There’s been a lot of noise lately about AI making work more efficient.

OpenClaw is doing people’s work in their sleep.

But most of the brands I talk to aren’t asking for more AI tools in their Shopify store. They’re looking for ways to make more money with less headaches.

They want to build stores that look great and are easy to use.

“Isn’t Shopify easy to use?”

Sure. But eventually brands hit a point where adding more functionality to their store is not easy. It requires apps, or developers. Or growing headcount.

This week’s issue covers two huge launches from Doting Beauty and The Absorption Company. One focused on confidence and control behind the scenes. The other on building demand long before launch day.

Let’s jump in.

BIG STORY THIS WEEK

How The Absorption Company stays agile with their Shopify store

(And no, it’s not AI)

There’s been no shortage of posts lately about how AI is making teams faster, leaner, and more agile.

If you’ve read Shopify Editions, you’re familiar with all of Shopify’s latest AI features. Agentic AI. A new and improved Sidekick. And dozens more.

And while yes, one day, all of these things might start supercharging ecom teams, most Shopify brands we talk to aren’t stuck because they lack AI.

They’re stuck because their store is harder to manage that it needs to be.

Even small changes like adding upsells to a product page can be a huge pain, usually requiring teams to install apps or hire a developer.

Over time, operators get frustrated. Not because teams run out of ideas, but because editing or adding to the store feels risky, expensive, or overly complicated.

That became pretty clear when we first met with The Absorption Company.

They were in the process of launching their new supplement line and needed a new store.

They wanted a more mature design, but more importantly, they wanted a store they could actually run day to day.

So here’s what we did:

#1 Core features live in the theme, not in apps

Things like cross-sells, upsells, bundle and kit builders. They are all built into the theme.

In a lot of stores, these end up bolted on later and treated as “custom”. Which usually means apps and extra cost.

For Absorption, these were built directly into the store from day one. Including the Sleep Stack upsell on the PDP.

So using an upsell doesn’t feel like a monthly cost.

It’s just… there… in the store, when they need it.

#2 Editing the store is quick and easy with templates

Most teams can technically edit their store.

But it often takes a lot longer than it should. Or, it means hiring someone to help.

Instead of handing over a store that look great, but is impossible to edit, we gave the Absorption team a set of pre-built sections in the theme editor that match the brand.

If they want to add a shoppable UGC section, they just select it from the templates. Hit publish. Done.

#3 Changes happen in one place

When we chat with brands, it’s clear that the real time suck is having to do repetitive work.

Setting up cross-sells and upsells, updating product callouts like “best for sleep”, or even things like changing colors of product pages.

By using metafields, Absorption’s team can map content once instead of edit it page by page.

It seems like a small detail, but it’s a massive unlock.

When teams aren’t afraid to touch their own store, they make more improvements and more money.

But don’t just take my word for it.

Here’s a message from Nate Medow (Co-Founder of The Absorption Company):

Yup, a FERRARI. 😆

We’ll take it.

LAUNCH OF THE WEEK

Doting Beauty's genius launch strategy

Doting Beauty officially launched their new store last week, built by our team at Platter.

If you’ve been anywhere near social lately, you’ve probably seen it. The creator-led launch strategy is getting a ton of love.

The brand was founded by Brooke Monk and Devain Doolaramani.

What’s been really interesting to watch everyone's reaction on LinkedIn.

Brooke's been building Doting quietly in the background for the last couple of years. Her content consistently revolved around her lashes.

When she started teasing a brand launch, people were already guessing it would be something to do with lashes. By launch day, the marketing was basically done.

Now that the store is finally live, the hype is real. We’ve been watching the traffic come through and… yeah. It’s been wild!

Doting Beauty is a great example of what happens when creators listen first and build second.

We’re pumped to have been a part of this one.

P.S. Brooke posted about the launch this morning and it’s too good not to share. 💛

SHOPIFY NEWS

dot dev is getting bigger

Shopify just announced that dot dev is expanding to two full days this year.

It’s happening July 21–22 in Toronto.

If you’re a builder, developer, or anyone interested in where Shopify is heading next, this one’s worth bookmarking.

Details here

OTHER INTERESTING NEWS THIS WEEK

A few things that caught our eye:

• Alphabet beats on revenue and signals heavier AI spending

• The most effective Super Bowl commercials, ranked by viewers

• Walmart joins the trillion-dollar valuation club

That’s it for this week.

You know the drill. If you’re curious about building a new store or optimizing the one you have, shoot me a DM. Or book a call with the team.

See you next week.