Liquid Weekly Podcast: Shopify Developers Talking Shopify Development

In this episode of the Liquid Weekly Podcast, hosts Karl Meisterheim and Taylor Page are joined by Alexander Hupfer, founder of Fusion Metrics and a solo Shopify app developer.

The conversation digs deep into the current state of Shopify app analytics following Mantle's shutdown, why certain metrics are far more subjective than they appear, and how AI agents are changing the way developers query their own data.

Sponsor - The Support Heroes

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EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
- Alexander's Origin Story
- Why Shopify Doesn't Build This
- The Mantle Shutdown
- Metrics That Aren't Black and White
- Installs as a Vanity Metric
- AI Agents + Analytics: Using MCP servers and agents like Claude Code and Codex to write SQL queries
- Build vs. Buy vs. Self-Host

ABOUT ALEXANDER HUPFER
Alexander is the founder of Fusionmetrics, an analytics platform built specifically for Shopify apps. Coming from a theoretical physics background, he moved into the analytics space in 2022 and pioneered install attribution by linking Google Analytics events with Partner API data.

FIND ALEXANDER ONLINE & RESOURCES
- Fusion Metrics: https://fusionmetrics.com/
- Alexander's Twitter/X: https://x.com/alexanderhupfer
- PartnerMetrics by Björn Forsberg (open source): https://github.com/forsbergplustwo/partner-metrics
- Matt De Sousa / Blair (ex-Mantle) conversation on attribution: https://orange-aphid-848.notion.site/Live-with-Blair-Beckwith-Shopify-Mantle-Growth-the-Future-of-Shopify-Apps-3c15075fb6d680a5bd14d8ec230430e4
- Alexander's talk from last year's Mantle event on churn modeling: https://youtu.be/9g7N7VdHfWU?si=48yb1k9xM6sb9VwX
- Darius's Dev Dashboard revamp screenshots: https://x.com/darius_gai/status/2087916085794283800?s=20
- Alexander on Ilias' Podcast talking analytics: https://youtu.be/eC8i9ex6xnQ?si=97o59ZK31c-SfCgf

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Cold open: The mask-selling business
00:30 - Introduction & the bat/rabies saga
02:20 - Alexander's origin story: COVID masks to Shopify apps
06:42 - Moving into analytics & the physics background
11:03 - Current state of Shopify app metrics & the Mantle shutdown
13:49 - Why Shopify doesn't provide revenue analytics (the ROI question)
16:43 - The Dev Dashboard revamp & transaction vs. MRR
21:57 - Reconstructing MRR from the Partner API event stream
25:11 - Installs as a vanity metric & search ranking
27:28 - Churn and LTV: the most complicated metrics
34:11 - App acquisition & assessing performance objectively
36:40 - The three Rs: Acquisition, Retention, Revenue
37:06 - Attribution & app store conversion rates
38:28 - Using AI agents & MCP to query analytics
43:01 - GA4 attribution on the App Store vs. storefront
45:31 - App Store optimization & keyword-stuffed titles
48:17 - Build vs. Buy vs. Self-Host
53:17 - Picks of the Week
56:35 - Dev Changelog

DEV CHANGELOG
- Oxygen is now available on development stores: https://shopify.dev/changelog/oxygen-is-now-available-on-development-stores
- WebMCP support for Liquid and Hydrogen storefronts: https://shopify.dev/changelog/webmcp-liquid-hydrogen
- Standard storefront events and actions now support cart attributes: https://shopify.dev/changelog/events-and-actions-cart-attributes-support
- Hydrogen developer preview update, August 18, 2026: https://shopify.dev/changelog/hydrogen-developer-preview-update-august-18-2026
- App intents on admin.app.intent.link now open as a full-page navigation: https://shopify.dev/changelog/app-intents-on-admin-app-intent-link-now-open-as-a-full-page-navigation

PICKS OF THE WEEK
- Karl: "Star City" on Apple TV — a sister show to "For All Mankind" exploring an alternate history where Russia reached the moon first
- Alexander: "The Capitalist Manifesto" by Johan Norberg
- Taylor: "Project Hail Mary" (the movie) — looking forward to reading the book next

Episode 073 – I Hid Swag and I'd Do It Again! - Recapping our DotDev Adventure

Karl and Taylor reunite for a full-week recap of Shopify Dev in Toronto — from a canceled Air Canada flight and a border crossing full of event signage, to Taylor's metaobjects talk, the live podcast recording at Dev Studio, and the Shopify-shutting-down-an-entire-street Block Party.
They also debrief BrightWork, the first-ever event Taylor hosted after Tectonic was canceled, and close with a run of street-style interviews from the Dev floor covering POS development, agent search and LLM indexing, customer accounts, Sidekick extensions, and — of course — the snacks.

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Sponsor

Promo Party Pro — a free gift with purchase app Karl helped build with the team at EtherCycle. Out of the box it gives you campaigns built to increase AOV and conversion: set a spend threshold, show shoppers how close they are to earning a gift, and let Promo Party Pro handle the rest. Discount Functions under the hood, one app embed (no theme surgery), and campaigns auto-pause when the gift sells out.

Agency offer: get one of your clients a full year free. Promo Party Pro - https://promoparty.app/agency

Find it in the Shopify App Store today.

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Timestamps

- 00:00 – Cold open: two dudes, a minivan, a border
- 00:31 – Welcome back, Taylor returns from episode 72
- 01:31 – Taylor's full Dev swag outfit on display
- 05:28 – The retro Pizza Hut detour
- 08:09 – Taylor's drive up and the Trudy's-apartment-as-storage-unit problem
- 11:02 – Karl's canceled Air Canada flight and the two-ticket trap
- 14:19 – Meeting Toby on the plane and taking the train to Union Station
- 16:28 – Sponsor: Promo Party Pro
- 17:10 – Airbnb vs. hotel, and Toronto neighborhoods for next year
- 20:07 – Monday events: agency brunch, Good API tree planting, live podcast, pickleball
- 24:43 – Being grateful for the community and welcoming first-timers
- 26:03 – Day one: rain, badge lines, and a pushed-back keynote
- 27:22 – The Dev snack review series explained
- 30:32 – Build Award dinner, the Shopi mascot, and a Rubik's Cube
- 32:08 – Taylor meets Adam Wathan (and immediately regrets it)
- 34:42 – Day two: Taylor's metaobjects talk and the Dev Studio live recording
- 36:33 – The Block Party: Shopify shuts down a Toronto street
- 41:21 – BrightWork debrief: what worked, what to fix next time
- 44:00 – Frat party, yacht party, and the flotilla rules
- 46:44 – Street interviews from the Dev floor begin

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Resources

- Promo Party Pro – Free gift with purchase app built on Discount Functions; this episode's sponsor. https://promoparty.app
- Ether Cycle - https://ethercycle.com – Karl's partners on Promo Party Pro.
- The Support Heroes - https://thesupportheroes.com – 24/7/365 specialized customer support for Shopify apps; Angie's team, and co-hosts of the live podcast panel with Martin.
- Good API - https://www.thegoodapi.com/shopify/ – Sustainability app for planting trees, removing ocean plastic, and donating to over a million US charities; Amy's team.
- Raise Wave – Fundraiser app Good API built together with Felix & Norton - https://apps.shopify.com/raisewave
- POS Cafe – Shopify point of sale app built by Adam Wooding out of South East Queensland, Australia - https://apps.shopify.com/poscafe
- Three Acres – Brendan Quigley's agency. https://threeacres.ca/
- Helium / Helium Customer Fields - https://heliumdev.com – Customer accounts and B2B registration/approval apps; Brett and Josiah's team.
- Locksmith - https://uselocksmith.com – Longtime Helium app partner.
- Kirill Platonov's Rails on Shopify template - https://kirillplatonov.com – Bootstrap template for building Shopify apps on Ruby on Rails.
- Tailwind CSS - https://tailwindcss.com – Adam Wathan was at Dev; Shopify is looking at incorporating Tailwind into Liquid.

Recorded live at Shopify's DotDev, this special is two sessions in one. First, Ben Sehl walks Karl and Taylor through the future of Liquid: why the language is being reshaped for the agentic era, the new Partials tag that replaces the section rendering API, arrays and Booleans finally landing, agents.md and design.md guidance, and the Tailwind partnership.

Then we sit down with three Shopify Build Award winners, Sammy of Discount Kit, Harel of EasyTeam, and Emili of Zapiet, to talk about what it actually takes to win, betting early on POS, building for Sidekick, and what's next.

Sponsors
Easy Apps (Sage of FI): https://easyapps.io/
Shopify Supply Dev Mode Collection: https://shopify.supply/ (15% off your first order with code LIQUID)

Subscribe to Liquid WeeklyDon't miss out on expert insights and tips. Subscribe to Liquid Weekly for more content like this: https://liquidweekly.com/

Find the Guests Online
Ben Sehl (Shopify): https://x.com/benjaminsehl, https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminsehl/
Sammy, Discount Kit: https://x.com/SammyIsseyegh, https://www.linkedin.com/in/sammyisseyegh/
Harel, EasyTeam: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harel-ishay/
Emili, Zapiet: https://x.com/EmiliHorncastle, https://www.linkedin.com/in/emili-m-horncastle-2b8482231/

Timestamps
(00:00) Cold open
(02:05) Live at DotDev: intro
(02:52) Ben Sehl and the future of Liquid
(05:22) Back to the Future: why the direction shift
(10:53) Why now: building for the agentic era
(14:38) Craft vs productivity, and keeping DX at the core
(16:42) Guidance and feedback: agents.md, design.md, and theme check
(23:22) Partials: replacing the section rendering API
(32:47) The Tailwind partnership
(35:07) Arrays, Booleans, and the three-parser saga
(41:13) Meet the Build Award winners: Discount Kit, EasyTeam, Zapiet
(43:49) Their paths to winning and what sets each app apart
(50:15) Zapiet's new physical store in a historic UK market town
(53:25) Harel on betting early on Shopify POS
(55:00) Sammy on building a Sidekick extension for Discount Kit
(56:36) Emili on community, the epic party, and women in tech
(1:00:21) What's next: UCP, POS, Shop Split, and Zapiet Eats
(1:04:50) Wrap-up

Resources
DotDev: https://dotdev.shopify.com/
Ben's article on Liquid: https://x.com/benjaminsehl/status/2079633466581258469?s=20

Episode 071 – Taylor Built a Full Shopify Brand with AI in One Afternoon

Karl and Taylor compare how Claude, Codex, and Cursor behave differently when building Shopify discount and checkout UI extensions, and dig into why testing against a real dev store is still such a pain point.

Taylor also walks through spinning up a complete fictitious coffee shop brand, theme, and metaobject data model with Claude Design and Claude Code for his recent DEV conference talk on metaobjects, and shares how a Shopify theme store change quietly broke his Shop Info app.

Plus: a major new identity verification requirement for Shopify Partners requesting collaborator access, updates to app pricing limits and review policy, and this week's picks.

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Sponsor

Shopify Partner Program / Shopify Supply Dev Mode collection – Shopify's apparel and gear line built for developers. Check it out at shopify.supply and get 15% off your first order with code LIQUID.

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Subscribe to Liquid Weekly

Don't miss out on expert insights and tips—subscribe to Liquid Weekly for more content like this: https://liquidweekly.com/

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Timestamps

00:00 – Cold open: Shopify dev store UX rant
00:25 – Intro & welcome back
04:55 – Client work: rebuilding a Shopify Script as a Function overnight
06:04 – AI subscriptions: Claude, Codex, and Cursor compared
07:06 – Why Claude and Codex architect extensions so differently
13:21 – The case for ephemeral, on-demand dev stores
19:49 – Sponsor: Shopify Partner Program / Supply Dev Mode collection
21:01 – How the Shopify Dev MCP has improved over the past year
24:53 – Using Claude Design for client mockups and brand guides
27:07 – Does AI ever really "one-shot" a build?
29:08 – Building a fictitious coffee shop brand for a DEV conference talk
42:59 – Shopify breaks Shop Info's theme store tracking
48:26 – Taylor's whirlwind two-week conference plan
51:45 – Dev Changelog roundup
59:12 – Picks of the Week
1:04:46 – Wrap-up

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Dev Changelog

⚠️ Identity verification requirement for Shopify Partners - https://shopify.dev/changelog/identity-verification-for-partners – New identity verification (potentially photo ID or business details) is being required for partners requesting Collaborator access to stores. Action required, especially for agencies and support teams handling collab requests.
App pricing updates - https://shopify.dev/changelog/app-pricing-more-plans-no-charge-plan-testing-and-negative-and-fractional-app-events – Public app plans increased from 4 to 8, private plans increased from 10 to 15 per app, plus new app billing events now supported via the API.
App Store review policy update - https://shopify.dev/changelog/updated-app-store-requirements-13-always-use-honest-and-transparent-review-practices – Shopify is targeting incentivized and fraudulent review practices, with penalties including review removal, delisting, or partner account suspension. Also introducing logic to better detect fake/untrusted reviews.
Shop Mini updates for June - https://shopify.dev/changelog/shop-minis-may-june-2026-update – Multiple updates worth checking out for anyone building Shop Minis.

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Picks of the Week

Karl: His parents' basement – A nostalgia-fueled pick after finding childhood relics (cassette tapes, old CDs, toys, and even his original birth certificate) still sitting in storage.
Taylor: Frankenmuth, Michigan - https://www.bronners.com – A small Bavarian-themed town home to Bronner's, a massive year-round Christmas store, and now an annual "Christmas in July" family tradition.

Trudy MacNabb joins Karl and Taylor for a full DotDev week preview and a Toronto survival guide. If you're heading to Shopify's DotDev in July, this is your map: what's actually happening across the week, how to get around the city, where to eat, and which partner events are worth your time, including Brightwork, the Thursday event Taylor and SWYM are throwing to fill the gap left by Tectonic. And if you can't make it this year, Karl, Taylor, and Trudy walk through it so you can follow along from home.

SponsorThe Support Heroes: https://www.thesupportheroes.com/

Subscribe to Liquid WeeklyDon't miss out on expert insights and tips. Subscribe to Liquid Weekly for more content like this: https://liquidweekly.com/

Find Trudy MacNabb Online
Design Packs: https://design-packs.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trudy-macnabb-7b19104a/
Twitter/X: https://x.com/dear_trudence

Timestamps
(00:00) Cold open
(00:38) Intros and welcoming Trudy MacNabb
(02:15) Trudy's background and the Co-Shopify blog
(07:39) What to expect from DotDev week
(08:47) DotDev overview: two days, plus Shopify Summit the same week
(13:20) Tracking every event: SDA Toronto.dev and Pimsical
(15:19) Trudy's Toronto guide: food, coffee, and the map planner
(16:59) Getting around: biking, Bike Share Toronto, and e-bikes
(22:23) TTC, tap-to-pay, and the Transit app
(28:00) Airport to the city: Uber, the train, and the UP Express
(33:43) Money tips: cards, foreign transaction fees, and cash
(35:22) The partner events worth your time (Sunday to Wednesday)
(41:53) Thursday: the SDA x SWYM run and Brightwork
(42:25) Brightwork: filling the Tectonic gap at The East Room
(47:38) The frat party and other after-hours events
(52:00) Networking tips: don't sit alone, just say hi
(55:21) Wrap-up: pace yourself and check the changelog

Links & Resources
SDA Toronto.dev, Taylor and Trudy's event and city guide with a map and agenda planner: https://sdatoronto.dev/
Pimsical events feed by Jordan Finneran: https://pimsical.app/events
Bike Share Toronto and the Transit app for getting around: https://bikesharetoronto.com/
UP Express (Union Pearson Express) from the airport into downtown: https://www.upexpress.com/en
Brightwork, Thursday at The East Room: https://brightwork.dev/
Luma event calendars from Joda: https://luma.com/shopify-partner-events