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- Shapers Issue #2 | Tips for Winning Sales Calls + Shopify Trends
Shapers Issue #2 | Tips for Winning Sales Calls + Shopify Trends
The newsletter and community for Shopify product people
Hey Shapers,
Jon here again from AppStoreResearch. Welcome to Issue #2 of the Shapers newsletter.
If you're not already in the Shapers Slack, we’d love for you to join. It’s our private community for founders and product people building Shopify apps — a place to start and join real conversations around product, research, development, and growth. Request access here.
Quick heads-up: we offer $100 for every Shopify Plus brand owner you refer to the platform as a participant. If you know operators or founders doing $1M+ in annual revenue who’d be great research candidates, this is an easy win. You’ll find your unique referral link and details under the “Refer & Earn” tab in your ASR dashboard.
We’re also seeing increased demand for B2B Sales/Demo projects from teams focused on GTM. If you haven’t tried this format yet, it’s a strong way to generate conversations with warm, qualified merchants. Check out the newsletter below for some great tips!
Our internal scheduling system is in private beta! If you’d like early access to native scheduling with Google Calendar integration, reply to this email and we’ll get you in.
Tactics: Running Better Research & Sales Calls
Every week, we’ll share short tips and playbooks for running higher-impact calls with Shopify merchants — whether you’re exploring product direction or closing deals.
This week: One mindset shift for better calls → Ask, don't pitch.
It’s tempting to treat research calls as mini sales demos — but framing matters. Here’s how to think about the difference:
Research Call | Sales Call |
|---|---|
Goal: Understand user behavior, pain points, language | Goal: Communicate value, convert or move down funnel |
You talk 20%, they talk 80% | Closer to 50/50, but still customer-led |
Best question: “What’s annoying about your current process?” | Best question: “Would this replace anything you're paying for today?” |
Quick Win: Prep a 5-question guide before every call. No scripts. Just 5 sharp, open-ended questions to keep you focused and avoid rambling.
Want us to share our favorite frameworks? Drop a note in Slack or reply to this email — we’re building out guides.
Featured Community Members
Say hey to some new Shapers in the Slack:
1. Irek Khasianov from Storista – building tooling around shoppable videos.
2. Jamie McCue from Orbit Apps – working on a new app for brands in the outdoor industry to have a better way manage their Pro Purchase program.
3. Vishnu from Quinn – building an AI studio that transforms garment photos into 4K editorial-style shoots in under a minute.
Not a member yet? ➞ Join Shapers.
Sponsored Ad
Ready to turn conversations into conversions?
With our Sales/Product Demo Projects, you get more than just feedback — you get early users, warm leads, and channel insights that shape positioning and growth.
– Connect with real merchants
– Deliver your pitch
– Get feedback or win the sale
Curated takes from Shopify Twitter, LinkedIn, and related communities:
1. Shopify App Store reviews... deep breaths
A heartfelt post from the team behind Meteor Mega Menu and Customer Fields reflects on Shopify's recent review archiving. Nearly half their lifetime reviews – earned over a decade of support – have disappeared. Rationally, it’s a cleanup. Emotionally, it feels like erasure. Read on LinkedIn.
2. App store sabotage?
A post on X raises eyebrows after Kaching Bundles lost their top keyword rank due to a 1-star review – from a store that never used the app, never started a trial, and happens to be based in the same city as a competitor who regained the top spot. Suspicious timing or just bad luck? See the thread on X.
3. “Shopify snapshot” thread sourcing latest stats.
A community post from May 2025 compiles Shopify’s recent stats on store counts, churn, mobile vs. desktop conversion trends, and more. Read here.
ASR Participant Showcase
Michael Bires is the Owner and CEO of Nutrition Faktory, a 12-store retail chain and website, NutritionFaktory.com. After years of building the perfect app stack for the site, he’s happy to share his experiences. He loves helping other entrepreneurs improve their products and genuinely enjoys these conversations.
Read the case study or start a project to meet participants like Mike.
What I’m Reading, Watching and Using
1. The Cold Start Problem by Andrew Chen – A tactical read on network effects and early-stage growth, especially relevant for app devs in the Shopify space.
2. Tally Forms – A simple, elegant form tool that feels like Notion. Great for collecting async user feedback without friction.
3. Farnam Street Podcast – Focused on mental models, decision making, and product leadership — useful on long walks or deep work breaks.
Photo of the Week
Here’s a glimpse of an early Shopify office setup from 2009 — before they powered millions of merchants. Humble beginnings.
That’s it for now — thanks for being part of this. Keep sharing your wins, learnings, and product insights in the Slack group. Let’s keep making this the most helpful space for Shopify app builders on the planet.
Until next week,
— Jon and the ASR team
PS:
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Not yet a community member? Join Shapers here.