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Building in the open.

Real numbers and plain answers on the questions store owners actually ask. Color-coded by the problem you are trying to solve.

Money leaksLatest

Why is my Shopify app bill bigger than Shopify itself?

The subscription is the cheap part. The apps you add to make the store actually sell are where the money quietly goes every month.

2026-07-08 · 4 min read · by Param

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Start with your problem

Six problems store owners bring us. Pick the one that stings.

Money leaks

Where your store quietly loses money, and how to plug it.

3 notes

Ads that stopped working

When paid traffic stops paying back, and what to do about it.

2 notes

Getting the second order

Turning a first-time buyer into a repeat customer.

2 notes

Selling on WhatsApp

Recovering carts and cutting returns where your customers already chat.

2 notes

Your site vs their platform

Why owning the sale beats renting the audience.

3 notes

Getting found by AI

How shoppers find you through ChatGPT and other assistants.

3 notes

More field notes

Money leaks4 min read

What does one returned order actually cost you?

The refund is the part you see. The shipping both ways, the handling, and the item that comes back unsellable are the real bill, in every market.

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Money leaks4 min read

Should I pay customers a discount to go prepaid?

A prepaid order almost never comes back. Once you see that gap, a small prepaid nudge pays for itself.

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Your site vs their platform5 min read

What does a marketplace really take from each order?

The headline commission is not the whole story. Add fulfilment, storage and forced ads and the platform's real cut reshapes the case for your own site, on Amazon and Blinkit alike.

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Ads that stopped working4 min read

Your ROAS isn't dropping. Your audience ran out.

When a campaign that printed money stops paying, the reflex is to blame the creative. More often you have simply shown it to everyone worth showing it to.

Read
Ads that stopped working4 min read

Why don't my Meta numbers match my store?

Your ad dashboard says one thing, your bank says another. Since Apple changed the rules, the gap is not a bug. It is the new normal, and you can work around it.

Read
Getting the second order4 min read

How long do I have to win a second order?

The first sale is the expensive one. The window to turn a buyer into a repeat customer is shorter than most stores think, in the US and India both.

Read
Getting the second order4 min read

Winback: is SMS or email cheaper per order?

Both bring lapsed customers back. They cost very different amounts and behave very differently, so the honest answer is to use each for what it is good at.

Read
Selling on WhatsApp4 min read

Can a WhatsApp confirm really cut your RTO?

In India, a single Reply YES message before dispatch turns a shaky COD order into a confirmed one. The numbers behind it are better than they sound.

Read
Selling on WhatsApp4 min read

Cart recovery: WhatsApp, SMS, or email?

Most carts get abandoned. Which channel wins them back depends on where you sell, and the honest answer is different in India and the US.

Read
Your site vs their platform4 min read

What does TikTok Shop really cost you?

The 6 percent fee is the headline. Add content, creators and ads and the real cost of selling there looks a lot like Amazon.

Read
Getting found by AI4 min read

Is ChatGPT actually sending you shoppers yet?

The hype says AI is the new storefront. The honest answer: it is real, it is growing fast, and it is still small. Here is how to read it without overreacting.

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Getting found by AI4 min read

How does a brand sell inside ChatGPT and other AI assistants?

Shoppers are starting to ask AI assistants what to buy. Here is how your store can answer, sell, and keep the shopper without becoming a feed.

Read
Your site vs their platform4 min read

Everyone ships a chatbot. A storefront should sell.

The category is filling with chat widgets that answer questions. The interesting question is who owns the agent that actually sells.

Read
Getting found by AI5 min read

Do AI chatbots actually lift your conversion?

The vendor numbers are enormous and a little too good. The honest answer is that most chat widgets help less than they claim, and the reason matters.

Read

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