I have a new AI chief of staff that I can talk to and have strategic meetings with.
I can speak to it like a real assistant.
Except this one is a lot smarter than most assistants and even people I know.
I didn't think this was possible.
Here's the 80/20 of Ecom for this week:
A quick personal update
I've been dealing with a health issue recently. I wasn't able to deliver the live webinar planned earlier today. I'll be in touch with more updates after the weekend.
In today's issue:
My new AI chief of staff, and what we were able to do by voice.
Next week's BQOOL webinar for wholesale and arbitrage sellers.
The Vital Few.
I have a new AI chief of staff
I'm planning the October mastermind, and I had to go over some details, expenses and budgeting for the event.
One of the things I hate to do is manually open up spreadsheets, gather information from different sources for costs, expenses and all of the details, like videography.
What really helped me was, number one, ChatGPT-6 Astra is super intelligent.
It was able to gather all of the information from emails, websites, past meeting transcripts, images and everything.
And number two, the real-time voice mode made it virtually my Jarvis.
I asked, “Hey ChatGPT, what if in this scenario we had more people? In this scenario, we had fewer people?”
It was able to give me breakdowns in a spreadsheet, at my will.
By just talking to it like a real person.
Literally, I was just speaking whatever I wanted.
This may be sacrilegious but I even felt a little God-like.
I didn't have to touch the keyboard or check any website.
And then there was something we weren't sure about with the venue. It could visit the venue website and pull out the exact floor plan. It could pull out the exact email from the manager.
This was all in Japanese and it understood everything and translated everything into English and back in no sweat.
And it could comparison shop.
There’s a Chinese saying “Huo bi san jia” which means you need to go to 3 shops to buy one thing.
The AI went to competing venue websites to do competitive research of pricing venue size and more.
It felt like when I was a manager and my boss would sit on the sofa and brainstorm and ask me to check and give me scenarios.
I would quickly take everything down. Whiteboard different scenarios. And frantically google search alternate scenarios and websites.
You may remember I went through over a dozen VAs through the years in search of the elusive “A Player”.
Let’s just say I haven’t had a full time assistant since Dec and I maybe better off and my P and L looks happier as well.
So the takeaway is this: with your ecommerce business right now, if you haven't tried GPT-6 Astra, give it a try.
I suggest you give it one task that is super repetitive, that you hate to do, such as going through inventory reports or checking competitors. Then have it do it for you.
TAKEAWAY: Give it one task that is super repetitive, that you hate to do. See it run.
Bonus tip: Use GPT-6 Astra on Low effort. It is smarter than GPT 5.6 Sol and cheaper!
Special edition: wholesale and arbitrage sellers
Wholesale or arbitrage seller? Thinking about private label?
We're co-hosting a webinar with BQOOL next week about how to use AI to go from wholesale or arbitrage to private label, starting with better sourcing and buying decisions in your existing business.
If you're a wholesale or arbitrage seller, this is for you.
AI for Wholesale Arbitrage: Source Smarter, Protect Your Margins, and Explore Your Own Brand
What you'll learn:
How to use AI to research suppliers and compare products, costs, and terms before your next buy.
What you should reorder and what you should hold, so you can find stock that needs attention before more cash gets tied up.
Which products still meet your margin target when supplier costs change, and which products need a second look.
Explore four paths to your own brand: a product related to what you already sell, a new category, a complementary-product bundle, or a white-label product.
How to use AI to validate demand, check competition, research suppliers, draft requests for quotes, and compare offers before ordering samples or committing to a launch.
Bring your questions for the live Q&A.
Date and time: Tuesday, September 15, 2026, at 9 PM Eastern / 6 PM Pacific. That's Wednesday, September 16, at 10 AM Tokyo / 9 AM Taiwan.
The Vital Few
Meta is now an AI channel in Shopify
Shopify now lists Meta in Agentic Storefronts alongside its other AI channels. Products are shared with Meta by default through Shopify Catalog, and merchants can manage access and view performance in their agentic settings.
TAKEAWAY: Check your Meta settings and review the product information being shared. Make sure the titles, variants and availability reflect what you actually sell.
One Shopify variant can now have multiple barcodes
Shopify now supports up to 20 barcodes per product variant. That helps when the same item has different identifiers across suppliers or channels. The important detail: channels and apps that expect one barcode still use the first barcode.
TAKEAWAY: Test one product before updating your full catalog. Check which barcode reaches your sales channels, labels and warehouse system.
Amazon Quick brings its AI assistant to desktop and mobile
Amazon says its Quick desktop app is now generally available for macOS and Windows. A mobile activity feed brings together updates from connected systems and surfaces items that need human judgment. It is another example of AI assistants working across files and apps.
TAKEAWAY: If you test it, start with one reporting task. Check whether it finds the correct source, identifies missing information and gives you a recommendation you can verify before acting.
Shopify adds WhatsApp marketing opt-ins at checkout
Shopify now lets merchants collect WhatsApp marketing consent during checkout. The option is enabled in Checkout settings, giving customers a way to opt in while making a purchase.
TAKEAWAY: Run a test checkout and check that the opt-in is recorded correctly in the tool you use to send WhatsApp messages. Do not assume a phone number alone means someone subscribed.
Amazon lets viewers shop products inspired by a scene
Prime Video has added Shop the Scene, using Amazon Lens to help viewers find products similar to outfits, home decor and other items on screen. It is available in the US Amazon Shopping app across more than 600 titles.
TAKEAWAY: For visually driven products, try the shopping experience and look at the results. Review whether your images clearly show the product's shape, color and details. This is a discovery trend to watch, not a promise that your listing will be featured.
In case you missed it
Talk soon,
Gary
P.S. If you're a wholesale or arbitrage seller, this is for you. Reserve your spot for next week's BQOOL webinar →