The XY&Z Blog

Dashboard before coffee. Podcast before Friday. 🤯

Sundays with Anna | Newsletter #46 Hey, Two things happened this week that I'm still processing. First: I built a live Shopify dashboard inside Claude before my second coffee. And second: I went on a podcast and talked about all...

Why I almost missed the AI wave 👀

Sundays with Anna | Newsletter #45 Hey, A few days ago, I built a dashboard before breakfast. Six months ago, I wouldn't have believed that sentence about me. The story of what changed is what I want to share today,...

Your Customers Are Asking AI Where to Buy. Are They Hearing Your Name?

Picture this. A woman is looking for a gift for her sister; Something thoughtful, something Australian-made. She doesn’t open Google. She opens ChatGPT and types: “Best Australian skincare gifts for sensitive skin.” In seconds, she gets three recommendations for specific...

They’re not in Slack… but they’d have opinions 😂

Sundays with Anna | Newsletter #44 Hey, Normally, I’m in your inbox talking about what we’re building, testing, fixing flows, pages, strategy, all of it. But today felt like a good day not to do that.These are our mums. 👸🏻...

This feels different now that we’re home 👀🏡

Sundays with Anna | Newsletter #43 Hey, We’re back in Australia. 🇦🇺 Kids are back at school. Lunchboxes are back. The house is… weirdly quiet again. And I’ve gone from taking calls in an RV (with snack requests every 12...

Your Klaviyo List Might Look Healthy, But Engagement Tells A Different Story

Recently, we were reviewing a client’s Klaviyo account. At first glance, everything looked solid. The list was growing. Campaigns were going out consistently. Flows were live. Nothing felt broken. But when we looked a little closer, specifically at how engagement...

This probably shouldn’t be working, but it is. 😁

Sundays with Anna | Newsletter #42 I’m a day behind on this email… which feels very on-brand right now. 😂 Blame the travel, the time zones, and the fact that we’re currently back in the US, living in an RV...

Shopify Brands Are Getting AI Built In. But Are They Using It Well?

Shopify Brands Are Getting AI Built In. But Are They Using It Well? AI is now part of Shopify. You don’t need extra tools. You don’t need to “figure it out later.” It’s already there. But most stores? They’re barely...

What Travelling Keeps Teaching Us

Sundays with Anna | Newsletter #41 Guess what? We're back in the U.S. and reunited with our RV, which the kids affectionately call Whipper! We couldn't be happier about it! Yup, within the first day, we already had one of...

From a $99 Store Build to House of Cart

Eight years ago, the first Shopify store I built cost $99. At the time, it felt like a big project. The goal was simple: help someone get their idea online. No CRO frameworks. No playbooks. No fancy growth strategies. Just...

It’s Not Just the Weight. It’s the Load.

Sundays with Anna | Newsletter #40 Okay, I saw something this week that made me laugh for about three seconds… and then realise why it exists. Three governors in Japan recently participated in a work-life balance campaign. As part of...

4 things we’re obsessed with at HOC right now 💘

Sundays with Anna | Newsletter #38 Happy Valentine’s Day! 🥰 Yes, I moved the usual Sunday newsletter to Saturday just to say hello on this lovely day. Today’s not roses and chocolates (although… yes, please). It’s the business kind of...

I have a confession 🫣

Sundays with Anna | Newsletter #39 This week, I had a proper founder mum moment. I was sitting at the kitchen table with my laptop open, a cold cup of tea next to me (again), and I’d just been interrupted...

Don’t Ghost Your Almost-Buyers: The Post-Campaign Follow-Up Sequence

The biggest revenue window isn’t before Valentine’s. It’s after. When your sale ends, your traffic doesn’t magically disappear. Some of it is still warm. Still considering. Still comparing. And most brands… go quiet. That silence costs money. We’ve seen this...

Love at First Scroll: 5 Second Homepage Attraction Test

The 5-second test (do this in real time) Open your homepage and look at the first screen for 5 seconds, no scrolling. Then answer: What do you sell? Who is it for? What should I click next? If you hesitate...

Founders, read this before you hire an agency 👀👉

Sundays with Anna | Newsletter #37 Hi, I have been on a hundred sales calls, and I can always tell when a founder is overwhelmed, not because they’re dramatic about it, but because they keep asking the same question in...

3 Tips to Make Your Shopify Store AI-Readable

If “AI-readable” sounds technical, you’re not alone. Most founders assume it means code, schema, and a dev sprint. But here’s the real truth: AI readability is mostly clarity. Clear product language. Clear site structure. Clear answers in the right places....

I didn’t expect our first lead to come from… this 😱

Sundays with Anna | Newsletter #36 Hey, I hope you got a tiny reset over the holidays: slower mornings, hot cups, fewer tabs open. One week in and something fun happened already… We signed a new build in Texas, and...

Ending the year with this one feeling: gratitude ☺️🙌

Sundays with Anna | Newsletter #35 Hey, Before we switch the laptops off and lean into the slower days, I wanted to send you a big, heartfelt thank you from our tiny, mighty HOC team. Your replies, trust, and little...

I drove 4,835 km to remember this one thing 😉✨

Sundays with Anna | Newsletter #34 Hey, We’ve just landed back in Australia, jet-lagged, a little sandy, and a lot grateful. That first RV adventure is officially wrapped, and before real life rushes in, here’s a quick scrapbook page of...

6 Helpful Shopify + Klaviyo Tips for a Calmer Black Friday

If your Black Friday prep feels tangled, you’re not alone. When pages, promos, and flows pile up, it’s easy to add more and accidentally make things harder to manage, test, and scale. Here’s the real move: not more tactics, but...

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