Issue #189 Loop WP

Hi, {{first_name|friend}}. 👋

Welcome to Issue #189 of Loop WP!

Last year (I love making that joke 🤭), we looked at your “Email of the Year” and your “Top 10" emails of the previous six months.

This week, we are back to our regular format (after a couple of quick emails to only subscribers)…and yes, there are a lot of “year in reviews” (they are all worth it).

Let’s go! 👇

Context is essential, so let’s look at 2025.

Last year saw significant changes in e-commerce, particularly among the big two platforms:

🚨 Then there’s FluentCart, which entered the scene and could be a genuine disruptor to WooCommerce. I’ve been impressed so far.

It’s hard to compare Shopify’s native AI (Sidekick) to WooCommerce, as AI for WooCommerce core is going to rely on WordPress Core and how it handles AI.

🤔 Sidekick is already well-established, robust and pretty damn awesome…WooCommerce doesn’t have those capabilities yet, but I think it will in terms of core (how third-party plugins integrate will be interesting).

In 2025, I built WooCommerce stores, shut down one, and maintained the others.

Shopify has always focused on custom development and maintenance rather than new builds (it’s easier for businesses to get started with Shopify on their own).

😬 Shopify has a juggernaut of a marketing department, budget, and partnerships with the likes of Klaviyo that Woo lacks (though the brand refresh and work from the likes of Brian Coords and James Kemp in the community are very welcome).

Woo will need to continue ramping up their marketing game in 2026 to avoid losing market share to Shopify (and others, e.g., FluentCart), which I do think will happen.

The fact that WooCommerced doesn’t have a dedicated major event baffled me, and fair play to Rodolfo Melogli for getting Checkout Summit off the ground.

It was a challenging year for many people (if you read the “year in review” posts below), and the same goes for me (I still have three months of my financial year left).

After a brilliant 2024, 2025 has seen:

I use AI daily in my workflows, and my work extends beyond WooCommerce and Shopify. I wonder whether, in 2026, it will shift toward training and educating others to use native AI rather than me doing more development or design work. 🤔

This could definitely happen with email marketing and Shopify, but WooCommerce remains to be seen, as it will depend on how quickly that develops in core.

🔮 I do see myself working less with WooCommerce this year, maybe that’s a regional thing, but the conversations I had last year with potential clients were never about WooCommerce.

Even existing clients were considering moving away (and one did).

I’ve been working with WooCommerce since 2015, maybe even before, and I do think there is still a place for WooCommerce in 2026. I firmly believe that.

🚨 However, I think WooCommerce has a big fight on its hands if it wants to stay relevant and in the conversation when it comes to building an e-commerce website.

What are your thoughts, {{first_name|friend}}?

(Please reply to this email and let me know.)

There are many links in this week’s email, and we have taken a two-week break, so there’s a lot to catch up on.

I highly recommend the links below, especially the “year in review” post.

There has been a lot going on in our community, and many people in the WooCommerce ecosystem have had similar experiences and plans for 2026.

That’s it for this week. 👋

This week's excellent and insightful WordPress News & Tips:

If you have a question about this email or WordPress, please reply, and I will respond as soon as possible.

👋 Until next time,

WooCommerce and Shopify logos are trademarks of their respective owners. This illustration is for editorial and illustrative purposes only and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by WooCommerce or Shopify.