Liquid Weekly Podcast: Shopify Developers Talking Shopify Development

Shopify performance specialist Izaac Barratt of Baseline Commerce joins Karl and Taylor for a deep dive into site speed optimization.
The conversation covers the full spectrum from LCP and INP fundamentals to the real-world friction of app bloat, AI coding habits, and what actually moves the needle for conversion rates. A must-listen for any theme developer, app developer, or agency working with high-traffic Shopify stores.

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Find Izaac Barratt Online
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/izaac-barratt — where he posts performance tips, resources, and his ongoing series on the nine performance fix buckets
Baseline Commerce:
baseline-commerce.com — Izaac's site speed optimization consultancy

Timestamps
01:23 – Intros; welcoming guest Izaac Barrett
02:48 – Izaac's origin story: animation, Newgrounds, and e-commerce
05:36 – What drew Izaac to performance optimization
06:00 – First site speed project: 12 seconds to 2 seconds, conversion doubled
10:00 – LCP fundamentals: above-the-fold prioritization and perception
18:00 – Preloading, lazy loading, and how to get them wrong
20:43 – Liquid's preload tag, sections_index, and reducing JavaScript dependency
26:38 – Telling AI to prioritize HTML/Liquid and CSS over JavaScript
31:01 – Async vs. defer vs. render-blocking scripts explained
35:28 – Apps and performance: identifying problem apps, merchant conversations
39:15 – Advice for app developers on loading strategy and user interaction cycles
41:42 – INP (Interaction to Next Paint) explained: what it is and why it's hard to fix
43:30 – Shopify/research report: 34ms of INP = 3.5% drop in CVR
46:06 – How to debug INP: Chrome DevTools performance tab and CrUX data
53:20 – Izaac's LinkedIn series: nine buckets of performance fixes
56:17 – Dev Changelog
1:02:44 – Picks of the Week

Dev Changelog
- Next-Generation Events — Developer Preview: https://shopify.dev/changelog
- ⚠️ Expiring Offline Access Tokens Required for All Public Apps — January 1, 2027: https://shopify.dev/changelog
- Shop Minis — March/April 2026 Update: https://shopify.dev/changelog
- Customer Account UI — Feature Preview: https://shopify.dev/changelog
- App Home as a UI Extension: https://shopify.dev/changelog- llms.txt / agents.md in Shopify Themes: https://shopify.dev/changelog

Picks of the Week
Karl:
The Dark Journey: The Tragedy of the Donner Party
by Allan Eckert – A true history of the ill-fated 1846 wagon party, written by one of Karl's favorite frontier authors; dark but compelling, especially for history enthusiasts. https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Journey-Allan-W-Eckert/dp/1931672539

Izaac:
Page Speed Impact Estimator fastersite.ai – A tool for estimating the performance gains of removing specific scripts and assets before actually doing the work; great for benchmarking and scoping conversations with clients.

Taylor:
The Will of the Many
by James Islington – A sci-fi novel recommended by Taylor's brother (a bookseller); follows a teenager hiding his royal lineage in a Roman Empire-style society that literally harvests people's will to gain power. Book two also out. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58416951-the-will-of-the-many

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.
STAY CONNECTED
Subscribe to Liquid Weekly for more expert insights:
https://liquidweekly.com/
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.

In this episode of the Liquid Weekly Podcast, hosts Karl Meisterheim and Taylor Page break down the results of the first-ever Liquid Weekly Shopify Developer Survey.They dive into who makes up the Shopify developer community—from freelancers and agency devs to app builders—and explore what developers are working on, what they want to learn, and what challenges they’re facing.

The conversation covers the growing demand for AI workflows, ongoing struggles with Shopify’s rapid pace of change, and concerns around client acquisition in an evolving landscape.

They also discuss the role of events like Shopify .dev, opportunities for community connection, and how Liquid Weekly can better serve its audience moving forward.Sponsor
The Support Heroes - https://thesupportheroes.com/?utm_source=liquid_weekly&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=sponsorships

Timestamps00:00 Introduction01:00 Survey Overview and Goals04:00 Who Responded: Freelancers, Agencies, and App Devs09:00 What Developers Are Working On (Themes vs Apps)12:00 Global Breakdown of the Shopify Dev Community17:00 Shopify .dev Attendance and Barriers (Cost, Travel, Visas)23:00 Community Events and Alternatives to .dev31:00 What Developers Want More Of (AI, Themes, Apps, Business)37:00 Staying Grounded Amid AI Hype40:30 Demand for Marketing and Client Acquisition Content42:45 What Developers Are Struggling With43:00 Keeping Up with Shopify’s Pace of Change48:00 AI Uncertainty and Productivity Pressure51:30 Client Acquisition and Pricing Challenges54:30 Dev Changelog1:01:30 Picks of the WeekResourcesState of JS Survey (Referenced concept): https://stateofjs.com/Shopify Developer Community Events (Various global meetups)Shopify Partner Dashboard (App submission updates discussed)Dev Changelog
• New app submission experience in the Shopify Partner Dashboard (AI-assisted pre-checks and faster reviews) • Storefront Catalog MCP updated to support Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP) • ⚠️ Action Required: Automatic CSS subsetting for stylesheet Liquid tag • ⚠️ Action Required: Deprecation of checkout metafields in favor of cart and order metafields • Expanded app uninstall reason options for better analytics • Analytics metrics now available via Admin GraphQL API • Multiple product discounts can now apply to a single cart line⸻Picks of the WeekKarl: Rebel Ice Cream – Keto-friendly, low sugar ice cream (surprisingly good, dangerously easy to overeat)Taylor: GitHub – Leveraging actions, PR templates, and workflows to improve dev productivity (despite recent hiccups)⸻Sign Up for Liquid WeeklyDon’t miss out on expert insights and tips—subscribe to Liquid Weekly for more content like this:👉 https://liquidweekly.com

In this episode of the Liquid Weekly Podcast, hosts Karl Meisterheim and Taylor Page are joined by Anne Thomas, co-founder of Design Packs. Anne shares her journey in the Shopify ecosystem, her recent foray into backend development with Supabase and Claude AI, and the launch of her new podcast, Cart to Cart.
The conversation dives into the nuances of building with Shopify's flexible theme blocks, managing design systems, and the realities of using AI for coding and QA. Anne also discusses her community-building efforts with "Women Unified in Commerce".
STAY CONNECTED
Subscribe to Liquid Weekly for more expert insights: https://liquidweekly.com/
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
Anne's Background & Side Projects: From starting with Shopify themes in 2014 to building a horse-riding tracking app.
Cart to Cart Podcast: Anne introduces her new podcast co-hosted with Trudy McNabb, Brenda Storer, and Diana Birsan.
Women Unified in Commerce: Insights into the grassroots community meetups Anne and Trudy host in Toronto.
Developer vs. Merchant Feedback: How the Design Packs team navigates and balances feedback.
Theme Blocks & Design Systems: A deep dive into Shopify's flexible blocks, modern theme architecture, and CSS overrides.
AI in the Dev Workflow: The realities of using AI tools like Claude and Cursor's Bugbot for writing code and PR reviews.
FIND ANNE ONLINE & RESOURCES
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annethomas8/
Twitter(X): https://x.com/alfalfaanne
Design Packs: https://design-packs.com/
Cart to Cart Podcast: https://cart2cartpodcast.com
Women Unified in Commerce: LinkedIn Group
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Introduction & Anne's Background
03:30 - Building with Supabase & Claude AI
08:40 - The "Cart to Cart" Podcast
30:30 - "Women Unified in Commerce" Meetups
37:50 - Balancing Merchant and Developer Feedback
43:30 - Navigating Shopify's Flexible Theme Blocks
50:15 - Design Systems & CSS Overrides in Themes
58:15 - AI Realities: Coding, QA, and Automated PR Reviews
01:09:40 - Dev Changelog Highlights
01:14:10 - Picks of the Week
DEV CHANGELOG
ActionBar removed on mobile: TitleBar primary action now renders as an icon button - https://shopify.dev/changelog/primary-action-icon-replaces-actionbar-on-mobile
New CSS variable for mobile safe area insets - https://shopify.dev/changelog/new-css-variable-for-mobile-safe-area-insets
Automated testing for Shopify UI extensions with @shopify/ui-extensions-tester - https://shopify.dev/changelog/automated-testing-for-shopify-ui-extensions-with-shopify-ui-extensions-tester
New discount fields in the Storefront API's cart types - https://shopify.dev/changelog/new-discount-fields-in-the-storefront-cart-graphql-api
Shopify AI Toolkit: Connect your AI tools to the Shopify platform - https://shopify.dev/changelog/shopify-ai-toolkit-connect-your-ai-tools-to-the-shopify-platform
Shopify Scripts will be deprecated on June 30, 2026 - https://shopify.dev/changelog/shopify-scripts-will-be-deprecated-on-june-30-2026
(non-dev) Checkout Blocks: Order value limits available on all plans - https://changelog.shopify.com/posts/checkout-blocks-order-value-limits-available-on-all-plans
PICKS OF THE WEEK
Karl: Simple Truth low-carb crisp crackers and reading the book Dune.
Anne: Swapping the morning doomscroll for a daily crossword puzzle. Try https://www.dictionary.com/games/crossword to start.
Taylor: Taking the kids to see The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

Karl and Taylor are back for a solo episode packed with updates. Taylor breaks down major changes to the Shopify Theme Editor, a big B2B announcement that flipped the script on Plus-only features, and a raft of Dev Changelog items.
Karl shares a real-world debugging war story about a Shopify Function that was silently discarding all its input — and the 10KB metafield limit that caused it.
SponsorThe Support Heroes - https://thesupportheroes.com/?utm_source=lwSubscribe to Liquid WeeklyDon't miss out on expert insights and tips—subscribe to Liquid Weekly for more content like this: https://liquidweekly.com/Timestamps- 00:00 – Intro & Slim Jim nostalgia- 01:00 – Season 3 check-in- 02:20 – Shopify Theme Editor overhaul walkthrough- 08:00 – Markets in the Theme Editor: a common merchant gotcha- 09:30 – Session restore, Rollouts scheduling in the editor- 12:00 – Shopify SimGem (AI shopper simulation) overview- 15:00 – Karl's PromoParty Pro debugging war story- 19:00 – Shopify Functions: silent failures & the 10KB metafield limit- 22:00 – Dev Dashboard function logs deep dive- 26:00 – Discount function limits (25 per shop) & Functions vs. Shopify Scripts- 31:00 – Checkout extensibility, web components, and useful constraints- 33:00 – Shopify Dev Dashboard updates: Plus shops, role-based access- 36:00 – Headless Shopify app, Storefront API tokens & cart metafields- 37:00 – AuthCrate.shop by Dylan- 39:00 – Cart metafields copying to order metafields- 41:00 – Shopify Partner Town Hall recap- 43:50 – **The Big One: B2B features now available on non-Plus plans**- 50:00 – Taylor's table and chair rental business & Roth IRAs for kids- 56:00 – Dev Changelog rundown- 57:00 – Picks of the WeekResources- [PromoParty Pro](https://apps.shopify.com/promo-party-pro) – Karl's free gift with purchase app (co-built with Curt and Paul)- [AuthCrate.shop](https://authcrate.shop) – Dylan's tool for managing custom Shopify app authentication- [Shopify Headless App](https://apps.shopify.com/headless) – For generating Storefront API tokens without a custom app- [Shopify Dev Dashboard](https://shopify.dev/docs/apps/tools/partner-dashboard/dev-dashboard) – The developer-focused dashboard within the Shopify Partner portal- [Shopify Partner Town Hall Summary (SDA)](https://shopifydevalliance.com) – Taylor's recap in the SDA communityPicks of the WeekKarl: Quest Bake Soft Protein Frosted Cookies – Low-carb, keto-friendly cookies that actually taste good. 1g net carb
https://www.questnutrition.com/collections/cookiesTaylor: Granola AI – AI-powered meeting notes that listens locally without needing a bot invite. Works across Zoom, Slack, Teams, and Google Meet. Great for end-of-day debriefs when you're too tired to write things down yourself.
https://www.granola.so/