When Shopify announced Stocky's discontinuation, a merchant posted on r/shopify: 'Stocky was so bad that we went back to paying for inventory software. Cin7 is what we use. But I do not love it either.' The post got 15 upvotes. Another replied: 'You need an enterprise grade IMS at that point. Shopify inventory management and reporting are embarrassingly bad.' 23 upvotes. The frustration is palpable.
The Shopify ecosystem has 4.8 million merchants generating $200B+ in GMV annually. Yet inventory forecasting tools are either too expensive (Prediko at $119/mo, Inventory Planner at $299/mo) or too basic (IFH at $9.99/mo handles single location only). Stocky's shutdown by August 31, 2026 creates a 6-month window where merchants are actively searching for alternatives — and willing to pay.
The opportunity is a 'Goldilocks' inventory forecasting tool: not as basic as IFH, not as expensive as Prediko. At $29-49/mo with multi-location support, basic AI forecasting, and dead-simple setup, it could capture thousands of Stocky refugees who can't afford premium tools but need more than single-location basics.
💰 Revenue Blueprint
Three-tier value ladder to monetize from day one
Stocky data export tool, inventory health check, 14-day trial
500 SKUs, 3 locations, 30-day forecasting, restock alerts, basic reports
Unlimited SKUs, 10 locations, 90-day forecasting, purchase orders, low stock alerts, CSV export
📊 Market Evidence
The Market Gap
Price gap between IFH ($9.99/mo, single location) and Cogsy/Prediko ($49-119/mo). Stocky refugees need: multi-location support, basic forecasting, replenishment alerts. No tool at $29-39/mo tier specifically targeting this migration.
Revenue Examples
Customer logos + pricing
Pricing tiers + app reviews
Acquisition + pricing
🏆 Competitor Landscape
How existing players stack up in this market
| Competitor | Pricing | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Prediko | $119-299/mo | AI-powered, trained on 25M+ SKUs. Market leader for D2C. 5-star Shopify rating. |
| Inventory Planner (Sage) | $299+/mo | Established enterprise player. Comprehensive forecasting. Higher price point. |
| Cogsy | $49-199/mo | 12-month forecasts, what-if planning. Good mid-market option. |
| Fabrikator | $99+/mo | AI forecasts, backorder management. Ecommerce-focused. |
| IFH Inventory Forecasting Hero | $9.99/mo | Budget option. Single location only. Good for simple stores. |
| Tightly | $49+/mo | New (late 2024). AI forecasting, open-to-buy budgeting. |
AI-powered, trained on 25M+ SKUs. Market leader for D2C. 5-star Shopify rating.
Established enterprise player. Comprehensive forecasting. Higher price point.
12-month forecasts, what-if planning. Good mid-market option.
AI forecasts, backorder management. Ecommerce-focused.
Budget option. Single location only. Good for simple stores.
New (late 2024). AI forecasting, open-to-buy budgeting.
Launch Strategy
1) Build free Stocky Migration Tool as urgent lead magnet. 2) Post in r/shopify and Shopify Community where merchants are asking. 3) SEO: 'Stocky alternative', 'Shopify inventory forecasting affordable'. 4) Partner with Shopify agencies managing merchant operations. 5) Content: 'Stocky shutdown guide' with migration checklist. 6) Time-limited launch pricing before Aug 2026.
🛠️ Recommended Tech Stack
Suggested tools and technologies to build this idea
Why this stack: Shopify Admin API for inventory data. Background jobs handle large catalogs. Simple ML models for forecasting (don't need cutting-edge AI, just reliable predictions).
Score Breakdown
Good market signals with room for growth
Market (20%) + Revenue (20%) + Trend (15%) + Competition (15%) + Build (15%) + Pricing (15%)
8/10 — Prediko, Cogsy, Inventory Planner all growing. 4.8M Shopify merchants. Clear willingness to pay.
6/10 — Less public indie revenue data. Enterprise players dominate. Cogsy/Prediko are private.
6/10 — Inventory management is complex. 4-5 weeks MVP. Forecasting needs tuning.
🚀 Start Building
Copy a prompt into your favorite AI coding tool and start building this idea right now.
Build a SaaS product called "Shopify Inventory Forecasting Tool". ## Product Overview AI-powered inventory forecasting and automated reorder management for Shopify stores - filling the gap left by Stocky discontinuation ## Problem AI-powered inventory forecasting and automated reorder management for Shopify stores - filling the gap left by Stocky discontinuation ## Solution Build Shopify Inventory Forecasting Tool ## Target Audience indie hackers, small businesses, and solopreneurs ## Tech Stack - Next.js 15 (App Router) with TypeScript - Tailwind CSS v4 for styling - Supabase for auth, database, and storage - Vercel for deployment - shadcn/ui for UI components - Framer Motion for animations ## MVP Features to Build 1. Landing page with clear value proposition 2. User authentication (sign up, sign in, forgot password) 3. Core product functionality based on the solution above 4. Dashboard for users to manage their data 5. Pricing page with at least 2 tiers (free + paid) 6. Basic settings/profile page ## Known Competitors Prediko, Inventory Planner (Sage), Cogsy, Fabrikator, IFH Inventory Forecasting Hero, Tightly ## Key Risks to Address Standard market entry risks ## Deployment 1. Set up Supabase project and configure environment variables 2. Deploy to Vercel with `npx vercel --prod` 3. Set up custom domain 4. Configure Supabase RLS policies for security ## Instructions Start by creating the project structure, then build the landing page first. Use server components where possible. Make it mobile-responsive from the start. Focus on getting the core value loop working before adding polish.