Sections-everywhere, JSON templates, app blocks, and metafields in the editor. The five changes from Online Store 2.0 that every modern Shopify theme must implement.
Online Store 2.0 was Shopify's 2021 theme-platform overhaul. Five changes that matter: one, sections work on every page type (previously only homepage). Two, JSON templates replace monolithic Liquid for page composition. Three, app blocks let apps drop into themes without modifying theme code. Four, metafield definitions + dynamic sources surface custom data in the editor without a third-party app. Five, theme editor gained preview-before-publish and better section reordering. Every new Shopify store since mid-2021 is on OS 2.0 by default; stores still on Vintage themes lose access to every feature Shopify has shipped since. The upgrade is scoped; the alternative is falling further behind each release cycle.
Product, collection, article, page, cart — every template now supports sections. Merchants can reorder, add, or remove sections from the theme editor without developer help. For brands this means more layout flexibility without custom dev time; for developers it means shipping fewer hard-coded page structures and more reusable sections.
Templates under /templates/ are now JSON files listing which sections render in what order. product.json defines the default product page; a merchant can create product.launch.json with different sections for a launch product. Assign it to specific products via the admin. No Liquid editing required for these variants.
A reviews app, a cart-upsell app, or a subscription app can ship sections and blocks themes adopt without any theme-code changes. Install the app, drag the block onto the page in the editor, publish. Uninstalling removes the block cleanly. This eliminates the biggest source of theme-update conflicts in the Vintage era.
Merchants define metafield structure in Settings (text, number, URL, color, reference to another resource), fill values per product in the admin, and bind theme-editor text blocks to those metafields via dynamic sources. A product-page section showing material, dimensions, and a how-to-video URL can now be built without Liquid or a third-party metafield app.
The theme editor added proper draft-vs-published distinction, section-level preview on mobile and desktop viewports, and better inline search for sections. Small workflow changes that add up to meaningful productivity. Merchants who were scared of the theme editor in Vintage days often use it comfortably after OS 2.0.
Running on a Vintage theme in 2026 is not a blocking problem, but it is a steady accumulation of lost leverage. Every Shopify release since 2022 — Markets, Functions, Checkout Extensibility, new B2B features — either assumes OS 2.0 or works noticeably better on it. App developers increasingly ship OS-2.0-only integrations. Theme Store themes are all OS 2.0. The three upgrade paths: adopt a new OS 2.0 theme from the Theme Store and rebuild customizations, contract a theme developer to upgrade the existing architecture (usually more expensive than rebuild), or buy a paid OS 2.0 theme (Impulse, Prestige, Maker) which ship richer features than free themes.
Online Store 2.0 was Shopify's 2021 overhaul of its theme architecture. Before it, only the homepage supported drag-and-drop sections; product, collection, and other pages were monolithic Liquid templates merchants could not edit without code. After it, sections work on every page type through JSON templates, merchants can reorder and add sections anywhere, app developers can ship app blocks that drop into themes without custom code, and metafields surface natively in the theme editor. The launch was the largest theme-platform change since Shopify started in 2006 and is a hard prerequisite for working with any Shopify Plus feature introduced since.
Every new Shopify store launched since mid-2021 runs on OS 2.0 themes by default. Older stores still on Vintage themes (pre-2021) technically work but lose access to sections-everywhere, app blocks, metafield editing, native B2B company-account support, and several Checkout Extensibility integrations. Every theme in the Shopify Theme Store is OS 2.0 since 2022. Brands on Vintage themes should migrate; the upgrade is scoped, the alternative is being left behind on feature after feature.
App blocks are sections or blocks Shopify apps ship that drop into any OS 2.0 theme without merchants or developers modifying theme code. A reviews app ships a product-reviews block; merchants drag it onto the product page from the theme editor; the app renders inside the theme automatically. Before app blocks, apps modified theme files directly (breaking theme updates, causing upgrade conflicts, leaving orphan code when uninstalled). App blocks are the cleaner alternative: the app renders through a standardized interface the theme exposes. Shipping an app in 2026 without app-block support is a distribution handicap.
Metafields store custom data on Shopify resources (product, collection, customer, order, shop) outside the standard schema. Before OS 2.0, metafields existed but required external apps to create, edit, and display. OS 2.0 added native metafield definitions in the admin (custom fields visible on the product form) and dynamic-sources binding in the theme editor (bind a text block to product.metafields.specs.material). The combination replaces most of what WordPress's ACF plugin provides on WooCommerce. Use metafields for custom product specs, brand stories, product-specific video URLs, nutritional data, anything that does not fit Shopify's default fields.
Yes, unless the current theme is being retired in the next 6 months for a full redesign anyway. OS 2.0 upgrade paths: one, pick a new OS 2.0 theme from the Theme Store and rebuild customizations (cleanest, recommended for most Vintage themes). Two, contract a theme developer to upgrade the existing theme's architecture (possible but frequently more expensive than rebuild). Three, pick a paid OS 2.0 theme (Impulse, Prestige, Maker) which ships with richer features than free themes. Upgrade scope runs 4 to 10 weeks depending on customization count; the reward is full access to Shopify's 2022+ feature releases.