What Managing 166+ Stores Tells Us About Shopify AI

In this episode of ChaiNet, we speak with Hitesh Matlani, who oversees the performance of over 166 Shopify stores. We explore the urgent question for every merchant and agency: what happens when AI tools become standard inside every e-commerce platform, and does this make human expertise obsolete?Hitesh explains that the value of an agency is shifting from technical implementation to strategic curation and emotional intelligence. He breaks down which AI features actually drive sales, which often fail in practice, and why a merchant’s strategy now matters more than their access to tools.Listen to the full episode for a clear view of what it takes to win in e-commerce when everyone has the same AI and how to build a business that lasts beyond the hype. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit chainet.substack.com