Shopping product catalogue - simple is a Hugo theme that turns product data into a categorized, static ecommerce catalogue website, built for store owners who want a fast, no-database alternative to platforms like Shopify.
What is Shopping product catalogue - simple?
Shopping product catalogue - simple is a Hugo theme that displays a categorized list of products on a static website. It takes product information stored in Hugo's content files and outputs a browsable catalogue with product detail pages. The theme is maintained by kishaningithub and is distributed as a public GitHub repository, and the exampleSite directory contains a fully configured Hugo site for reference.
What makes it stand out?
The theme focuses on simplicity and static-site speed, with a feature set tailored for small product catalogues:
- Product catalogue — Organize products into categories and display them in a browsable grid on a Hugo-generated site.
- Product variants — Define multiple variants per product, each with its own price and stock availability, using the theme's front matter structure.
- Shopify importer — Import product data directly from Shopify, saving manual data entry when migrating from the platform.
- Lazy loading images — Product images load on demand as the visitor scrolls, improving initial page load performance.
- Example site — The bundled exampleSite provides a working Hugo setup with configuration files to copy and adapt.
Note: the theme's roadmap shows social sharing icons as an unchecked feature, so it is not yet implemented.
Who should use it?
This theme suits developers and small store owners who want an ecommerce front end without a traditional backend:
- Small ecommerce store owners — Publish a product catalogue as a static site with no server-side database, while still offering price and stock details per variant.
- Hugo developers — Use it as a starting point for building a custom product showcase, with front matter and templates that are easy to modify.
- Shopify merchants — Migrate product listings to a static Hugo site using the built-in Shopify importer to bring over product data.
What can you do with it?
- Create a product showcase site — Define products in Hugo content files and get a categorized catalogue with dedicated product pages.
- Offer variant-level pricing — Set different prices and stock statuses for each product variant, then display them clearly in the UI.
- Migrate from Shopify — Use the importer to pull existing product data from your Shopify store into the Hugo content structure.
How does it work?
The theme is installed by cloning its GitHub repository into the themes directory of a Hugo site, then removing the repository's .git folder. After installation, the exampleSite's config.toml can be customized to set site settings, and products are authored as Hugo content files with front matter that captures variant prices and stock. The site is built with Hugo's static site generator, producing plain HTML that can be hosted anywhere.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Free and open source, hosted on GitHub.
- Lightweight static output with no database required.
- Includes a Shopify importer for easy migration.
Cons:
- Social sharing icons are still on the roadmap and not currently available.
- The theme does not include a shopping cart or checkout flow; it is a catalogue only.
FAQ
Is Shopping product catalogue - simple free?
Yes, the theme is free and open source. It is published as a public GitHub repository and can be cloned and used in any Hugo project without payment.
Does the theme support product variants?
Yes. Each product can have multiple variants, and for each variant you can specify a price and stock availability. This data is defined in the Hugo content file's front matter.
Can I import products from Shopify?
Yes. The theme includes an importer that can bring product data in from Shopify, which is useful if you are moving an existing store to a static Hugo site.
Are social sharing icons included?
No, social sharing icons are not implemented yet. The README's feature checklist marks this item as unfinished, so you would need to add your own social share links if required.
What do I need to run this theme?
You need Hugo installed on your machine. The README points to Hugo's official installation guide, and the exampleSite directory gives you a complete working site to start from.
