On November 7, 2025, Shopify dropped a bombshell: Stocky, their free inventory management app used by thousands of merchants, would be discontinued on August 31, 2026. Within hours, r/shopify exploded with panicked posts. One merchant wrote: 'Stocky is being discontinued in 2026. How are you planning to handle inventory after that? It is expensive enough and we are tired of having to purchase an app for the most basic functions.' The post got 47 upvotes — a clear signal of widespread pain.
The timing creates a rare 6-month window. Stocky users are actively searching for alternatives, but the market is bifurcated: enterprise tools like Cin7 ($325+/mo) are overkill for small merchants, while budget options like IFH ($9.99/mo) lack multi-location support. Prediko starts at $119/mo and targets D2C brands with AI forecasting. The gap is clear: Stocky refugees who need basic inventory management with multi-location support, priced under $50/mo.
A migration-focused tool has a unique wedge. While Prediko and Fabrikator compete on AI features, a Stocky Migration Tool could win on simplicity: one-click data export from Stocky, guided setup, and feature parity with what merchants already know — replenishment workflows, min/max logic, and basic forecasting. Position it as 'Stocky, but better' at $29-49/mo.
💰 Revenue Blueprint
Three-tier value ladder to monetize from day one
One-time Stocky data export tool, inventory audit report, basic setup guide
Up to 500 SKUs, 2 locations, replenishment alerts, min/max inventory levels, basic reporting
Unlimited SKUs, 5 locations, demand forecasting, purchase order generation, low stock alerts, CSV export
📊 Market Evidence
The Market Gap
Stocky discontinuation creates urgent migration need (Aug 31, 2026 deadline). Existing alternatives either too expensive ($99-325/mo) or too basic (single location). No tool focuses specifically on Stocky migration with feature parity. Gap at $29-49/mo for multi-location inventory management with familiar Stocky-style workflows.
Revenue Examples
Customer logos + $119/mo pricing
Pricing tiers + Shopify app reviews
App store reviews + pricing
🏆 Competitor Landscape
How existing players stack up in this market
| Competitor | Pricing | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Prediko | $119-299/mo | AI-powered forecasting trained on 25M+ SKUs. 5-star Shopify rating. Market leader for D2C. Targets scaling brands. |
| Fabrikator | $99+/mo | AI forecasts, backorder management, stock reports. Ecommerce-focused. Growing player. |
| Cogsy | $49-199/mo | 12-month forecasts, what-if planning, replenishment alerts. Good mid-market option. |
| Sumtracker | $49+/mo | Multi-channel sync, bundles support. Real-time sync. Solid budget option. |
| IFH Inventory Forecasting Hero | $9.99/mo | Budget option but single location only. Good for Excel upgraders. |
| Cin7 | $325+/mo | Enterprise-grade IMS. Overkill for small merchants. Complex setup. |
AI-powered forecasting trained on 25M+ SKUs. 5-star Shopify rating. Market leader for D2C. Targets scaling brands.
AI forecasts, backorder management, stock reports. Ecommerce-focused. Growing player.
12-month forecasts, what-if planning, replenishment alerts. Good mid-market option.
Multi-channel sync, bundles support. Real-time sync. Solid budget option.
Budget option but single location only. Good for Excel upgraders.
Enterprise-grade IMS. Overkill for small merchants. Complex setup.
Launch Strategy
1) Build free Stocky Export Tool as urgent lead magnet (SEO: 'Stocky alternative', 'Stocky migration'). 2) Post in r/shopify and Shopify Community forums where merchants are asking for help. 3) Content marketing: 'Stocky is shutting down — here is your migration checklist'. 4) Direct outreach to merchants posting about Stocky issues. 5) Partner with Shopify agencies who manage inventory for clients. 6) Time-limited launch pricing before Aug 2026 deadline.
🛠️ Recommended Tech Stack
Suggested tools and technologies to build this idea
Why this stack: Shopify Admin API provides full inventory access. Background jobs handle large inventory syncs. Supabase stores inventory snapshots and forecasting data. Focus on reliability over AI features initially.
Score Breakdown
High demand, proven revenue, low competition — a strong opportunity
Market (20%) + Revenue (20%) + Trend (15%) + Competition (15%) + Build (15%) + Pricing (15%)
8/10 — Prediko, Cogsy, Fabrikator all growing. Stocky had thousands of users creating captive migration market. Clear willingness to pay for inventory tools.
6/10 — Prediko estimated $50K+ MRR based on pricing and customer logos. Cogsy growing. Less public revenue data than other categories.
7/10 — Inventory management is complex. 3-4 weeks for MVP with basic features. Migration tool itself is quick (1 week).
🚀 Start Building
Copy a prompt into your favorite AI coding tool and start building this idea right now.
Build a SaaS product called "Stocky Sunset Migration Tool". ## Product Overview Help Shopify merchants transition from Stocky before Aug 2026 shutdown—data export, workflow mapping, new tool setup. ## Problem Help Shopify merchants transition from Stocky before Aug 2026 shutdown—data export, workflow mapping, new tool setup. ## Solution Build Stocky Sunset Migration 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, Fabrikator, Cogsy, Sumtracker, IFH Inventory Forecasting Hero, Cin7 ## 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.