In this episode of the Liquid Weekly Podcast, hosts Karl Meisterheim and Taylor Page are joined by Sandesh Kulai, founder of STOQ by Artos Software.

Sandesh shares his journey from building early Shopify apps to working at Shopify, then returning to app development full-time with Artos Software. The conversation dives into the real complexity behind preorders, back-in-stock alerts, selling plans, deferred payments, storefront integrations, and supporting apps across a wide range of Shopify themes.

Sandesh also gives a behind-the-scenes look at Engine Room, Artos Software’s internal AI-powered operations dashboard, and shares practical advice for app developers on treating the business itself like a product.

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EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

Sandesh’s Shopify Origin Story
Built for Shopify Recognition
From Back-in-Stock to Preorders
Selling Plans Beyond Subscriptions
Why Preorders Are More Than a Button Change
Storefront and Theme Support
24/7 Human Support
Engine Room and AI Operations
Building the Business Like a Product

FIND SANDESH ONLINE & RESOURCES

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandeshkini/
Twitter/X: https://x.com/heysandy801
STOQ: https://www.stoqapp.com/
STOQ on the Shopify App Store: https://apps.shopify.com/back-in-stock-restock-alerts

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Cold Open: Fighting Operational Slowdowns with Engine Room
00:52 - Introduction & Sandesh’s Birthday
03:02 - Built for Shopify Recognition at Editions.dev
07:50 - Rails, React, and the STOQ Tech Stack
08:52 - Sandesh’s Origin Story: Apps, Shopify, and Product Management
12:10 - From Restock Rocket to STOQ
13:36 - Why Preorders Are More Complicated Than a Button Change
15:16 - Selling Plans, Purchase Options, and Deferred Payments
18:38 - Deposits, Partial Payments, and Charging Customers Later
20:45 - Using Preorders and Waitlists for Better Inventory Decisions
21:36 - Conversion Analytics for Preorder Campaigns
24:32 - Listening to Merchant Feedback and Expanding Product Direction
28:12 - Supporting Storefronts, Themes, App Embeds, and Selectors
30:50 - Building 24/7 Human Support
33:01 - Scaling Support from Founders to a Team
39:58 - Engine Room: Artos Software’s Internal AI Dashboard
41:12 - Tracking Merchant Sentiment, Reviews, Web Vitals, and Escalations
44:15 - Using AI to Keep the Team Focused on What Matters
46:02 - Co-Founder Dynamics and Long-Term Partnership
52:47 - Advice for App Developers: Treat the Business Like a Product
54:13 - Shopify Dev Changelog Highlights
01:01:49 - Picks of the Week

DEV CHANGELOG

More admin intents now support Settings: https://shopify.dev/changelog/more-admin-intents-now-support-settings
[action required] Ship and pickup in one order now available in feature preview: https://shopify.dev/changelog/ship-and-pickup-in-one-order-feature-preview
[action required] App deployment in CI/CD is now available for all apps: https://shopify.dev/changelog/app-deployment-in-cicd-is-now-available-for-all-apps
Publish and unpublish product variants independently from product: https://shopify.dev/changelog/publish-and-unpublish-product-variants-independently-from-product
[action required] Bots and agents should identify themselves via Web Bot Auth: https://shopify.dev/changelog/bots-and-agents-should-identify-themselves-via-web-bot-auth
Target discounts to specific markets: https://shopify.dev/changelog/target-discounts-to-specific-markets
Shopify App Pricing: charge for usage, recurring subscriptions, or both: https://shopify.dev/changelog/shopify-app-pricing-charge-for-usage-recurring-subscriptions-or-both

PICKS OF THE WEEK

Karl: A retro Radio Shack 1680 chess computer from 1996.
Sandesh: Setting up a Mac Mini to experiment with Hermes and personal AI agent workflows.
Taylor: The SDA Toronto guide built with Trudy MacNabb for people heading to Shopify.dev, including events, restaurants, work spots, and local recommendations.