Custom AI for e-commerce and D2C brands.
When you've outgrown the Shopify app store. Returns automation, catalog enrichment, chargeback dispute AI, dynamic merchandising, customer support beyond Gorgias. Built for brands doing $2M–$50M ARR.
Mark Austen, Founder — replies within 24 hours
What we build for e-commerce brands
The custom-AI work that off-the-shelf apps can't quite do — usually £10K–£60K, live in 6–10 weeks.
Returns automation AI
Reads return requests, validates against policy, approves / rejects, generates labels, talks to the customer. Cuts CS load 40–60% on returns alone.
Catalog enrichment
Auto-generates product copy, alt-text, attributes, multilingual descriptions from product photos and supplier data. Scales to 100K+ SKUs without an army.
Chargeback dispute AI
Reads the dispute notice, pulls the order data, drafts a response with evidence, files within the carrier deadline. Win rates up 25–40% in our shipped projects.
Inventory forecasting
AI agent reads your sales velocity, supplier lead times, marketing calendar, and proposes reorder quantities. Beats last-90-days-velocity rules by a wide margin.
Beyond-Gorgias customer support
Custom support agent that knows your products, returns policy, shipping windows and current promotions. Resolves 60–80% of tickets without a human; handovers cleanly when needed.
Dynamic merchandising
Personalised product recommendations beyond what Klaviyo / Shopify offers — informed by inventory levels, margin, customer LTV, current campaign goals.
When to outgrow the Shopify app store
Most brands at $2M+ ARR have 30+ Shopify apps. Custom AI usually replaces 3–6 of them while doing things none of them quite did.
You hit the SaaS ceiling
When Yotpo, Klaviyo, Gorgias, Yuma all do 80% of what you need but the 20% gap costs you real money. Custom AI fills the gaps the SaaS stack can't.
Your data is your edge
Apps are trained on everyone's data. Custom AI is trained on YOUR best-performing copy, your customer language, your unique returns patterns. The compounding moat lives here.
Margin matters
A $99/mo + per-resolution Gorgias bill at scale > $1,000/mo. A $40K custom build pays back in 6–12 months at $50K+/mo CS spend.
Multi-channel, multi-region
Selling on Shopify + Amazon + Walmart + DTC + wholesale, in 4 countries, in 3 languages — your stack is unique. Custom AI handles the actual matrix; SaaS handles the average case.
Owned, not vendor-locked
Your customer data, your prompts, your code. Switch providers any time. Brands that get acquired hate vendor lock-in.
A worked example
$8M ARR D2C apparel brand on Shopify Plus. Returns desk was the bottleneck.
Custom returns AI reads the customer's return request, validates against the size-exchange policy, generates the prepaid label, sends the customer the next steps, and writes the return to Loop / Returnly. 78% of returns now resolve without a CS agent. CS team redirected to higher-value retention work; refund processing time cut from 3 days to 4 hours.
Want a number first?
Use the cost estimator or check the typical timeline before booking a call.
e-commerce & D2C brands FAQ
Will this replace Klaviyo / Gorgias / Yuma / Loop?+
Not entirely. Custom AI typically replaces 3–6 specific app workflows while integrating with the rest. Most clients keep Klaviyo for email, replace Gorgias for support, replace Loop or Returnly for returns. Your call, project by project.
What integrations do you support for Shopify brands?+
Shopify Admin API, Klaviyo, Gorgias, Yotpo, Loop, ShipBob, ShipStation, Stripe, Recharge, Postscript, Attentive, Triple Whale, NorthBeam, Amazon Seller Central, Walmart, BigCommerce. If yours isn't on the list, almost certainly fine — drop me a message.
Can you handle multi-region / multi-language stores?+
Yes. Multilingual support (Shopify Markets, BigCommerce multi-storefront) is a default. We test against real customer messages in each language, not lab translations.
What's typical project size?+
Single workflow (e.g. just returns automation): £10K–£18K. Multi-workflow (returns + support + catalog enrichment): £30K–£60K. Full ops platform with admin layer: £60K–£120K.
Will the AI write product descriptions on-brand?+
Yes. We train it on your existing best-performing copy, your brand voice guide, your prohibited-claims list. Output is reviewed in the first weeks until it's consistent, then runs with sampling reviews after.
Ready to outgrow the app store?
Free 30-minute discovery call. Tell me your stack, your AOV, your CS volume; I'll come back with a written fixed-price quote within a few days.