Hey there, Oyku here!
In this issue, I’m excited to share the story of Dondy
, the WhatsApp marketing and chat platform that’s quickly becoming a powerhouse in the Shopify ecosystem.
I had the pleasure of sitting down with Tamir Or, who started Dondy with his long-time friend Or Schreiber.
What began as a simple observation has grown into one of the strongest apps in its category.
The conversation covers how Tamir has approached early traction, reviews, differentiation, and the discipline required to grow in an increasingly crowded marketplace.
Let’s dive in.
No Klaviyo for WhatsApp? Dondy Built It.
Oyku: I’d love to hear your story. How did you come up with this idea? Was it from a gap you saw in the market?
Tamir: Or and I have been good friends for years. We noticed many e-commerce stores were using email and SMS marketing with great results, but in many countries, WhatsApp was already the main communication channel.
We thought, what if we could do for WhatsApp what Klaviyo does for email? At the time, a few companies had tried, but it was still too early, and most e-commerce brands weren’t even aware of the opportunity. So we started building, believing we could create something better.
Oyku: So, you saw a pattern in customer communications, email and SMS were already established, but customers were naturally using WhatsApp. You tapped into that.
Looking back, what were the most crucial milestones for your app’s growth?
Tamir: Shopify doesn’t make its ranking algorithm public, but I believe our good app metrics helped, including high usage, strong install-to-uninstall ratio, and happy customers.
We constantly solved customer problems, which made them recommend us to others. That word-of-mouth, combined with good retention, pushed us higher in the rankings.
Oyku: When you say “good rates” for installs vs. uninstalls, did you have a benchmark in mind?
Tamir: Not a specific number. But I believe Shopify looks at those ratios and weighs them in app rankings. And of course, reviews are very important.
Oyku: Speaking of reviews, Shopify has been removing some lately and also changed the way apps can request reviews. How did you handle that?
Tamir: We lost many reviews when Shopify did their latest clean-up. Shopify explained they remove reviews from stores they see as unreliable, new stores with no real sales, for example.
The key is to deliver real value to established stores, the ones Shopify cares about because they’re long-term and generate revenue. Reviews from those stores are more likely to stay.
Oyku: Do you still focus on reviews?
Tamir: Definitely. If we get a bad one, we fix the issue. If a customer praises a feature, we highlight it so all merchants benefit. That way, feedback translates directly into a stronger product.
The Key to Getting Users Before Any Reviews
Oyku: In the very beginning, before you had many reviews, what was your first real breakthrough in acquiring users?
Tamir: Personal relationships. At first, merchants won’t go out of their way to leave a review, even if they like your app. But if you personally help them solve a problem, they’re far more likely to return the favor.
Also, those conversations revealed pain points that guided our roadmap. Too many apps just build what’s in the founder’s head and ignore what customers actually need.
Oyku: Some founders even set up Slack channels with early customers to keep that feedback loop alive. Did you do something like that?
Tamir: Yes, but for us, it was WhatsApp (very fitting). Many customers became friends, messaging us at any time of day with issues or ideas. It’s been a huge benefit both ways.
AI Can Clone Features. It Can’t Clone Trust.
Oyku: The Shopify App Store is growing fast, 18,000+ apps now, and even more coming. How do you keep Dondy differentiated when there are so many competitors, including copycats?
Tamir: It’s true, the number will probably hit 30,000 soon, especially with AI making it easier to build apps quickly.
But many AI-generated apps hit limitations; they’re fine for basic use cases, but fail with complexity.
Our edge is continuous progress. For example, we’re building the best AI for e-commerce that operates via WhatsApp. By the time someone copies today’s Dondy, we’ve already moved forward. In AI, even six months can make a huge difference.
Long-term thinking, security & trust
Oyku: You’ve emphasized customer needs quite a lot throughout this conversation. Why is that?
Tamir: Exactly. And another differentiator for us is longevity and trust. We’ve been at this for almost two years, full-time. Merchants know Dondy is stable, secure, and here for the long term. That matters when you’re handling critical customer data and marketing activities.
Oyku: Security and trust are real differentiators now. On growth tactics, were there any experiments you tried that didn’t work?
Tamir: Plenty. For example, we tried Google Ads, but it didn’t work as expected. That doesn’t mean it can’t work; we plan to revisit it with a better setup. Sometimes it’s about testing the right keywords, copy, or landing page. The same goes for any channel: you can’t dismiss it after one failed attempt.
Oyku: What advice do you wish you had received at the beginning if you were starting a Shopify app today?
Tamir: Besides listening to customers, I’d say:
- Study your competitors’ listings carefully.
- Today, design and presentation matter more than ever.
- Try Shopify Ads for the right keywords, even if you lose some money at first, it can give you an edge.
- And make direct contact with your early customers. With complex apps, pure PLG isn’t always enough; you need those conversations to understand their difficulties.
My short take from the conversation:
What stood out to me most from this conversation is how timeless some principles are, no matter how fast the ecosystem changes. Building around real customer behavior and improving alongside your users is still the foundation.
Plus, with AI lowering the barrier to entry, it’s tempting to think differentiation comes from building faster.
But the real moat is trust, reliability, and compounding improvements over time. And it’ll be.
Do you have a story to share
with the Shopify app ecosystem?
I'd like to have a conversation and share your epic failure, learnings, ups and downs, exits, or scaling your app in a short period of time.
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That’s all for this issue!
I know that I've mentioned crafting a GTM strategy for Shopify apps. It's still on my to-do list.
Stay tuned for the next one...
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