Spent the last few weeks building a complete ecommerce application end-to-end frontend, backend, auth, cart, orders, payment flow, admin panel. Wanted to share what I ran into, in case it's useful for anyone building something similar.

**Stack:** \[Next.js\] + \[Node\] + \[Postgres\] + \[Razorpay\]

**5 things I learned:**

**1. Cart logic is where the bugs live.**

Guest cart → logged-in cart merge, quantity edge cases, stock sync. Looks simple. Isn't.

**2. Payment webhooks fail silently.**

Razorpay webhooks drop without warning. If you don't log and retry them, orders vanish and you hear about it from an angry customer, not your dashboard.

**3. The admin panel takes as long as the storefront.**

Everyone underestimates this. Founders especially.

**4. Mobile-first isn't optional for Indian ecommerce.**

70%+ of traffic is mobile. Desktop-first designs die here.

**5. Image optimization matters more than you'd think.**

A 2MB product image on 4G kills conversions. Compress, lazy-load, serve WebP.

**What I'd do differently next time:**

* Build the admin panel first, not the storefront

* Define the order state machine before anything else

* Set up logging on day one

**One honest note:**

I built an ecommerce app before this one. Functionally it worked but the UI was average. It did the job, it just didn't *look* like something you'd want to show a customer.

So this time I rebuilt the frontend from scratch and treated design as a first-class part of the build, not an afterthought. Same backend discipline, but a UI I'd actually put in front of users. The difference is night and day, and it taught me more than the first build did.

The infrastructure side of ecommerce auth, cart, orders, payments is basically the same 20% of code in every project. The real bottleneck isn't the build. It's the product, marketing, and ops decisions around it.

Happy to answer questions if anyone's building in this space or stuck on the same parts. Been through most of the common walls.

App got suspended under 1.2.1, off-platform billing (we were using Stripe/PayPal instead of Shopify's billing). Pretty sure this isn't our first suspension on the same issue either.

Found the root cause on our end. We were gating Stripe/PayPal for people who install through Shopify, but anyone who signs up on our own website directly (not through the Shopify install flow) could still reach the regular Stripe/PayPal checkout before ever connecting Shopify. That's almost certainly what the reviewer hit.

Trying to figure out what actually gets this approved, not just patched:

• Did Shopify Managed Pricing or the Billing API work for you, and which one did reviewers actually accept without more back and forth?
• Anything specific reviewers check for on a resubmission after repeat failures on the same requirement, that isn't obvious from the docs?

Want to get this right the next attempt instead of guessing again. Any pointers appreciated.

What's the app?

Hey everyone! I'm the developer of StockUnison, a Shopify app I recently launched to help merchants keep inventory synchronized across multiple stores or between products sharing the same SKU within a single store.

Where can I find it?

https://apps.shopify.com/stockunison

What problem are you solving?

If you sell the same inventory through multiple Shopify stores, keeping stock quantities accurate can be a headache.

A product sells in one store, but the other store still shows the old quantity. This can lead to overselling, cancellations, and manual inventory corrections.

The same problem can happen within a single store when multiple product listings share the same physical inventory.

How does the app work?

StockUnison automatically synchronizes stock quantities based on matching SKUs.

• Sync inventory between multiple Shopify stores.
• Keep products with the same SKU synchronized within one store.
• Choose between a main store controlling inventory or shared inventory across matching SKUs.
• Preview stock differences before enabling live synchronization.
• Track inventory changes through detailed sync logs.
• Flag unclear SKU matches instead of guessing.

It only updates inventory quantities — it doesn't create or delete products.

Who's your target merchant?

Shopify merchants managing multiple stores that share physical inventory, or stores with several product listings representing the same stock.

How is it different / better than other existing solutions?

I wanted to build something focused specifically on inventory synchronization without requiring merchants to manage a complicated product or order synchronization system.

The main priorities are straightforward setup, transparent SKU matching, previewing changes before going live, and no product limits.

How much does it cost?

• Free — unlimited SKU matching and preview mode.
• Starter — $19/month.
• Growth — $39/month.
• Scale — $79/month.

Paid plans include a 14-day free trial.

What are you looking for?

I'm still early in the journey and looking for Shopify merchants who could benefit from this kind of synchronization.

I'd be happy to personally help with setup and hear honest feedback about what works, what's confusing, or what's missing.

I'm also open to connecting with Shopify agencies working with multi-store merchants.

One question for store owners: If you're running multiple Shopify stores, how are you currently handling inventory synchronization? Are you using an app, custom integration, or doing it manually?

Since a couple weeks I have been researching the app store to hunt for categories which are underserved and narrow down an app idea.

The more I research the more I find out that almost all categories are saturated.

Before you start writing code, how do you come to the conclusion that an idea of an app is worth building?

Hi guys,

I built Tilltrace, a Shopify app that tracks real load/response times on a store's Product and Cart pages using actual live traffic — not synthetic Lighthouse/PageSpeed runs. Breaks it down by device, and shows a confidence level tied to how much real traffic has actually come through, instead of presenting a thin sample as a solid number.

Like a lot of people here, the building part was the easier half. I'd genuinely appreciate feedback on:

- the app itself — anything confusing, broken, or missing that you'd expect from a performance tool

- the listing — does the value prop land, or does it read unclear/overhyped

- anything from a dev perspective I should be doing differently (onboarding, permissions requested, how it surfaces data, etc.)

It's free and in open beta.

Here is the link: https://apps.shopify.com/tilltrace

Disclosure: I'm on the SellingPilot team.

What's the app?

SellingPilot is a multi-channel listing app for Shopify sellers, with AI tools for listing optimization, review analysis, competitor comparison, and product research. This post focuses on our newest feature, AI image sets: upload one product photo, choose the image types and quantities, and get a complete set of listing images back.

Where can I find it?

• Shopify App Store: https://apps.shopify.com/sellingpilot
• Website: https://www.sellingpilot.com

What problem are you solving?

Before building this, we talked to a number of multi-channel sellers. The same complaint came up every time: stock is in the warehouse, but the listing can't go live because the images aren't ready. Photographer schedules, designer revisions, and re-exporting every image in each platform's sizes add up fast. Even a small 20-SKU launch can turn into dozens or hundreds of images.

How does the app work?

1. Upload one product photo.
2. The AI analyzes the product and pre-fills its visual features and selling points. You can edit these.
3. Choose image types and how many of each:
   • White background (main image / compliant images)
   • Feature images (e.g. "waterproof" or "long battery life" shown visually)
   • Lifestyle / scene images
   • Detail close-ups (materials, ports, finish)
   • Close-ups on white
4. Pick an aspect ratio (1:1, 3:4, 4:3, 9:16, 16:9, 2:3, 3:2, 21:9) and resolution (1K / 2K).
5. Images arrive one by one. Download them as JPG, PNG, or WebP, individually or in bulk.

You can rerun a set you liked with the same settings, which is handy for variants in the same product line. Your team shares one generation history. The interface is available in English and Chinese.

Who's your target merchant?

Shopify sellers who also sell on other marketplaces, launch new SKUs often, and don't have an in-house photographer or designer. In our early testing this included sellers in categories like electronics accessories and home goods.

How is it different / better than other existing solutions?

• It doesn't redesign your product. Only the background, lighting, and composition can change, not the product itself. An AI image of the wrong product just gets you "not as described" returns.
• The whole set looks consistent. Every image in a set shares one color palette and style. You can use our templates, or upload a reference image you like and reuse its layout.
• You only pay for images you actually get. If one image fails, the rest are still delivered and the failed one doesn't count against your quota.
• AI disclosure is built in. AI-generated metadata is added to every file automatically, since more platforms now ask for it.
• It's part of your listing workflow, not a separate design tool.

How much does it cost?

AI images are included in every SellingPilot plan, alongside the other AI tools:

• Free: $0/month, 10 images/month
• $99/month: 100 images/month
• $499/month: 1,000 images/month

Annual billing is also available. The free plan is enough to generate a couple of full sets and check the quality on your own products.

What are you looking for?

Merchants who want to try it and give honest feedback, especially on which image types work for your category and where it falls short. Based on early feedback, we're working on single-image editing with text instructions, batch generation for whole product lines, and pushing images straight into channel listings.

I'll be around in the comments to answer questions.

🛠️ Hey everyone! I'm a Senior Full-Stack Developer with 7+ years of experience, and I'm opening up some availability to help Shopify merchants, agencies, and business owners with their stores and custom development needs.

What I can help with:

→ Shopify theme development: Custom sections, theme modifications, bug fixes, and performance improvements

→ Custom Shopify integrations: Connecting third-party services, APIs, and automating workflows

→ Shopify app development: Building private/custom apps and public Shopify applications

→ Troubleshooting & optimization: Fixing technical issues, improving performance, and cleaning up existing code

→ Ongoing development support: Helping stores and agencies that need a reliable developer without hiring full-time

A bit about my experience:
→ 7+ years of professional full-stack development experience with React, Next.js, TypeScript, Ruby on Rails, Java, and AWS

→ Built and launched Metra Price Automation, a Shopify app focused on pricing automation and B2B wholesale pricing

→ Worked with Shopify merchants on theme development and app integrations

→ Experience building and maintaining production applications, APIs, and cloud infrastructure for enterprise clients

Who I'd love to work with:
Shopify merchants who need technical help, growing stores looking for custom functionality, or agencies that need an experienced developer for overflow projects.

Interested? Feel free to DM me with what you're working on! Happy to chat about your project, whether it's a small fix or something more involved.

🔗 Website: https://eryntech.com

👋 Based in Vancouver, Canada | Available for remote freelance and contract projects

I’m building an original Shopify theme (work in progress) and used a synthetic product in an unpublished development store to test a sparse variant matrix: Matte / Small ($55), Gloss / Small ($55), Gloss / Large ($65), with no Matte / Large option. The missing combination stayed unavailable, disabled purchase, and didn’t show a false $0 price; switching to Gloss restored the valid $65 option. I added that exact variant to the cart, verified the line and subtotal, then removed the test line.

This was dev-store QA, not client work. For option-heavy product flows, what edge case do you insist on testing—or what are you building around options right now? Text fields, add-on pricing, swatches, or something else?

Hi! I'm Ian, a Shopify and full-stack developer with 6+ years of experience. I build the things your off-the-shelf Shopify apps can't quite do.

What I can help with:
- Custom Shopify apps and theme app extensions
- Figma to Shopify theme builds
- Product customizers, cart and checkout customizations
- Integrations with inventory, ERP, 3PL, and other systems
- Automations and AI workflows for e-commerce ops
- Backend services and internal tools (Node.js, NestJS, Next.js, PostgreSQL)

How I work:
- Quick call to understand the problem, then a fixed price so you're not stuck with an open-ended hourly bill
- Async-friendly with regular updates
- Clean handover and documentation, so your team isn't dependent on me after launch

Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect certified.

Rate: From USD 45/hr, or fixed price per project

Contact: DM me here

**What's the app?**

I'm Tariq, the developer of OrderSpec (I build Shopify apps at Web-Pex). It's for shops that sell personalised and made-to-order products: engraving, embroidery, name gifts, signs and stationery.

**Where can I find it?**

Shopify App Store: https://apps.shopify.com/orderspec?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=social

Website: https://orderspec.web-pex.com

**What problem are you solving?**

Personalisation lives inside each order, so makers click into orders one by one to see what the customer typed. Mistakes like a misspelled name, a blank field, or text that won't fit only show up after the item is made, and then you make it twice.

**How does the app work?**

1. It reads the personalisation from every open order, whichever product options app collected it (tested with Globo, Easify, Zakeke, Infinite Options and Zepto Product Personalizer, plus plain theme forms), and shows every order on one screen.

2. You set simple rules per product: max length, required, or one of your allowed options. It suggests the rules from your past orders.

3. An AI check flags what rules can't catch, like a likely typo ("Sohpie" for "Sophie") or two names in one field.

4. On Pro, you can send the customer a link to confirm their details on your store before you make the item.

5. Production stages, printable run sheets and packing slips.

It only reads orders. It never edits, cancels or fulfils them.

**Who's your target merchant?**

Small and mid-size shops that make personalised items to order: engravers, embroiderers, custom gift, sign and print shops.

**How is it different / better than existing solutions?**

Options apps collect the personalisation but don't check it. Proof-approval apps add a manual approval step to every order. OrderSpec checks every order automatically and only asks for a closer look when something seems off. It works alongside the options app you already use, so nothing on your product pages changes.

**How much does it cost?**

- Free: unlimited rule checks, 30 AI checks a month, production stages and run sheets.

- Pro: $19/month (14-day trial): 500 AI checks, customer confirmation links, analytics, Telegram alerts, run sheets grouped by any field, ship-by urgency.

**What are you looking for?**

Merchants who make personalised items and will give honest feedback: what goes wrong most often in your custom orders, and what would you want it to catch?

The share of active apps getting pulled jumped to about 6%, up from roughly 2.3% the quarter before - so removals basically doubled. Yet over the same stretch the survival rate actually rose, to around 77%. Those two felt like they shouldn’t be able to move in opposite directions.

Turns out it’s a denominator effect: so many new apps flooded in that the share surviving looks healthier, even while the rate of apps actively being pulled doubled. Read together, they say the opposite of the headline - staying on the store is getting harder.

And it isn’t just weak apps bailing. The median age at which developers abandon an app dropped from 716 days to 567, and some of the ones leaving were established, well-reviewed apps. That reads less like normal churn and more like the cost of keeping an app alive - updates, support, API changes - outrunning what it pays back, even near the top.

The part I keep chewing on is that each of those exits is a category where a trusted leader just vacated the top and merchants are suddenly looking for a replacement.

For those further along, is the upkeep getting heavy enough that you’ve thought about shutting down something that still works?

Hi guys,

I just launched my first Shopify app called Silva Material Inventory.

It's a material inventory system for Shopify merchants who make their own products, helping them track raw materials, what goes into each product, and how much they can make.

As a software engineer, building was the easy part. Now I'm trying to figure out the marketing side. Looking through this subreddit, it seems a lot of us are in the same boat.

I'd really appreciate some honest feedback on the app or its listing. What do you think?

Here is the link https://apps.shopify.com/material-tracking

Hi,

Have been working on this, please DM me for testing the software.

I am using it internally, but wanting to offer this to other Shopify app developers.

appdeck.xyz

Hi everyone,

I manage multiple Shopify stores for merchants and help them choose and set up apps that suit their businesses. I’m interested in connecting with app developers who offer referral commissions or recurring revenue share for introducing paying customers.

When an app genuinely meets a merchant’s needs and budget, I can recommend it and help with onboarding. Paid subscriptions would always require the merchant’s approval, and I would disclose my referral relationship to them.

I’m looking to build ongoing partnerships based on actual usage and value. Reviews or ratings would be part of the arrangement, and I can guarantee installs or subscriptions.

If you’re open to working together, please share what your app does, its pricing, and your partnership terms, where subreddit rules allow.

Hi all, I'm a young developer from Denmark and I just got my first app approved on the Shopify App Store. It's called TillPrice and lets merchants set a separate in-store amount per variant for POS. Disclosure: it's my own app, link at the bottom.

How it works technically: the amount is stored in a variant metafield. The POS UI extension reads it when an item is added to the cart and applies the difference to the online price as a fixed amount line discount. If the POS amount is not lower than the online one, no discount is applied.

What I found while testing:

- A manual discount from staff removes the TillPrice amount and uses the staff discount instead.

- Automatic discounts on POS Pro override it.

- Draft orders in the admin don't use it.

- Refunds handle amount, tax and restock correctly, and reports show the amount as a discount.

The review took a while and I'm happy to share what I ran into if it helps anyone going through it. I'd also like to hear how others handle merchants who expect a POS amount higher than online, since a discount line can't do that.

App Store: https://apps.shopify.com/tillprice

Hi

I'm a recent college grad, and since graduation I have been working on automating customer support (you can also make it so it does not auto send and you approve the drafts it makes) for ecom businesses.

Essentially it is an AI-powered customer support platform that brings your emails, Instagram DMs, SMS and live chat into one inbox. It uses your website's information and Shopify data to draft responses to customer questions, so you don't have to answer the same things over and over.

I would love some honest feedback so please reply below or send me a DM (giving out completely free)

It’s 20% per successful referral for the next 24 months 💰🤯

built a web app called warrantini— it’s the whole warranty & claims process in one platform. Built for DTC brands and manufacturers

Just type your name and email here: https://warrantini.com/affiliate

to get your own referral link 🔗

Our company is looking for a Shopify Developer who can create an app for our clothing brand that caters to the requirements below:

• The app should be able to have an embroidery feature (text and images)
• The app should have a good UI where it can be done step by step or grouped accordingly
• Has a live preview of that embroidery on a 3D image
• Details for the embroidery feature should be placed in the packing slip
• When an item is added to cart it can be edited directly in the cart.

Let me know if you'll be able to do this and more. Send me a message for your rate.