The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionized eCommerce, allowing entrepreneurs to create profitable online stores with minimal effort and investment. Many people claim to be making thousands of dollars per month using AI-powered Shopify stores and dropshipping, but is this too good to be true?
To test this, I set myself a challenge: build a fully functional Shopify store using only free AI tools while keeping the total setup cost under $1. Additionally, I had to complete the process in under an hour—all from my laptop.
In this blog, I’ll walk you through my exact steps, the AI tools I used, how I found winning products, and the marketing strategies that helped me generate my first sales. By the end, you’ll have a complete roadmap to building your own AI-powered Shopify store and making passive income online.
Step 1: Setting Up a Shopify Store with A
The first step was finding a free AI tool to create my Shopify store. After extensive research, I discovered Build Your Store AI, a tool that automates Shopify store creation and integrates seamlessly with dropshipping suppliers.
This AI platform allows you to sell other people’s products without holding inventory. Once a customer places an order, the product is shipped directly from the supplier, making it a highly profitable passive income model.
To get started, I visited Build Your Store AI and clicked the “Build My Free Store” button. After entering my name, email, and password, I proceeded to the next step: choosing a niche.
Step 2: Choosing a Profitable Niche
Selecting the right niche is crucial for success in dropshipping. AI presented six options:
- Fashion & Apparel
- Pets
- Electronics & Gadgets
- Home & Garden
- Sports & Fitness
- I’m Not Sure
Instead of picking a niche based on personal interest, I analyzed market trends. Sports & Fitness emerged as a great option, with increasing demand for gym equipment, training accessories, and health-related products.
Fun fact: Gen Z is now meeting people at running clubs instead of nightclubs, making fitness a growing industry!
Step 3: Customizing the Store for Maximum Sales
After selecting my niche, the AI provided six banner designs to choose from. Since the store needed to appeal to both men and women, I selected a neutral yet attention-grabbing design with a fitness theme.
I then moved on to the next step—setting up my Shopify account.
Step 4: Creating a Free Shopify Account
To access Shopify, I clicked “Access Shopify” and signed up for their free trial. Shopify offers a $1 per month deal for the first three months, making it an ideal option for low-budget entrepreneurs.
Since AI was handling most of the setup, I selected “I don’t want help setting up” and proceeded to the dashboard. At first, the Shopify dashboard looked overwhelming, but with AI taking control, I had little manual work to do.
Step 5: Adding Products with AI-Powered Automation
To automate product selection, I registered for AutoDS, a tool that:
✅ Finds high-demand products
✅ Automates pricing and inventory updates
✅ Uploads professional product photos
✅ Handles order fulfillment and shipping
AutoDS offered a 30-day trial for just $0.99, which perfectly fit my budget. I selected the Starter 500 Plan, ensuring access to key features while keeping costs low.
With the $1 budget now officially spent, I moved on to the final steps.
Step 6: Making the Shopify Store Live
To publish my store, I needed to remove Shopify’s password restriction. After doing this, the store was officially LIVE and ready for customers!
I was pleasantly surprised by the store’s appearance. The AI had added:
✅ Professional banners
✅ Easy navigation to product pages
✅ Winning products with high profit margins
The first few products AI selected included:
- Breathing Trainer – Helps improve endurance by restricting oxygen intake (popular among athletes).
- Golf Club Clips – Prevents golf clubs from rattling and getting damaged.
- Resistance Bands – A staple for home workouts.
- Warm Jogging Hat – A seasonal fitness accessory.
Step 7: Optimizing the Store for Higher Conversions
Before launching ads, I made a few improvements:
- Added a Custom Domain: AI provided a free .store domain, which increases credibility and improves Google rankings.
- Updated Legal Pages: AI-generated policies were already in place, requiring only minor edits.
- Linked Social Media Accounts: Strengthened brand presence and engagement.
Now, it was time to drive traffic and get sales.
Step 8: Marketing with Micro-Influencers
Instead of running expensive Facebook or Google ads, I leveraged micro-influencers.
Why Micro-Influencers?
✅ 60% higher engagement than macro-influencers
✅ 20%+ higher conversion rates
✅ Affordable pricing compared to celebrity endorsements
I partnered with The Grace Brothers, an Instagram fitness duo with 145,000+ followers. They created an engaging, humorous video showcasing the breathing trainer in action, posted as a story with a direct link to my store.
Step 9: First Sales and Profit Calculation
After 24 hours, I checked the Shopify dashboard and saw 10 organic sales (excluding my two test orders).
Revenue Breakdown:
- 10 Breathing Trainers sold at $17.85 each = $178.50
- Product cost per unit: $3.95 x 10 = $39.50
- Marketing cost (influencer fee): $50
- Shopify fee: $1
🔹 Total Profit: $88
Scaling to $1,000+ in Passive Income
While an $88 profit isn’t life-changing, this model has infinite scaling potential.
By reinvesting profits into additional influencer partnerships, adding new trending products, and optimizing SEO, this could easily become a $5,000+/month business.
To scale:
✅ Expand influencer marketing to reach broader audiences
✅ Increase product variety based on trending items
✅ Improve SEO rankings for organic traffic
✅ Launch automated email campaigns for retargeting customers
Final Thoughts: Can You Really Make Money with AI Shopify Stores?
Yes! This experiment proves that AI-powered Shopify stores can generate passive income with minimal investment.
With only $1 for setup and $50 for marketing, I made my first sales in just a few days. Imagine what’s possible with consistent effort and reinvestment!
If you want to start your own AI-powered Shopify business, follow these steps and take action today.