🧠 There Has to Be a Better Way: Why Wishlists Are the Most Underutilized Tool in Shopify

It blows my mind that in 2025, “Add to Cart” or “Leave” are still the only two options most shoppers have.

That’s it.
That’s the entire user journey.

Click “Add to Cart” → maybe checkout → or bounce forever.

Where’s the in-between?
Where’s the “not ready yet, but kinda love this” button?
The “I’m gonna circle back on payday” button?
The “show this to my girlfriend for birthday ideas” button?

We’ve had wishlists for decades — and yet, they’re basically a dead feature on Shopify.

💎 The Lost Goldmine Sitting in Every Store

Imagine if wishlist data was treated like a CRM.

You’d know:

• Which products people actually want (not just buy)

• When they’re ready to purchase (timing patterns)

• What items get saved but never bought (price sensitivity, color, size)

• How friends and family could gift directly from those lists

That’s insane zero-party data — and we’re just letting it rot.

⚡ Dynamic Offers Could Be a Game Changer

What if Shopify merchants could send targeted offers to wishlist users?

• “You’ve been eyeing this for 12 days — it’s 10% off today only.”

• “Only 2 left in stock in your size.”

• “Your friend Jake just bought the same item — grab yours before it’s gone.”

Now imagine pairing that with a wishlist followers feature.

You could follow your favorite creator or influencer to see what’s on their wishlist — and shop it instantly.

Creators could monetize it.
Friends could buy gifts directly.
Brands could build anticipation before the drop.

The infrastructure is all there — but no one’s built it properly.

🚫 Why This Doesn’t Exist (Yet)

Shopify’s ecosystem has been obsessed with conversions, upsells, and email popups.
No one’s touched intent.

There are a few wishlist apps out there, but they’re clunky.
No deep personalization.
No viral mechanics.
No social layer.
No integrations with Klaviyo, Meta, or TikTok for dynamic remarketing.

It’s wild.
It’s 2025.
We’ve rebuilt every pixel of the checkout flow — but not this.

🔮 The Future: Social Shopping Meets Personal Data

If you’re building in eCommerce SaaS right now, listen up —
This is a wide-open lane.

A wishlist system that behaves like:

• Pinterest for shopping

• CRM for intent

• Klaviyo for behavior

• Instagram for inspiration

Imagine wishlist data syncing into Klaviyo flows.
Or showing up as a Meta Ads audience.
Or powering a social feed of “what your friends are saving right now.”

That’s the bridge between Add to Cart and Buy Now that no one’s built yet.

So… Should This Exist?

Absolutely.

Wishlists are the most underutilized, overlooked, and misunderstood tool in eCommerce.
And whoever cracks it next?
They’ll own the next wave of social commerce OR even simply create a whole new shopping experience. Maybe this is how social shopping should be?

-Parker Burr

PS: If you’ve seen a killer wishlist solution out there — reply to this email and send it my way. I haven’t found the one yet.