How AI-ready are independent running stores? The fall 2026 benchmark of 282 stores
We ran 282 independent US running specialty stores through sqrly Pulse. The median score is 36 out of 100, assistants named only 2% of stores when shoppers asked for one, and nearly half the stores sell online through one point-of-sale platform whose storefronts all score between 30 and 42. Full results, how they compare with ski shops, the top-scoring stores, and methodology.
Read →Shiptober: one new feature for our Shopify app, every day for two weeks
From October 7 to 20 we ship one merchant-facing feature of the sqrly Shopify app every day. Why we're doing it, how a small team can keep that pace without breaking the stores that depend on us, and how to follow along.
Read →How AI-ready are independent ski shops? The Winter 2026/27 benchmark of 162 stores
We ran 162 independent US ski and snowboard shops through sqrly Pulse. The median score is 56 out of 100, no shop reached the top band, 4 in 5 weren't named by any assistant when we asked for a shop in their category, and off Shopify, structured product data separates the leaders from everyone else. Full results, charts, the top-scoring shops, and methodology.
Read →The sqrly MVP: your store's best salesperson, now for AI shoppers too
The sqrly MVP now runs end to end on our test store: one sales agent that knows every product and live stock, on the storefront and, in this first version, in a preview inside AI assistants (since replaced by the store's own Ask our expert page and site tools). What we built, an honest test against an AI reading the website, the full changelog, and what's next.
Read →AI visibility tools for online stores: which one is right for you (2026)
Native dashboards, enterprise platforms, cross-assistant monitors — the AI-visibility field got crowded fast. Here's what each type actually does, the two different questions they answer, and how to pick for your store.
Read →The AI-visibility checklist: 8 things that decide whether AI assistants recommend your store
ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity recommend stores they can read, trust, and reach. Here are the eight mostly-free fixes that decide whether yours is one of them.
Read →Introducing sqrly Pulse: your AI visibility, watched every week — $9.99/mo
Our free snapshot told you how AI assistants see your store today. Pulse turns it into a living dashboard: weekly checks, monthly deep scans, competitor tracking, and an alert if an AI ever starts saying something wrong about your brand.
Read →Your store is now checked against Perplexity — the AI your most serious shoppers use
Our free AI-readiness report now asks four assistants about your store: Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini — and Perplexity, the research engine people use when they're deciding what to buy. Here's why it matters and what we found on day one.
Read →AI assistants don't read your website first — here's where they actually research your brand
When a shopper asks an AI assistant what to buy, it doesn't start on your site. It reads review roundups, health portals, listicles, and forums — and recommends whoever those pages feature. Here's what we found, and what to do about it.
Read →We ran AI-readiness reports on 25 independent stores. Three findings kept repeating.
The AI assistants know who these stores are — and send shoppers elsewhere. The sale routes through resellers. And the expertise that makes each store special is exactly what no AI can see. Here's what we found, and the free fixes.
Read →Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini: who actually uses each one — and why your store should care about all three
The three big AI assistants have very different audiences. Here's who uses which, what they use them for, and why showing up in only one isn't enough anymore.
Read →AI agents are starting to do the shopping. Here's what it means for your store.
A plain-English guide to agentic commerce for small retailers — what's changing, why it matters, and what you can do this week.
Read →Shopify just gave you an AI sales agent. Here's how to turn it on — and where it stops short.
Shopify quietly shipped AI selling features to merchants in 2026. Most haven't switched them on. Here's what they do, how to enable them, and the gap they leave.
Read →Why AI agents recommend some products and skip yours
When a shopper asks AI what to buy, it names specific products — and ignores others. Here's how that decision gets made, and how to be the one it picks.
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