067 - Preorders, Selling Plans, and AI Ops with Sandesh Kulai

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.