Stefan Szakal

💸 A new version of "Shopping with ChatGPT Search" Doc was published 4 days ago with the launch of their new Shopping Checkout and Agentic Protocol. This is what has changed 👇 * Further clarification about product selection: "Product results are selected independently by ChatGPT and are not ads, nor influenced by any OpenAI partnerships." * How Merchants Are Selected: ** Before they said "the order in which they display merchants is predominantly determined by providers. They didn't re-rank merchants".... ** Now they specify that: "This list is generated by ChatGPT based on merchant and product metadata from third-party providers or directly from the merchants themselves. Merchants are ranked based on factors like availability, price, quality, whether they are the maker or primary seller of that item, and whether Instant Checkout is enabled." They also mention how they expect this to evolve by "personalizing merchant rankings even more to user preferences." * When determining which products to surface, ChatGPT now also specifies that it considers now first-party data: "Structured metadata from first-party and third-party providers (e.g., price, product description) and other third-party content." * Regarding pricing, it now specifies that: "ChatGPT works to highlight the lowest priced option it is aware of with the label “Best price” in the product detail page and merchant rankings." What doesn't change? * The clarification that Reviews and ratings are not verified by OpenAI. * When merchants update their pricing or shipping terms, there may be some delay before it is reflected in the information and they are actively working on faster methods to update this information. Check the new doc in comments 👇👀

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Here's what I've learned building digital products at Fcode Labs and others that actually keep users coming back. The first 5 minutes of your app experience is very important. When was the last time you gave an app a second chance after a confusing first experience? This is what actually works: • Make onboarding interactive, not just a slideshow. Let users learn by doing, not just reading. • Personalize the experience. A tech-savvy developer needs different guidance than someone who's less comfortable with technology. The most overlooked part is the Analytics. Specially when you are in early stage. You need solid analytics to see exactly where users drop off. Are they stuck on the signup? Confused by the dashboard? Without data, you're just guessing. Recently, we saw a reduction of 40% users dropping in Linkify just by redesigning onboarding flow based on actual user behavior patterns. Onboarding isn't just about teaching features. It's about showing value quickly. Users need to think "This solves my problem" within minutes, not days. What apps or platforms do you think have the best first-time experience? #ProductDevelopment #UserExperience #Analytics

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I shared a simple framework for choosing startup ideas a while ago (here's the post: https://lnkd.in/d6Rub75Z). Once you've narrowed them down, there's the next question: What type of startup model are you building? Every idea fits into one of three models: Niche Model — serves a specific market segment with specialized solutions. Trend Surfer Model — catch an emerging wave and ride it with discipline. Problem Solver Model — obsess over a pain point and eliminate it. Why does this matter? Because each model requires a different mindset and knowing which one you're in keeps you aligned with yourself, your team, your customers, and investors. The model defines how you build, scale, and raise capital. 🟦 Niche Models demand depth and patience. You win by serving a tight market better than anyone. Growth can be slower, but defensibility is high if you stay focused. Examples: Etsy built specifically for creators and handmade sellers. Or Chewy, which created lasting loyalty by going all-in on pet owners. 🟦 Trend Surfers need strong filters. You're moving fast on a rising wave, but discipline is critical. Many panic when bigger players enter and may pivot too early. Examples: TikTok captured the trend toward shorter attention spans and more authentic, less polished content. Beyond Meat zeroed in on replicating meat, winning over flexitarians, not just vegetarians. 🟦 Problem Solvers are usually obsessed with the problem they’re trying to solve. You're building for one pain point. The biggest risk here is when founders drift by adding features for side problems until the original vision gets lost. Examples: Grammarly refined writing for clarity. Headspace made meditation easy and habitual, starting with beginners, not experts. I go deeper into this in my book Unicorn Focus. The Key to Building Billion-Dollar Startups in the Age of AI. I've released the full chapter, The Art of Choosing a Business Idea, as a free preview. Feel free to download it on my website (link in the comments). So let me ask: Which model are you building — Niche, Trend Surfer, or Problem Solver? #unicornfocus

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Back in 2000, Google co-founder Larry Page made a bold prediction that sounds eerily familiar today. "But won't AI just make search engines obsolete?" Not exactly. Here's why Page's vision was spot-on: He understood that AI wouldn't replace Google → it would become Google's ultimate evolution. Page saw artificial intelligence as the natural progression of search, not its competitor. When he said "AI would be the ultimate version of Google," he was describing a future where search engines would understand exactly what you wanted and deliver the perfect answer. "But how could he predict something so complex back then?" Because visionary leaders don't just solve today's problems → they anticipate tomorrow's possibilities. Page recognized that with "almost everything on the web," AI could theoretically answer any question. He was building toward that future when Google was just 6,000 computers serving 100 copies of the web. The lesson here is powerful: True innovation happens when you see beyond current limitations and build toward what's possible, not just what's profitable today. What breakthrough are you building toward that others can't see yet? ♻️ Repost to help people in your network. And follow me for more posts like this.

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Most founders kill their products before launch. I almost did too. At Filedgr 🦉 we had built a stable application - but I kept finding "essential" improvements before releasing it to developers in the testnet. Other apps with established user bases looked more polished, and the bar for new products keeps rising since Facebook's early days. I was scared to move forward, yet knew we built this app for people to use, not to keep in a drawer. This was completely paralyzing. And I was worried we'd eventually miss our window if something didn't change. Self-doubt set in. To cope, I focused on: Finding all the little issues to fix → which only delayed us further. The anxiety became more overwhelming each day. And yet, I was convinced our app wasn't ready without these extra features. And one day, it culminated in a breaking point. Our team had to have an honest conversation about what was holding us back. All I could think was: "We can't launch until everything is perfect." That's when our team collectively gave each other strength to move forward. When I looked at historical product launches, I remembered what Steve Jobs once said about Apple: He explained they were a sinking ship, and his job wasn't to fix the sinking but to "point it in the right direction so it sinks just before reaching land." I didn't realize that I was confusing features with purpose. I was completely overthinking what users needed on day one. And that had to change. With the help of my team, we agreed to launch while keeping ourselves less busy to work on customer requests as they came in. That shift in perspective led to us finally flipping the switch. So here's the big lesson I learned: Yes, perfecting features does improve user experience. But it was preventing actual users from experiencing anything at all. I was always prioritizing theoretical improvements over real feedback; And it finally caught up to me. That honest team discussion was ultimately what saved our launch. It helped me: 1. Distinguish between core functionality and nice-to-have features 2. Trust that our product fulfilled its purpose 3. Remember to prioritize people, product, and profit - in that order (Based on one of my favorite readings) I'm sharing this because most founders face this same struggle. If you want to overcome launch anxiety, be brutally honest about what your app must accomplish on day one and scrap what isn't essential yet.

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You don’t fix checkout abandonment with design tweaks. You fix it with clarity, speed, and trust. Here’s what actually moves the needle: ✅ Address auto-complete (especially for mobile) ✅ Clear shipping & returns info *before* payment ✅ Smart defaults — country, delivery method, payment ✅ Progress indicator — but only if steps are short ✅ 1-click checkout for returning customers And no, A/B testing button colours won’t save a broken flow. Before redesigning your PDP or cart, audit your checkout. That’s where your profit leaks. What’s one thing you’ve changed in your checkout that made a real impact? #ecommerce #checkoutoptimization #uxstrategy #conversionrate #onlinestore #ecommercetech #digitalcommerce

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