codes, that will help you quickly find Shopify stores in your niche:

1. Using Google to search Shopify stores

One of the easiest ways to find a Shopify store is by using Google search operators. You can filter Google results to show only Shopify-powered stores since many Shopify stores use the default myshopify.com Shopify subdomain before upgrading to a custom domain.

By using Google search operators, you can refine your Shopify store search based on niche, products, or specific Shopify store names. 

You can search Shopify stores on Google with the following queries:

• Basic search: To display Shopify-based stores, use site:myshopify.com
  
  Here’s a screenshot highlighting the Google search and results for this query:

• Niche-specific search: Add keywords to find stores in your industry, for example, use site:myshopify.com jewelry to look for Shopify jewelry stores
• Exclude unwanted results: Use the minus (-) operator to remove irrelevant results, for example, use site:myshopify.com clothing – wholesale to search for Shopify clothing stores, excluding wholesale listings
• Find product-based stores: Search for product categories directly, for example, use site:myshopify.com handmade bags to find bag sellers
• Check competitors: Find stores that still mention Shopify in their title tags, for example, use intitle:Shopify

Additionally, to refine your Shopify store search, try these advanced tactics:

• For multiple keywords: For example, use site:myshopify.com skincare OR beauty
• Search by region: For example, site:myshopify.com eco-friendly shoes USA
• Find active stores: Add best-selling or featured to locate popular products

2. Exploring Shopify store directories and marketplaces

Specialized directories and marketplaces can be of great help when searching Shopify stores. They allow you to find Shopify stores by filtering them based on niche, revenue, popularity, and much more.

This way, you can efficiently find any Shopify stores and gain inspiration for your ecommerce venture. Here are some Shopify store directories you can use: 

BuiltWith — Filter websites using Shopify

BuiltWith is especially useful for businesses analyzing competitor tech stacks. It’s a powerful tool for identifying Shopify-powered stores. Here’s how:

1. Go to BuiltWith.com and enter Shopify in the search bar
2. Click on Shopify Usage Statistics to view all stores using Shopify
3. Use filters like country, traffic, or technology stack to narrow down your search

For example, the image below shows the search result of Shopify Usage Statistics on BuiltWith:

MyIP.ms — Find Shopify stores by IP address

MyIP.ms allows users to locate Shopify stores by tracking Shopify’s IP addresses, such as 23.227.38.x. Here are the steps to use it:

1. Go to MyIP.ms and enter Shopify’s IP range (23.227.38.0-23.227.38.255)
2. Click on Other Sites on IP to view a list of active Shopify stores
3. Filter results based on traffic rank, domain age, and popularity

This method is particularly useful for discovering high-traffic Shopify stores. The screenshot below shows the tracking result for a Shopify IP range:

Ecomm.Design — Look for curated Shopify stores 

If you’re looking for design inspiration, Ecomm.Design showcases some of the best Shopify stores by category. This directory is ideal for those studying UX/UI design in ecommerce.

Here’s how to use it:

1. Visit Ecomm.Design
2. Browse stores by industry, features, or design style
3. Click on a store to explore its layout, branding, and tech stack

Here’s a screenshot showing the website templates you can filter by platform, tags, and price:

Store Leads — Discover Shopify stores with detailed insights

Store Leads is a Shopify store database that provides in-depth insights into a Shopify store’s data and overall performance.

Here’s how:

1. Go to StoreLeads.app and select Shopify as the platform
2. Filter stores by niche, country, revenue, installed apps, and more to refine your search
3. View store details, including estimated traffic, best-selling products, and marketing tools used

The image below shows how Store Leads work for lead generation and market research:

3. Using specialized Shopify spy tools

These tools help you answer common Shopify store search questions. They go beyond store discovery. They provide deeper insights into a Shopify store’s strategies, giving you a competitive edge in your niche.

If you want to go beyond simply finding Shopify stores and get deeper insights and data like best-selling products, traffic data, and Shopify marketing strategies, specialized Shopify spy tools can help. 

Most of these specialized tools are extensions supported by Chrome or Firefox, while some, like FindNiche, are web-based tools for in-depth analysis.

The table below shows the description of each Shopify spy tool along with the features available in their free and premium versions: 

	What it does	Free version	Premium version
Koala Inspector	Reveals Shopify store themes, installed apps, and best-selling products	Shows basic store data (themes, app names)	Provides sales estimates and historical product data
Commerce Inspector	Tracks product launches, ad campaigns, and revenue trends of Shopify stores	Displays limited product insights	Reveals competitor sales trends and marketing analytics
SimilarWeb	Analyzes website traffic sources, audience demographics, and engagement metrics	Offers traffic estimates and referring sources	Provides in-depth visitor behavior and top-performing pages
FindNiche	Helps with product research by analyzing Shopify store bestsellers and trending items	Limited search results for trending products	Full access to product database and profit margins
Wappalyzer	Detects Shopify store technologies, including payment gateways and marketing tools	Identifies store platforms and basic tech stacks	Provides detailed app usage and integrations

The free versions of these tools come with usage limits, such as limited daily or monthly access to store inspections, product searches, or reports. Premium versions, on the other hand, typically offer more extensive features and higher usage allowances.

The image below shows Koala Inspector, a Shopify spy tool offering real-time analytics and competitive insights for dropshippers and brand owners:

4. Checking social media and online communities

Social media platforms and other online communities are also excellent places to find Shopify stores. This is because many store owners actively promote their businesses through posts, ads, and discussions.

By using social media and online communities, you can easily find Shopify stores relevant to your interests — for inspiration, competitor research, or market analysis.

Shopify merchants often share their store links on social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Here are ways to find them:

• Search hashtags: Try searching with hashtags like #shopifystore, #shopifybusiness, or niche-specific tags like #handmadejewelryshopify
• Follow ecommerce influencers: Many Shopify experts and brand influencers showcase trending stores in their content
• Check ads and sponsored posts: Brands often promote Shopify stores via Facebook and Instagram ads

For example, searching relevant keywords like Shopify store on Instagram can reveal active sellers in your niche.

Additionally, Reddit, Quora, and niche forums are valuable sources for Shopify store recommendations:

• Reddit: Subreddits like r/Entrepreneur and r/Dropshipping often include Shopify store discussions
• Quora: Searching best Shopify stores can lead to curated lists shared by users
• Ecommerce forums: Many Shopify store owners discuss their businesses and share links for feedback

Here’s a Reddit forum conversation with questions about Shopify stores:

5. Examining source code and footers

If you suspect a website is built on Shopify but it doesn’t explicitly mention it, there are technical ways to confirm, such as:

Checking the footer for Shopify indicators

Some Shopify stores still display the “Powered by Shopify” message in the footer, while some don’t. 

To check:

• Scroll to the bottom of the website
• Look for a small text or link that mentions Shopify

If this is missing, use the method below to check the source code. 

Inspecting the source code for Shopify signs

You can confirm if a store runs on Shopify by checking its source code. Here’s how to go about it: 

• Right-click on the webpage and select View Page Source (or press Ctrl+U on Windows / Cmd+Option+U on Mac)
• Press Ctrl+F (Cmd+F on Mac) and search for:
  • cdn.shopify.com: This indicates Shopify-hosted assets
  • *.myshopify.com: This is used in some store URLs

Checking network requests for Shopify’s CDN

Another method for checking if an ecommerce store is built using Shopify is to inspect the network requests. Follow these steps: 

• Open Developer tools (F12 or Ctrl+Shift+I)
• Go to the Network tab and look for requests from cdn.shopify.com

These technical methods can help confirm whether a store uses Shopify, even if branding has been removed.

The image below shows the developer tool panel of Gymshark’s website. When you search for cdn.shopify, it confirms that Shopify powers the website:

Boosting your Shopify store with email marketing

Once you’ve learned how to search Shopify stores and analyze your competitors, the next step is to implement these insights to grow your business.

Amidst other ways of short-lived marketing like social media and TikTok, email marketing campaigns focus on building relationships. It maximizes sales by gaining trust, personalizing the communication, and creating email flow for sustainable ecommerce growth rather than just promotion.

When you have access to customer data and use the right platforms to build a seamless, automated email flow, you can:

• Personalize marketing: Analyzing customer data helps you identify what your customers like to purchase. Based on this, you can then send targeted product recommendations by using tools like Omnisend and special offers to increase sales. 
• Get high conversion rates: Remind customers about abandoned carts and past purchases via automated email follow-ups. This can encourage them to purchase from the store. 
• Improve customer retention: Sending personalized post-purchase emails, exclusive discounts, and even loyalty rewards can keep customers engaged and happy. This results in increased customer retention and loyalty.
• Make data-driven decisions: When you gain insights from customer interactions, you get a clear view of which marketing strategies result in low turnover and which ones drive sales. This will help you refine your marketing strategies and product offerings.
• Upgrade customer experience: Relevant and timely email engagement with your customers helps you build trust. This extends to a long-lasting relationship with them.
• Increase revenue: You can upsell and cross-sell relevant products through triggered email sequences. This increases your average order value and, in turn, your revenue, too.

If you’re looking for a tool to help you with all of the above, consider using Omnisend. It’s an intuitive, user-friendly email marketing automation tool for businesses of all sizes. It helps you convert visitors, retain customers, and drive repeat sales with powerful workflows, segmentation, and data-driven insights.

Built for ecommerce stores, Omnisend offers theme-based and pre-built templates, real-time analytics, and omnichannel marketing to help you reach your customers in every stage of the customer journey. 

Wrapping up

From using Google search operators and specialized directories to looking up on social media and analyzing source code, there are various ways to find Shopify stores.

Each method offers a unique approach to researching competitors, drawing inspiration, or analyzing market trends. Using these, you can gain valuable insights into the Shopify ecosystem and improve your ecommerce strategy. 

Remember, the goal goes beyond discovering Shopify stores. You must use the knowledge to improve your marketing, optimize your business, and stay ahead of the competition. 

Now that you’ve equipped yourself with these tools and strategies, it’s time to take action. Gather these ideas for your next big move, and let these methods serve as powerful assets in your entrepreneurial journey.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)