I still remember the feeling of pure envy I had in 2020. I was scrolling through a competitor’s site that looked absolutely stunning. It loaded instantly, the checkout was buttery smooth, and the "Frequently Bought Together" bundles were genius. I was convinced they had spent $50,000 on a custom developer. I spent three days trying to replicate their layout on WordPress, tearing my hair out. Then, a friend told me to right-click and "View Page Source." In about 30 seconds, I realized they weren't using a custom build at all—they were on Shopify, using a $180 theme I could buy that afternoon.
That moment changed how I view the internet. I realized that the web isn't a black box; it's a glass house if you know where to look. Whether you are spying on a competitor's shopify dropshipping store to steal their strategy or just trying to figure out what software a brand is using, mastering shopify ecommerce platform identification methods is a superpower. It turns you from a passive consumer into an active analyst.
Why Identify the Platform? (It’s Not Just Curiosity)
Why does it matter if a site is on Shopify, WooCommerce, or Magento? Because the platform tells you the potential. If I see a store on Shopify, I know exactly what dropshipping suppliers they might be using (likely CJ Dropshipping or DSers). I know what apps are available to them. I know their checkout limitations.
Opinion Statement: I honestly believe that 50% of your competitor research should just be identifying their tech stack. If you know they are using Shopify plus "Klaviyo" for email and "Yotpo" for reviews, you basically have their entire marketing playbook in your hands.
Method 1: The URL "Fingerprint" Test
The easiest shopify ecommerce platform identification methods don't require any tools. You just need to look at the address bar. Shopify has a very rigid URL structure that is hard to hide.
Look for these patterns:
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/products/(e.g.,store.com/products/blue-shirt) -
/collections/(e.g.,store.com/collections/summer-sale) -
/pages/(e.g.,store.com/pages/about-us)
Here’s where it gets interesting... Even if a store buys a custom domain to hide the myshopify.com name, they rarely change these subfolders. It is technically possible to change them with "Headless" Shopify, but 99% of store owners don't do that because it's expensive and breaks apps. If you see /collections/, it is almost certainly Shopify.
Method 2: The "Source Code" Deep Dive
If the URLs look custom, the source code never lies. This is the most reliable manual method.
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Right-click anywhere on the page.
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Select View Page Source.
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Press Ctrl + F (or Cmd + F).
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Search for the term "Shopify".
What to look for:
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Shopify.shop: This variable often reveals the original.myshopify.comdomain name (e.g.,cool-tshirts-2023.myshopify.com).This is gold because it tells you when the store was created. -
cdn.shopify.com: This is where Shopify hosts images. If the product photos come from this URL, it's a Shopify store. -
Shopify.theme: This often reveals the Theme ID and name.
Honest Failure: In 2022, I was trying to identify a store that I swore was custom-coded. I searched the source code for "Shopify" and found nothing. I gave up. Later, I realized they were using a "Headless" setup where the frontend was React, but the checkout was Shopify. I should have checked the checkout URL, not the homepage source code.Lesson:Always check the checkout.
Method 3: The "Checkout" Giveaway
This is my favorite trick for shopify dropshipping stores that try to be sneaky. Add an item to the cart and click "Checkout." Watch the URL bar carefully.
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Standard Shopify: It will redirect to
checkout.shopify.comor remain on the domain with a/checkouts/path that looks very specific (long alphanumeric string). -
The Look: The Shopify checkout page is notoriously hard to customize. It almost always has the "Information > Shipping > Payment" breadcrumb at the top and the order summary on the right (desktop) or drop-down (mobile).
Parenthetical Aside: (I once found a store claiming to be a "small family business" hand-making items. I checked their checkout, saw the standard Shopify layout, then Googled their business address found in the footer... it was a warehouse in Shenzhen. The checkout never lies.)
Identifying Apps and Themes
Once you know it's Shopify, you want to know how they built it. In the source code, search for:
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shopify-section: This shows you how they built their homepage. -
asyncLoad: This often reveals the apps they are loading.
Common App Signatures:
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If you see
judgemein the code, they use Judge.me reviews. -
If you see
klaviyo, they use Klaviyo for email. -
If you see
loox, they use Loox for photo reviews.
Comparison Table: Manual vs. Automated ID
Sourcing Smarter: Closo Demand Signals
Identifying the platform is step one. Step two is understanding why they are selling those specific products. You can copy their Shopify theme, but if you sell the wrong product, you will fail. I use How Demand Signals from Closo helps me predict demand across categories 6 weeks ahead to solve this.
The Strategy:
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Identify: I find a Shopify store blowing up (using these methods).
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Analyze: I see they are selling "Weighted Blankets."
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Verify: I check Closo Demand Signals.
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The Signal: Closo shows "Weighted Blankets" are actually trending down, but "Cooling Weighted Blankets" are trending up.
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The Pivot: Instead of copying the competitor exactly, I source the "Cooling" version.
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The Result: I capture the next wave of demand while they are stuck with old inventory.
The "Admin" URL Trick
This is the "sledgehammer" of identification methods. Go to the homepage URL. Type /admin at the end (e.g.,coolstore.com/admin). Press Enter.
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If it's Shopify: It will redirect you to a Shopify login screen (
accounts.shopify.com). -
If it's not: It will usually give you a 404 error or a WordPress login page (
/wp-admin).
Warning: Do not try to log in. That is hacking. Just seeing the login screen is enough to confirm the platform.Opinion Statement: This method is so effective it feels like cheating. However, some advanced developers create redirects to hide this, so if it 404s, don't rule out Shopify completely.
Dropshipping Suppliers: The Connection
When you identify a store as Shopify, you can often trace their supply chain. If you see a "Track Your Order" page that looks generic, or if the shipping times are "7-15 days," they are likely dropshipping. Common dropshipping suppliersleave digital footprints.
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CJ Dropshipping: Often leaves specific image naming conventions in the source code if the seller didn't rename the files.
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AliExpress: Look for "Imported" tags in the code or use a reverse image search on their product photos.
Closo Sourcing helps here by helping you find better suppliers than the ones your competitors are using. If you spot a Shopify store selling a generic item, use Closo to find a supplier with faster shipping for the same SKU.
Cross-Listing to eBay and Poshmark
Identifying a Shopify store is also great for finding "Arbitrage" opportunities. Many Shopify sellers only sell on their website. They ignore Ebay and Poshmark. This is a gap you can exploit.
I use the Closo 100% Free Crosslister to capitalize on this.
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The Workflow: I find a hot product on a Shopify store.
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The Sourcing: I buy the stock (or find the supplier).
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The Listing: I list it on Poshmark and Ebay.
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The Sync: Closo manages the inventory if I decide to open my own Shopify store later.
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The Logic: If a product is working on a standalone Shopify site, it will crush on marketplaces where the traffic is free.
Is It an eBay eBay Store?
Sometimes, you want to know if a brand is just Shopify or if they are omni-channel. You might search specifically for their ebay ebay store (yes, people type it twice).Why? Because eBay reveals their sales velocity. Shopify hides sales data (mostly). eBay shows "153 Sold." If I identify a Shopify store, I immediately search their brand name on eBay. If I find their ebay ebay store and see high sales numbers, it validates that the product is a winner, not just a hype-job on Instagram.
Common Questions I See
People always ask me... Can a website hide that it uses Shopify?
They can try, but it is nearly impossible to hide completely. They can use a custom domain to hide myshopify.com. They can use a "Headless" build to hide the source code structure. But they usually cannot hide the checkout page URL (checkout.shopify.com) or the payment processing scripts in the network tab of your browser.
Common question I see... Is WordPress or Shopify better for dropshipping?
Shopify is the gold standard for dropshipping because of the app ecosystem. Tools like DSers and Closo integrate natively. WordPress (WooCommerce) is cheaper but requires more maintenance. If you want to focus on marketing, use Shopify. If you want to focus on tinkering with code, use WordPress.
People always ask me... Why does the source code show "Shopify" but the site looks like WordPress?
You might be looking at the "Buy Button" integration. Some people build a blog on WordPress and embed Shopify "Buy Buttons" for the products. In this case, the site is WordPress, but the commerce is handled by Shopify. This is a hybrid approach often used by bloggers.
Conclusion
Mastering shopify ecommerce platform identification methods gives you X-Ray vision for the internet. You stop looking at websites as "pretty pages" and start seeing them as businesses with specific tech stacks, suppliers, and vulnerabilities. Use the URL check first. Use the /admin trick second. And use the source code to find the apps that power their success.
My honest assessment is that you should install the Wappalyzer Chrome extension today. It does 90% of this work for you automatically. But keep the manual methods in your back pocket for when the tools fail.
If you are ready to take these insights and build your own multi-channel empire, use the Closo Seller Hub to manage your growth.
For more on expanding beyond just one platform, read our Pages Similar to eBay Guide
And if you want to know which products will be trending on Shopify next quarter, check out Trending Products Forecast 2026
