Shopify Entrepreneur Weekly

Hi there,

Hope you’re enjoying the quiet stretch between holidays. 🎄
For many store owners, this week is less about selling hard — and more about catching your breath, reviewing what worked, and setting yourself up for a stronger January.

This issue is intentionally lighter and easier to digest. Think: reflection, a bit of perspective, and a few ideas worth parking for 2026.

Let’s ease into it 👇

Looking back: What really shaped ecommerce in 2025

If one word defined ecommerce in 2025, it wasn’t growth or efficiency — it was adaptation.

This year tested how quickly brands could respond when the ground shifted under them. A few patterns stood out:

1. Platforms felt less “stable” than ever
   Outages, policy changes, and shifting algorithms reminded brands not to over-rely on any single channel.

2. AI moved from “interesting” to unavoidable
   Not just in marketing — but in search, support, merchandising, and discovery.

3. Margins mattered more than growth-at-all-costs
   Tariffs, shipping volatility, and ad costs pushed brands to rethink pricing and operations.

4. Discovery fragmented
   Search, social, marketplaces, and now AI assistants all compete for attention.

5. BFCM stayed strong — but execution mattered more
   The brands that won weren’t louder. They were clearer, faster, and better prepared.

6. Lean teams outperformed bloated ones
   Speed, adaptability, and clean systems beat complexity.

The takeaway?
Resilience isn’t a buzzword anymore – it’s a requirement.

Try something new in 2026 — app store research

If 2026 feels like a year to experiment a bit, app store research is worth checking out.

It’s a platform where Shopify store owners and operators get paid to:

• Share feedback with app builders

• Join 1:1 research interviews

• Test new tools early

You can join as a consultant in under 2 minutes.
It’s completely free — and you can participate now, later, or whenever it fits your schedule.

2025 by the numbers:

• 2,356+ active participants

• 814+ completed projects

• 4,800+ 1:1 interviews

• $720K+ paid to participants

👉 Sign up as a consultant →
(No pressure to start right away — explore Available projects.)

How shopexperts fits into this moment

This quiet window is when many merchants finally ask:

• “Why does my store feel slower than it should?”

• “What actually broke during BFCM?”

• “What should we clean up before January?”

At shopexperts.com, we help with:

• Post-holiday audits (speed, UX, CRO)

• Theme cleanup and performance fixes

• Planning realistic upgrades for Q1

• Untangling complexity added during peak season

No urgency. No fire drills. Just clear next steps.

👉 Submit a project when you’re ready → shopexperts.com

Photo of the week

Craiova, Romania, was crowned Europe’s best Christmas market in 2025, winning the public vote with 142,687 votes — far ahead of competitors like Zurich and Riga in a continent-wide festive contest. 🎄✨

That’s it for this post-Christmas edition.

Enjoy the slower days, the leftovers, and the mental reset.
We’ll be back in the new year — clear-headed and ready to build again.

—
with 🤍
the shopexperts team