Insights, tutorials, and thoughts on building software that grows your business
Showing 12 blog posts
Shopify now lets AI agents in a shopper's browser check out, and Commerce.com has switched agent tools on for nearly 100,000 stores. What that means for a small UK shop, and what a custom built site needs to join in.
Tom Whitfield
ChatGPT now has a directory of apps, and businesses are being pitched them. What a ChatGPT app can and cannot sell, who is getting value so far, and when a normal web app is the better spend.
Physical goods and services always could. Digital purchases depend on the store: Google Play opened up in the UK in June, Apple still says no, and the CMA has yet to decide. How to build an app that can switch either way.
Web apps can now sit on a home screen and send notifications on an iPhone, while app store fees and review rules keep shifting. How a small business can tell which one it really needs.
From April 2029 a PDF emailed to a business customer will no longer count as a VAT invoice. Here is who is caught, why invoices sent from your own booking or ordering system matter most, and what to audit before the roadmap lands.
AI agents can now read your inbox, chase invoices and update customer records. A practical setup for small businesses: tight permissions, human approval for anything that matters, a proper record, and when a purpose built tool is the safer choice.
Subscription prices are rising faster than almost anything else a small business pays for. Which tools you should keep renting, which job is worth building for yourself, and a simple way to compare the two over five years.
UK law now lets small websites run some analytics without asking for consent first, but only under strict conditions. Which tools qualify, which do not, and what to change on your site.
Most small business apps take three to six months from first call to live in the stores. The build is only part of it: accounts, a 14 day Google Play test and Apple review all need time in the plan.
Under UK law the developer, not the client, owns commissioned code unless there is a signed written assignment. Here is what to check in the contract before you sign, including for code written with AI tools.
A customer says you mishandled their data. Since 19 June 2026 UK law sets the steps: log it, acknowledge within 30 days, investigate, update and reply. A simple routine any small business can follow.
UK guides quote anything from £10,000 to £500,000 for an app. Five decisions decide where yours lands, and you can make most of them before you speak to anyone.
