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Updating eShopping

Standard update

BigCommerce will show an Update available badge on your theme card in Storefront → My Themes when a new version is released.

Click Update available. BigCommerce backs up your current configuration, installs the new version, and migrates your settings.

If you have a customized (edited theme files) copy, you cannot directly update — see below.

Updating a customized theme

If you (or a developer) edited the theme files via Stencil CLI, the Update available badge won't appear on your custom copy. Instead:

  1. Click Update on the original (un-customized) eShopping theme card to get the new version.
  2. Make a copy of the new version (don't touch the original).
  3. Re-apply your customizations to that new copy. If your edits are isolated in your own SCSS or template overrides, you can usually just re-paste them.
  4. Re-confirm your chosen variation (Industrial, AutoParts, Packaging, or Electronics) and check that its colors, fonts, and copy are applied as expected — the active variation is part of your theme configuration.
  5. Preview the new copy carefully — test home, PDP, category, cart.
  6. Apply the new copy as the live theme.

Reverting to an earlier version

If something breaks after an update:

  1. Storefront → My Themes → eShopping → ⋯ → Revisions.
  2. Pick the revision from before the update.
  3. Click Restore.

The previous configuration comes back instantly. You can repeat this any time.

For more on theme revisions, see BigCommerce's help article on Stencil themes.

What changes between versions

We follow semantic versioning (major.minor.patch):

  • Patch — bug fixes, no setting changes. Always safe to update.
  • Minor — new features, new settings (with sensible defaults). Safe to update; review the new settings.
  • Major — breaking changes or design overhauls. Read the Release Notes before updating. If you have a staging or preview storefront available, it's a good idea to test there first.

Don't lose your custom widget content

Widget content created in BigCommerce Page Builder lives outside the theme files, so it survives every update untouched. If you use widgets from a third-party widget app, confirm with that app's vendor that they remain compatible after a major theme update. Any known issues will be noted in the Release Notes.

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