Instant launches shopdev: the first AI developer for Shopify theme design

67.86% of US shoppers have left an online store due to poor design, and 53.57% say first impressions from the site design directly impact their trust in a brand, according to a recent survey by Instant.

These are the stakes for Shopify store design today, and yet, custom development is still either a financial or time bottleneck for most brands. 

With so much riding on design and so few store owners equipped to build custom storefronts, Instant is stepping in with a solution.

Today, Amsterdam-based startup Instant announces the launch of shopdev, the first AI-powered Shopify developer that generates production-ready Liquid code from a simple prompt.

With shopdev, merchants, designers, and developers can describe what they want to build for their Shopify store in plain English, and the tool generates clean Liquid code that’s ready to publish or export in one click.

“Shopify is one of the most powerful eCommerce platforms out there, but the learning curve and cost for custom development can be steep,” said Coen van Hees, CEO of Instant. “With shopdev, we’re making it radically easier to turn ideas into beautiful, functional theme sections in minutes, not weeks.”

How it works: Prompt, edit, & deploy

• Describe your vision: “A product carousel with star ratings and a review button.”

• Get an AI Briefing: shopdev outlines the layout, settings, and features.

• Preview in real time: Watch your idea come to life visually.

• Edit and refine: Tweak colors, animations, and functionality with new prompts.

• Deploy or export: Publish to your theme or download the code in one click.

• Share and remix: Create shareable Remix Links to duplicate or customize builds.

Currently, shopdev supports building Shopify sections, with support for full theme generation on the roadmap.

Shopify users can start using shopdev today to experience AI-powered development for themselves at shopdev.ai.

About Instant

Instant is the Shopify Store Builder app, trusted by over 15,000 ecommerce brands to build custom storefronts. Instant was founded in Amsterdam in 2022 and has raised € 7.5 million in seed funding. With the launch of shopdev, Instant is expanding its mission to make custom storefront development faster, easier, and accessible to all.