How Depict Is Ending Shopify Doomscrolling ☠️🚀
Just hunted a new AI tool that turns boring Shopify grids into stunning visual stories—without a single line of code.
Hey everyone 👋
Today, I'm very excited to share with you a new platform called Supergrid by Depict that is launching publicly worldwide and on Product Hunt 🌎
It’s already trending #1 on Product Hunt 😍 Here’s the direct link to show your support. Your quick feedback, upvotes, comments and suggestions are all welcome :)
On this occasion, I wanted to do a feature on John Tan, the CEO of Depict and get to know their story.
Interview with John Tan, CEO of Depict
Who are you and what’s your background?
My name is John Tan, CEO at 2x top YC company, Depict.ai
I bootstrapped 2 companies previously, including a profitable ecomm brand and spent 15 years in product & growth helping VCs, startups (Zettle, Tobii) and public companies (PayPal, Sinch) grow $X00M in revenue.
Can you share what your product does? What problem does it solve and for whom specifically?
Supergrid by Depict is the simplest, most creative way for Shopify ecommerce teams to design custom editorial and dynamic collection grids with a 1-click install, no-code required.
>80% of shopper traffic interacts with collection grids and product listing pages - but the majority of storefronts display monotonous 4x4 grids that lead to doomscrolling.
It is crazy that it is still the norm in 2025 to have poor discovery UX where shoppers are left frustrated and disengaged.
We were shocked with how much time (months), money (millions) and effort (large ecomm teams) brands put into their stores to showcase their unique story and identity, but still fall incredibly short with storytelling on collection grids.
Most ecommerce stores end up on one end of the spectrum, focusing on brand or performance. Supergrid by Depict solves for both - combining human curation with powerful AI automation.
3. How did your background or previous experiences prepare you for your current role at Depict?
I am obsessed with digital commerce. I sold a profitable ecommerce store myself and led the integration of two multi-billion dollar digital commerce companies (Zettle + PayPal).
I felt a deep itch to help brands create unique Pinterest-quality storefront discovery!
4. What are your 3 tips for your customers (Shopify brands) to stand out better in 2025?
A great brand tells authentic stories. You tell inspiring stories through
Curation. Enrich collections with large videos, images and products.
Repetition. Duplicate key products in different angles, styles.
Contrast. Highlight models, products, and outfits next to each other.
5. What big change do you hope to bring via Depict in the next 5 years?
We want to make digital commerce more creative and sustainable. We are anti-Shein, anti-Wish, anti-Temu and even anti-Amazon’s cold, mass selling approach.
We’re on a mission to build the world’s best tool for brands to create authentic storefront discovery experiences in a world of AI.
Most people who start and join e-commerce companies are creative visionaries who want to boldly express their ideas visually but are hampered by the horrible, clunky tools available. We are here to change this.
6. What are some recent Depict wins you’re happy to share and celebrate?
Up until the end of 2024, we were very focused on growing purely in Scandinavia as there are tons of cool brands here.
But since the turn of the new year, we have seen a huge organic influx of stores from USA, UK, Canada, France where the demand is growing by the day!
7. What’s some hard-earned advice you’d share with other founders building AI startups?
AI is moving so fast, it can feel like the ground you are walking on is shifting by the hour. But the first principles of great products and great companies remain.
Write code, talk to users - and iterate - every single day.
Get 100 users who love your product.
Make something that people want.
All startups are badly broken at some point.
A get-rich-quick mindset is a horrible reason to create a startup.
Take care of your team ❤️
My favorite → create value for another human being everyday (or AI agent 😂)
8. Where can people learn more about Depict and its latest PH launch?
The best way to learn is to try it out on the Shopify app store directly if you are a merchant yourself! It takes a few seconds to set-up.
Be sure to also follow us on Depict.ai, Linkedin & ProductHunt for the latest updates - especially as we showcase the world’s coolest collections fresh off the runway to ecommerce storefronts. BTW, would love your support and feedback on our latest launch today. Link below.