We've been running Staying Ahead with AI for a while now, and at this point it feels like a tight knit community of over a million of us AI enthusiasts.

Amongst all the festive madness, I was thinking:
What more can I do to make everyone INVOLVED?

Courses and cohorts is one thing, but sometimes it's just about building that connection.

And I thought we could do something a bit more fun…

Maybe.. A merch store? (Don’t worry, I’m not actually selling merch)

Okay good. Let's figure this out.

Here’s the todo list I ended up creating and dropping halfway:

NAHHHH scratch that. Too much effort.

Moving on, let's look at what happened this week:

1. Gumloop: No-code AI automation that works

Drag-and-drop platform for building AI workflows without code. Raised $17M Series A and aims to be a "10-person, billion-dollar company." Integrates with 100+ apps, lets you build automations for sales, marketing, support, and operations. Think Zapier meets AI,

2. Quartr: AI chat for finance built on verified IR material only

Finance research platform that launched AI chat exclusively trained on first-party investor relations material like earnings calls, filings, and presentations. Every answer links directly to source documents for verification. Ask "Are Spotify's customers behaving differently?" or "List every instance HelloFresh missed guidance" and get instant answers from official IR material.

3. Claude for Excel: AI directly in your spreadsheets.

Anthropic launched Claude as an Excel add-in that sits in a sidebar, letting it read, analyze, modify, and create workbooks while explaining every change it makes. Includes connectors to real-time financial data (LSEG, Moody's, Aiera, Chronograph) and 6 pre-built "Agent Skills" for building DCF models, initiating coverage reports, and due diligence data packs. Claude Opus 4 passed 5 out of 7 levels of the Financial Modeling World Cup. Available for Max, Enterprise, and Teams users and currently in beta.

So I was scrolling through my feed, and Anton, the founder of Lovable shows up out of nowhere talking about Shopify.

Waitttt a second.

Lovable announced a Shopify integration!

You can now setup your Shopify store in minutes.

I HAD to give this a go.

Halloween is right around the corner (happy halloween btw!).

I thought, let's quickly get it up and running?

The Challenge: Build a working e-commerce store with products, checkout, and branding. During Halloween prep. Without touching Shopify's admin panel.

The Tool: Lovable's Shopify integration.

The Timeline: 20 minutes from prompt to functioning store.

I was genuinely skeptical this would work. Here's exactly what I did.

Step 1: open Lovable, write a detailed prompt.

I wrote this:

"Create a Staying Ahead merch store selling black tees and Halloween-themed apparel. Use dark backgrounds with clean sans-serif fonts. Reference the Staying Ahead with AI website design for brand consistency. Include homepage, product pages, cart, and checkout.”

The more specific your prompt, the better your output. You know the drill.

Step 2: let Lovable connect to Shopify

Lovable asked for my permission to integrate with Shopify. I clicked yes. It created a Shopify store automatically! I never touched Shopify's website or filled out business forms.

The integration handled everything. Class 🤌🏻

Step 3: generating the layout

I uploaded a screenshot of the Staying Ahead homepage as visual reference.

Lovable generated a basic store structure: navigation, hero section, product grid layout. Clean, dark theme, matching our brand. (or, well - similar).

No products yet. Just the skeleton.

This step took 3 minutes.

Step 4: adding products with ai-generated images

Now the fun part.

I prompted: "Add two products: Classic Staying Ahead Black Tee ($25, sizes S-XXL) and Halloween Special AI Ghost Tee ($30, limited edition). Generate product images that match the brand aesthetic."

Lovable:

I didn't upload a single photo or write a single product description manually.

Step 5: testing the user journey

I clicked through the entire flow:

Everything worked. On desktop and mobile.

The entire store was functional in 20 minutes.

Step 5: actually figure out the inventory.

beyond the scope of this newsletter, so i’ll leave it at that.

Step 6: the final step (im yet to do this).

To make the store live and accept real payments, I need to "claim" it, which activates Shopify's billing and merchant features.

I'm holding off for now. Should I actually launch this? You tell me.

Tip 1: frame your prompt like a creative brief (yes, again).

Include: brand name + target customer, product range with specifics, visual style references, and functional requirements.

Example: "Modern fitness apparel store for Gen Z. Sell activewear sets ($45-$80). Use bold colors, athletic photography style. Homepage with featured collections, individual product pages, size guides, and express checkout."

Tip 2: use reference files early.

Upload your brand guidelines or existing site screenshots before generating layouts. I uploaded the Staying Ahead with AI homepage screenshot first, and the AI maintained visual consistency without me micromanaging every design decision. Without references, you'll get generic Shopify template vibes.

Tip 3: review and iterate.

Check that product details match your actual inventory, pricing works for your region, mobile looks good, and checkout handles edge cases like discount codes and international shipping. I found the product descriptions too generic on first pass. Two iterations later, they sounded like actual Staying Ahead copy.

Hot take time: Shopify developers aren't dead.

I know, I know. That would've been a sensational headline. But let's be honest:

The likelihood of Lovable replacing Shopify developers is roughly the same as Claude Code replacing junior engineers. It's not there yet. But we can see it on the horizon.

I spoke with a teammate who's worked in the Shopify ecosystem for years. His reaction? Excited, not threatened.

Here's why this matters:

For entrepreneurs: You can test a business idea before investing thousands in development. Spin up a store, validate demand, iterate fast.

For local businesses: Want a popup store for festive specials? You can have it running before Zepto delivers your groceries.

For creators: That merch idea you've been putting off? No more excuses.

The overhead of setting up e-commerce has always been a barrier. Most people drop off before launching.

With this? You can go from idea to functioning prototype in an afternoon.

The caveat: This works for straightforward stores. If you need custom features, complex inventory management, or unique checkout flows, you'll still need developers.

I'm genuinely impressed, which doesn't happen often.

Lovable's Shopify integration is a different mental model.

You describe what you want. It builds it. You review and refine. That's the workflow.

The question is whether you'll actually use it to launch the thing you've been procrastinating on.

If you've been sitting on a business idea, a side project, or a merch store concept, this removes your excuses.

Your move: Try it. Build something. Share the link.

If you create a store with this, drop the link in the replies.

Most creative one may get featured next week.

Until next time,
Vaibhav 🤝

P.S: Should I launch the Staying Ahead merch store? If you'd actually buy a black tee with the Staying Ahead logo, let me know.

If you read till here, you might find this interesting

#AD 1

You know that AI can help you automate your work, but you just don't know how to get started.

With Lindy, you can build AI agents and apps in minutes simply by describing what you want in plain English.

From inbound lead qualification to AI-powered customer support and full-blown apps, Lindy has hundreds of agents that are ready to work for you 24/7/365.

Stop doing repetitive tasks manually. Let Lindy automate workflows, save time, and grow your business.

Get $20 Worth of Free Credits

#AD 2

Connect your email, and you’ll instantly get a CRM with enriched customer insights and a platform that grows with your business.

With AI at the core, Attio lets you:

Join industry leaders like Granola, Taskrabbit, Flatfile and more.

👉Try Attio Pro for free