From E-commerce Roots to Shopify Apps: The Story Behind Pandectes

In this interview, the cofounder of Pandectes shares how a background in software engineering and real-world e-commerce led to building one of the most trusted compliance apps on Shopify. From scraping the App Store for insights to embracing AI responsibly, it’s a story of focus, innovation, and staying close to merchants.

Intro & Background

Can you tell us a bit about your background? What were you doing before you got into Shopify app development?

I had a background in software engineering and entrepreneurship before I started developing Shopify apps. Building solutions that address real-world issues has always piqued my interest, particularly at the nexus of business and technology.

I worked on a variety of web and SaaS projects before co-founding Pandectes, including internal business tools and e-commerce platforms. My understanding of how to create software and make it worthwhile for end-users has improved thanks to these experiences.

While assisting a client with their store in Greece, I became acquainted with the Shopify ecosystem and soon saw how dynamic and rapidly expanding the platform was. At that point, the concept of creating an app that takes compliance and data protection requirements into account began to take shape, and Pandectes was born.

What led you to the world of web development/ecommerce? Was it a gradual evolution or a sudden leap?

It began to change during my time in college, gradually. I was actively working on real-world projects in addition to my studies in Patras, Greece. A pharmacy and an electronics e-shop based in Greece were two of my first significant projects. With hundreds of orders every day, they both became the most well-liked in their respective industries.

I learned a lot about web development and the ins and outs of managing an online business from that practical experience. Even at the time, I recognized the enormous potential for growth and innovation in e-commerce after witnessing its power firsthand. My path was shaped by that early exposure, which ultimately brought me into the Shopify ecosystem.

Getting into Shopify & Apps

How did you first discover Shopify? What drew you to the platform?

I did not even realize the full scope of marketplaces like the Shopify App Store. But having an e-commerce background and having previously built successful online stores, I was naturally interested when my first client approached me with a Shopify store.

That’s when I started delving deeper. I spent time familiarizing myself with the Shopify ecosystem and took the data-first approach: I scraped the entire app store, collecting metadata for all the apps, their partners, countries, popularity, and so much more. That foray confirmed one thing: there was still a lot of room for improvement and innovation.

Assuming that, I went to my best friend and long-time colleague, Panos. I shared what we discovered, and since we had tried out some startup ideas in the past (which didn’t take off), we wanted to move quickly. We built an MVP and wanted to release something as soon as possible so we could attend the next major Shopify event, Shopify Pursuit in Berlin, back in 2018. That’s basically where our Shopify journey started officially.

What made you decide to build your first Shopify app? Was it a personal challenge, a business opportunity, or something else?

It was both a personal challenge and a sure business opportunity.

After conducting thorough research on the Shopify App Store, I noticed that most of the top apps solve real issues. There were gaps, nevertheless, especially in areas like compliance, data privacy, and user trust. Having an e-commerce background, I was aware of how important these were for store owners, especially in Europe with the arrival of GDPR.

Together, Panos and I saw it as a chance to build something valuable. We didn’t want to create a product that didn’t exist just to be another app, but one that provided genuine value and filled a growing need.

The decision to create our first app was extremely intentional; it was driven by the opportunity we saw in the market as well as by our need to create a high-impact product from scratch.

Pandectes GDPR Compliance – Dashboard

Process & Philosophy

What’s your approach when designing a new app? Do you start with a visual idea, a user need, or something else?

My process always begins with discovering a genuine user need. I don’t start with a visual idea, but I begin by addressing a particular problem first. I consider what already exists in the market, what works, what doesn’t, and where there’s an opportunity to improve. The objective is to produce something functional, scalable, and truly useful to merchants.

Once the essence is determined, we then build the experience out from it, making the user journey intuitive and straightforward. Visual design comes after that, using the users’ interactions with the product as a reference.

Over time, much of our feature development is driven by our support team. We’re talking to real clients every day, and that gives us incredibly valuable information about what merchants need, not necessarily what we think they need. Those conversations typically give rise to some of our best product ideas.

We also invest time learning about updates, trends, and upcoming tech updates. Especially in areas like data privacy and compliance, it’s essential to stay up to date. Ongoing research helps us develop apps that are not only useful today but also future-proofed for tomorrow.

Do you have a specific type of merchant in mind when developing an app, or do you aim for versatility?

We always look for flexibility, but with a clear vision of who benefits the most from what we’re building.

At first, when we started, our initial target was European stores, especially those dealing with GDPR and other local compliance requirements. But as we grew and engaged with more store owners worldwide, we realized that the need for compliance and trust is universal, regardless of size, category, or geography.

As we design our app to be extensible and flexible for a wide range of use cases, we also pay special attention to specific merchant profiles, such as scaling DTC brands quickly or those in regulated industries, where our solution can provide even more value.

We aim to create tools that simply work out of the box for most, while also allowing power users to go deeper when needed.

Is there a feature or detail in any of your apps that you’re particularly proud of? Something people might overlook, but you feel makes a big difference?

One thing we’re particularly proud of is that when others copy what we’ve added to the equation, it’s a sign that we’re heading in the right direction. A good example of this is our “Check Compliance” button, which we added to our dashboard. It seems simple enough, but it made a giant difference. Compliance can be a complex and overwhelming topic for many merchants, and this feature gave them an easy way to evaluate their setup and feel more confident about their store’s status. Seeing that idea adopted by others in the space validates the direction we’re taking.

On a more fundamental level, we’re also proud of how we’ve built and seasoned our backend. We learned early to make the app locally and iterate on it in real-time without those long deployment cycles that were common at the time. That provided a considerable speed, iteration, and stability advantage, and it’s one that we still benefit from today.

It’s those UX and technical choices in the background that shape the experience, even though they’re not necessarily apparent to the end user.

Shopify & The Ecosystem

If you could change or improve one thing about the Shopify ecosystem, what would it be?

If there’s one thing I’d improve about the Shopify ecosystem, it would be the communication flow between app developers and Shopify support. As it stands, reaching out for help often means going through a generic support channel, talking to different people each time, and waiting several days for a resolution. That can be infuriating, especially if the issue is technical and the person on the other end does not possess the specific knowledge needed to provide in a helpful manner.

Another area is the Built for Shopify process. While the intention behind it is solid, raising the overall quality bar, the process itself has been quite complex and time-consuming. It hasn’t always been transparent or efficient, which adds unnecessary delays for developers trying to meet the standard. That said, we’re optimistic because Shopify has recently signaled that improvements are coming to make the process more transparent and streamlined.

We love to develop on Shopify, but better coordination and alignment between the platform and its developers would make it an even more pleasant experience for all of us.

Is there something you’d love to see added to the Shopify App Store in the future, either technically or in terms of how they’re sold/discovered?

As the Shopify App Store has grown extremely rapidly over the past few years, discoverability is now a problem, not just for new developers but also for merchants and agencies seeking the right tools to meet their needs.

One thing I’d love to see is more advanced filtering and search options. Currently, it’s difficult for users to drill down based on specific criteria, such as integration with other apps, multilingual support availability, or the presence of certain compliance features. Giving merchants more ways to search by use case, business size, or even region would go a long way.

I’d also like to see a stronger focus on showcasing what makes each app unique, maybe through standardized feature tags, live demos, or better use of video previews.

On the developer’s end, it would be great to get more performance analytics upfront from the App Store, such as where users are finding your app, where users are dropping out in the install funnel, or even comparing it to similar apps as a benchmark. These bits of information would make us better, improve faster, and offer more value.

In general, while the App Store continues to grow, I think Shopify does have a real opportunity to reimagine the discovery and education experience, not just listing apps, but also guiding merchants to the right solutions more effectively.

The Future

Where do you see your app business going next? Are you planning more apps or exploring other things in the Shopify ecosystem?

We have a lot in the pipeline, new features, UI/UX improvements, and ongoing optimizations based on user feedback. At the same time, we’re closely following global regulatory deadlines, data privacy updates, and Shopify’s evolving requirements, like the Built for Shopify program. Staying compliant and ahead of these changes is a key priority for us.

As for launching new apps, we don’t have any plans to do so at the moment. We’re firm believers that focus beats expansion. Instead of expanding into multiple different products, we’re doubling down on making our core app the absolute best in its class. There’s still a lot of value we can create for our users, and we’re going to do it thoughtfully and scalably.

That said, we’re constantly examining ways to go further into the Shopify ecosystem, whether that’s more stringent integrations with other apps, agency partnerships, or functionality that enables merchants to be more insights-led around data practices. Ultimately, we want to be more than a compliance tool; we’re aiming to help merchants create trustworthy, privacy-first, and data-aware stores.

What excites you the most about the future of ecommerce right now?

What excites me most about the future of e-commerce is how intelligent, personalized, and privacy-conscious it’s becoming.

We’re seeing a significant shift in how merchants use data, not just to optimize marketing, but to build more authentic and respectful relationships with their customers. This new era is about transparency, trust, and consent, and that aligns perfectly with our mission at Pandectes.

Meanwhile, advancements in AI and automation are also transforming the way stores operate, from more informed product recommendations to dynamic pricing and customer support. What’s intriguing is that, when such technologies are used ethically, they enhance the user experience without violating privacy.

I’m also fascinated by the continued globalization of e-commerce. Tools like Shopify are enabling small businesses from anywhere in the world to sell globally, which opens up enormous opportunities for innovation, especially when it comes to compliance across multiple markets.

Lastly, the ecosystem itself is maturing. Merchants are demanding better tools, better UX, and more meaningful integrations, which pushes all of us building apps to raise the bar.

Pandectes GDPR Compliance – Scan Results

AI & Industry Trends

How do you see AI impacting app development in the next few years? Are you already using it in your workflow?

AI is already starting to revolutionize the way we approach app development, and its impact is going to grow in the next couple of years. It’s not just automation, it’s more about developing more innovative tools, faster workflows, and more dynamic user experiences.

In our case, we’re already using AI in small but meaningful ways, for example, to assist with internal support processes, analyze customer feedback more efficiently, or speed up parts of our QA and testing. These enhancements help us move faster and better serve our users.

Looking ahead, AI can do more to make app behavior more personalized based on merchant needs, identify regulatory risks in advance, and even predict regulatory changes by region and industry. As developers, AI will also make what we do, code, debug, and deploy, better by automating mundane tasks and freeing up time for us to innovate on products.

Conversely, the most significant thing will be to use AI responsibly, not for the sake of being trendy, but in a manner that truly benefits users and maintains their data. That equilibrium will define the next generation of meaningful apps.

Shopify recently announced an AI-powered prompt-based system that generates variations of the Dawn theme. What are your thoughts on this development?

​Shopify’s newest AI-powered prompt-based system for generating Dawn theme variations is a giant step in e-commerce design. By allowing merchants to describe their business and receive up to three personalized themes, the tool lowers the barrier to entry for store customization and accelerates the setup process.

This is thrilling as it democratizes design, making it possible for merchants without technical expertise to have professionally designed storefronts. It also opens up new opportunities for app developers to integrate more natively with these AI-created themes, enabling compatibility and a smoother user experience.

These types of AI-driven tools will become even more sophisticated, with greater customization possibilities and possibly integration with other aspects of store management. It’s an exciting time to be a part of the Shopify ecosystem, and I’m interested to see how these innovations will continue to evolve.

Quick Takes

Apps you admire?

To start with, I must express a word of gratitude to Björn Forsberg and his app Orderly Emails. Björn was the first app developer we met in 2018 at one of our Shopify events, and his talk impressed us tremendously. The care that went into building his app, the simplicity, and the detail were simply astonishing. It was such an inspiration to us to start our path within the Shopify community.

One of my favorite apps is Judge.me. They’ve grown massively and stayed humble in what matters most to them: user experience. I’ve met them in person some times, both for their purposes in London and at Shopify events around the world, and what strikes me most is how clearly they understand the review landscape and how dedicated they are to delivering value over increasing prices. Their laser-like focus on customer needs just sets them apart.

Favorite part of app development: Research, design, coding, testing, documentation, something else?

It starts with research. I love diving into the market, understanding merchant pain points, studying competitor apps, and identifying gaps where we can innovate. This stage isn’t about features. It’s about understanding behavior, regulations, business models, and how all those elements interact. Good research lays the foundation for building something truly valuable.

Design is where the ideas start to come together. I don’t necessarily mean just UI design, but also general user experience – how someone interacts with the app, how easily they can reach their destination, and how confident they feel when using it. Good design is invisible; it just works and makes things easier. I enjoy working closely with our designers and thinking through every aspect of the flow.

And finally, testing. That’s where you validate everything you’ve built. I enjoy it since it gets you to think like the user, and occasionally catch things that weren’t obvious during development. It’s also an opportunity to polish the experience, remove friction, and make it solid. When testing is comprehensive, it builds trust and makes the app just work seamlessly across store types and configurations.

One piece of advice for someone thinking of submitting an app to the Shopify App Store?

My sole suggestion to anyone looking to publish an app in the Shopify App Store is: learn the ecosystem as it is now, not as it was a couple of years ago.

When we entered the space in 2018, the App Store was smaller, there was less competition, and it was easier to get discovered. Now, it is very different. The number of apps has increased exponentially, the bar of quality is much higher, and with AI entering the scene, even the way we perform support, marketing, and product feedback has undergone a complete transformation.

And that is a positive. It is an indicator of just how mature and promising the Shopify ecosystem has become. The magic here is that you are building in a focused, structured, and well-supported ecosystem. In contrast to constructing a standalone SaaS on the open web, building inside Shopify means you get to leverage an extremely active merchant base, excellent documentation, well-built APIs, and a community that genuinely cares about enhancement.

If you’re serious about starting your own SaaS, Shopify is a great place to start. You’ll still need to work hard, build something meaningful, pay attention to UX, and support your users like they’re partners. But the infrastructure, discoverability, and built-in commerce tools make the journey far more focused and achievable.

And don’t underestimate how much you can learn just by listening to merchants, reading support tickets, reviews, and even other apps. The winners in this space aren’t just those who build fast, but those who build responsibly, iterate constantly, and stay close to their users.