AI-generated applications offer merchants new ways to tackle repeated tasks. Perhaps none are as game-changing as vibe-coding.<\/p>\n
Managing an ecommerce shop in a competitive market is demanding. There are orders to process, campaigns to manage, customers to service, and many repetitive tasks such as reporting and monitoring.<\/p>\n
Familiar Solutions<\/h3>\n
Until recently, only a few practical options could complete the never-done tasks:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Do it manually.<\/li>\n
- Subscribe to a SaaS solution.<\/li>\n
- Hire a developer to build something.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Here\u2019s an example. Imagine you sell the popular Funko collectibles. Lots of folks buy them, and lots of competing stores sell them.<\/p>\n
To track competitors\u2019 prices,<\/a> you could occasionally visit a handful of sites to ensure your prices are in line.<\/p>\n
Or you could use a price intelligence tool such as Prisync, Price2Spy, or Competera, or hire a developer to build your own.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nComparing competitive prices is a repetitive but necessary task.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Automation<\/h3>\n
That last option \u2014 build your own tool \u2014 is what has changed most in 2026.<\/p>\n
To be clear, developing an internal tool is not new. I wrote a tutorial in 2015 for that purpose: \u201cMonitor Competitor Prices with Python and Scrapy<\/a>.\u201d I provided step-by-step instructions for building a basic web scraper and included Python code examples.<\/p>\n
In February this year, I wrote a follow-up, \u201cAI Revives Ecommerce DIY,<\/a>\u201d that addressed how automation platforms and AI were making it relatively easy to create internal software tools. I again used the example of a competitive price automation, this time on the n8n<\/a>\u00a0platform.<\/p>\n
Since then, n8n added a more advanced web scraper, a database for storage, and an AI chat interface so you can ask questions about price changes and price trends over time.<\/p>\n
Vibe Coding<\/h3>\n
Yet AI is changing so fast that I\u2019m revisiting, in this article, the idea of inexpensive, readily available tools to solve many retail and ecommerce software needs.<\/p>\n
This example uses vibe coding,<\/a> the process of creating a useful software application by describing the need to an AI tool in natural language.<\/p>\n
In the past two months, I have seen more than a dozen examples of vibe-coded applications running in production environments. None are specific to ecommerce or retailing, but they point to what\u2019s possible.<\/p>\n
Here are a few examples:<\/p>\n
- \n
- A marketing executive built a SaaS tool that sells for a $1,500 annual subscription. He has several customers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- A CEO developed an interstitial advertising app that places \u201crewarded ads<\/a>\u201d between his company\u2019s media site and external links.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- A software engineer built a tool to monitor incoming bug reports, analyze them, and, when feasible, draft code changes and pull requests.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- A friend vibe-coded a tool to read Little League baseball box scores and suggest improvements to his coaching.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Competitive Vibe<\/h3>\n
Anyone can start vibe coding via Claude, ChatGPT, or a related tool. Type something like \u201cMake me a price intelligence tool.\u201d<\/p>\n
What follows is a back-and-forth conversation with the tool, producing and updating prototypes based on feedback. You can, however, improve the process and reduce the AI credits by planning the app with a separate AI or in a separate mode.<\/p>\n
For this example, I used ChatGPT to develop a concise and detailed prompt for Replit, the vibe coding tool that built the application. (I could have used Replit\u2019s own planning mode.)<\/p>\n
My initial input into ChatGPT was extensive and included:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Project identity and purpose.<\/strong> What is the app meant to do?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- Technology stack.<\/strong> Are there any technology requirements? Specific AI models or specific APIs. If it is an API, include a link to the documentation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- Data requirements.<\/strong> What data to capture? Are there specific storage requirements?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- Authentication.<\/strong> How should the login work? Are there different user roles?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- Screens and views.<\/strong> What should a user see when completing some task or interacting with the app?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- Testing.<\/strong> Should the app include any automated testing?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- \n
- Design requirements.<\/strong> Are there any visual elements or standards to consider? Do you want specific fonts or colors?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Creation<\/h2>\n
Based on that initial input, ChatGPT generated a vibe-coding prompt. I read the plan, asked a few questions, and requested changes.<\/p>\n
Eventually, I used the ChatGPT-produced prompt for Replit, the vibe coding AI in this example. It took Replit 18 minutes to build the first version of my price-comparison app, which I called \u201cFunko Price Intel Tool.\u201d<\/p>\n
The tool provided (hypothetical) 90-day price history of Funko collectibles from Amazon, Walmart, Entertainment Earth, and Science Fiction Classics.<\/p>\n
![\"Screenshot](\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/050226-funko-dashboard-570x349.png\" "\\"Screenshot")
<\/a><\/p>\nThe basic price history graph tracks price changes over time. Click image to enlarge.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
It also included a daily price table, a field for a message if the price moved more than 20%, and a link to the product page. A log tab keeps track of scrapes and notes any scraping errors. After testing, my new tool proved functional.<\/p>\n
Nearly anyone can do something similar.<\/p>\n
- Design requirements.<\/strong> Are there any visual elements or standards to consider? Do you want specific fonts or colors?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Testing.<\/strong> Should the app include any automated testing?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Screens and views.<\/strong> What should a user see when completing some task or interacting with the app?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Authentication.<\/strong> How should the login work? Are there different user roles?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Data requirements.<\/strong> What data to capture? Are there specific storage requirements?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Technology stack.<\/strong> Are there any technology requirements? Specific AI models or specific APIs. If it is an API, include a link to the documentation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Project identity and purpose.<\/strong> What is the app meant to do?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- A friend vibe-coded a tool to read Little League baseball box scores and suggest improvements to his coaching.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- A software engineer built a tool to monitor incoming bug reports, analyze them, and, when feasible, draft code changes and pull requests.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- A CEO developed an interstitial advertising app that places \u201crewarded ads<\/a>\u201d between his company\u2019s media site and external links.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- A marketing executive built a SaaS tool that sells for a $1,500 annual subscription. He has several customers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
![\"Screenshot](\"https:\/\/www.practicalecommerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/050226-price-table-570x186.jpg\" "\\"Screenshot")
<\/a><\/p>\n