Design & Development
The nuts and bolts of an ecommerce site are design and development. We address design innovation and trends — including layouts, colors, photography, logos, video, and more. We explain the basics of code — HTML, CSS, JavaScript — as well as platforms, themes, plugins, open source, and related topics.
Code | Design & Dev Tools | Platforms & Apps | Schools & Resources | Typography & Fonts | User Experience-
Schools & Resources
Books on Tariffs and Trade Wars
May 6, 2025 • Jean Gazis
Ten books by academics, regulators, journalists, and executives unravel international trade and tariffs and their affect on businesses and consumers.
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Platforms & Apps
Get Your Products on ChatGPT Shopping
May 5, 2025 • Ann Smarty
ChatGPT recommends products directly in search results for prompts with clear purchase intent.
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Platforms & Apps
New Ecommerce Tools: May 1, 2025
May 1, 2025 • Sig Ueland
This week: ChatGPT (shopping), BigCommerce (B2B portal), PayPal (programmatic ads), eBay (Klarna partnership), WooCommerce (Affirm partnership), Caro Holdings (AI customer service), and more.
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Platforms & Apps
Multiple Stores, 1 Backend: Pros and Cons
April 28, 2025 • Anna Kayfitz
Combining storefronts into a single backend centralizes the data and streamlines oversight. But it comes with costs.
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Platforms & Apps
ChatGPT Shopping Is Coming
April 27, 2025 • Armando Roggio
ChatGPT's JavaScript now includes Shopify variable names, fueling speculation of an AI-powered shopping launch.
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Platforms & Apps
New Ecommerce Tools: April 24, 2025
April 24, 2025 • Sig Ueland
This week: new tools from Spur (testing), ShipBob (order fulfillment), Lili (financial tools), RedTrack (media buying), BlueSnap (payments), Captiv8 (influencers), Bringg (delivery), and more.
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Platforms & Apps
New Ecommerce Tools: April 17, 2025
April 17, 2025 • Sig Ueland
This week: tariff reduction tools, influencer marketing, installment payments, shipping, logistics platforms, and AI for customer service.
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Schools & Resources
Spring Books on B2B, Nvidia, Bill Gates, More
April 15, 2025 • Jean Gazis
These seven new and upcoming titles range from practical advice to lessons learned by brilliant business leaders.
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Platforms & Apps
The Real Test of Unified Commerce
April 10, 2025 • Armando Roggio
Combining multiple commerce systems for a unified view of customers and products seems compelling. Do the benefits justify the cost?
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Platforms & Apps
New Ecommerce Tools: April 10, 2025
April 10, 2025 • Sig Ueland
This week's installment covers new rollouts from Amazon, PayPal, Doola, Appriss Retail, DHL, Temu, Visa, Spire, Best Buy, Trustfull, Blackhawk Networks, and more.
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Platforms & Apps
How to Change a Domain Name in Shopify
April 6, 2025 • Armando Roggio
A change in products or focus could require a store to change its internet address.
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Platforms & Apps
New Ecommerce Tools: April 3, 2025
April 3, 2025 • Sig Ueland
This week's digest covers developments from Perplexity, Shopify, Amazon, Commercetools, UPS, Veho, Pipe17, Chord Commerce, and more.
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Platforms & Apps
New Ecommerce Tools: March 27, 2025
March 27, 2025 • Sig Ueland
This week's installment includes updates on automated ads, payments, AI-powered agents, personalization, cross-border shipping, and more.
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Platforms & Apps
New Ecommerce Tools: March 20, 2025
March 20, 2025 • Sig Ueland
This week: AI-powered agents, mobile app builders, buy-now-pay-later services, logistics, B2B payments, and email marketing.
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Platforms & Apps
New Ecommerce Tools: March 13, 2025
March 13, 2025 • Sig Ueland
This week's update includes tools for international expansion, Amazon selling, Shopify themes, customer support, payments, shipping, and B2B.
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Platforms & Apps
New Ecommerce Tools: March 6, 2025
March 6, 2025 • Sig Ueland
This week's installment includes updates on AI agents, financing, local delivery, audience targeting, popups, security, and China.
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Schools & Resources
Book Buyer Beware: The Rise of Counterfeits
March 3, 2025 • Jean Gazis
Digital publishing technology and artificial intelligence have made producing fake books easier than ever.
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Platforms & Apps
New Ecommerce Tools: February 27, 2025
February 27, 2025 • Sig Ueland
This week: Canada-based selling, buy-now pay-later, CRM platforms, logistics, shipping tools, long-term domain registration, and seller financing.
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Platforms & Apps
New Ecommerce Tools: February 20, 2025
February 20, 2025 • Sig Ueland
This week's rundown of new services for merchants includes updates on AI-powered agents, wholesale management, fraud prevention, marketplace ads, influencers, and social commerce.
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Code
Merchants’ Guide to Optimizing CSS
February 18, 2025 • Arjus Dashi
CSS controls website appearance. But it can become bloated and outdated, impacting page speed and more.
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Design & Dev Tools
Set Up a Shopify Theme Dev Environment in 2025
February 13, 2025 • Armando Roggio
Shopify merchants don't need coding skills to alter a theme. Yet some sellers require more, such as an entirely new theme, site, or app.
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Platforms & Apps
New Ecommerce Tools: February 13, 2025
February 13, 2025 • Sig Ueland
This week: Amazon offers, product displays, subscriptions, cross-border sales, Meta campaigns, fraud prevention, recommerce, headless commerce, and packaging.
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Platforms & Apps
New Ecommerce Tools: February 6, 2025
February 6, 2025 • Sig Ueland
This week's installment includes updates on AI agents, product pages, marketing models, POS tools, payment platforms, and conversational commerce.
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Schools & Resources
New Books on Strategy, Resilience, AI, More
February 4, 2025 • Jean Gazis
These new titles address today's business challenges — leadership, tactics, customers, data, change.
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Platforms & Apps
New Ecommerce Tools: January 30, 2025
January 30, 2025 • Sig Ueland
This week: updates on automated marketing, social commerce, product reviews, AI-powered shopping agents, value-added tax, drone deliveries, and more.
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Design & Dev Tools
New Web Design Tools, January 2025
January 28, 2025 • Sig Ueland
This month's installment includes new tools for video editing, AI content, app building, design enhancement, and free commercial fonts.
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Platforms & Apps
Plain-English Guide to Shopify Liquid
January 27, 2025 • Arjus Dashi
Merchants who understand Liquid can unlock new store customizations without needing a developer.
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Platforms & Apps
New Ecommerce Tools: January 23, 2025
January 23, 2025 • Sig Ueland
This week: genAI search, website builders, fulfillment, reverse logistics, mobile payments, click-to-cancel subscriptions, and more.
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Schools & Resources
10 Books for Better Communication
January 21, 2025 • Jean Gazis
What do owners, freelancers, managers, and employees have in common? They all communicate!
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Platforms & Apps
Squarespace’s Tools Aid Ecommerce Novices
January 19, 2025 • Armando Roggio
The platform's AI builder and snap-in-place grid are much easier than code-based modifiers and complicated editors.
Vibe Coding Is Ecommerce's New Excel
Ecommerce after De Minimis Tariff Exemption
Control AI Answers about Your Brand
More Fan-Out SEO Tactics
Fulfillment Compared: Amazon, Walmart, Shopify
GEO Tools for SMBs
SEO for AI, Low Traffic, No Clicks
Tariff Turmoil: How Ecommerce Brands Can Still Win