Shelfy — Product Bible

Mission & Positioning

Every existing tool was built for structural designers. No tool was built for the person who buys the displays.

Core positioning insight

What Shelfy is

A platform where brand and trade marketing teams design, configure, and deploy retail activation displays without relying on agencies. Template-driven, parametric configurator producing manufacturer-ready output.

Pipeline

Design → Validate → Export → Quote → Production

What Shelfy is not

× Not a design mockup tool (unlike Pacdora)
× Not a structural CAD system (unlike Esko/EngView)
× Not an agency replacement (we're self-serve tooling)
× Not AI-generated structural design (all geometry is deterministic)

MLP Model

Concierge-assisted: brand managers self-serve the builder, co-founder handles supplier coordination offline via email/phone. No in-app review at MLP.

2-4w

Agency cycle today

<10m

Shelfy design time

$2-10k

Agency cost per display

$0.04

AI lifestyle render cost

The Problem

Brand managers need retail displays. The current process is slow, expensive, and opaque.

Current workflow

Brand Manager → Trade Marketing → Activation Agency → Structural Designer → Manufacturer → Retail

Slow iteration

The dominant pain. "Change the shelf height" takes 5 days and $1,500 through an agency. Every revision burns budget and erodes campaign windows. This is not about initial design cost — it's about the iteration tax.

Agency dependency

Brand teams rely on agencies for standard structural displays. $2k-$10k for displays that follow repeatable templates. Heavy coordination, unnecessary for standard units.

Structural bottleneck

Most displays are parametric variations of standard templates (FSDU, shelf tray, counter unit, dump bin). Brand teams can't modify them. Structural knowledge sits with designers.

Supplier chaos

Spec sheets, dielines, quotes, manufacturing constraints — all managed through email, spreadsheets, and phone calls. Multiple formats, multiple revisions, zero visibility.

Competitive Landscape

Every capable tool is inaccessible to brand managers. Every accessible tool lacks structural validity.

Competitor	Category	Built for	Key gap
Packly	Online configurator	Consumer packaging buyers	Consumer boxes only, no POS displays, no structural validation
EngView	Desktop CAD	Structural designers	Desktop software, expensive license, inaccessible to brand managers
Esko ArtiosCAD	Enterprise CAD	Structural designers	Enterprise pricing, requires structural engineering expertise
Pacdora	3D mockup tool	Designers	Visualisation only — no structural validation, no production output
DriveWorks	SolidWorks configurator	Engineering teams	Requires SolidWorks license + engineering talent
Agencies	Full-service design	Brand managers	Slow (2-4 weeks), expensive ($2k-$10k), opaque

Shelfy's positioning: the first web tool where brand managers design production-ready retail displays without structural engineering expertise.

Not mockups. Not CAD. Production-ready output from a brand-manager interface.

Moat & Differentiation

Near-term advantage is team composition. Medium-term moat is template depth, retailer compliance, and supplier integration. Window: 12-18 months.

⚙

Right persona

Built for brand managers, not structural designers. UI speaks campaign language (presets, artwork zones) not CAD language (fold lines, nesting scores).

✎

Right output

PDF dielines, DXF cut geometry, spec sheets. Not mockups. The exports are manufacturer-ready files a supplier will accept.

⚖

Right integration

Retailer compliance (Woolworths, Coles, Bunnings) and supplier coordination built into the product, not handled by email.

✨

AI lifestyle renders

Agencies charge $500-$2,000 per render. Shelfy generates one in ~5 seconds for ~$0.04 via FLUX Kontext. A checkbox at export time.

✓

Product-fit validation

The most common failure: products don't fit on shelves. Shelfy catches this in the builder before any file is generated. Eliminates the most expensive mistake.

⚡

Real-time iteration

Change shelf height: 10 seconds in Shelfy vs 5 days through an agency. Iteration cost approaching zero changes the entire workflow.

12-Month Moat Targets

Templates

1 FSDU at launch → 30+ validated templates in 12 months. Shelf trays, dump bins, counter units, hangsells, endcaps.

Retailer data

Woolworths, Coles, Bunnings compliance profiles. Opaque data encoded as first-class constraint profiles.

Supplier pricing

Manual quotes at MLP → structured integration with 2-3 AU suppliers. Real pricing at quote time.

Production loop

Systematic capture of production outcomes. Which designs produced cleanly, which needed rework. Data competitors can't buy.

Team Advantage

Dev / Full-stack engineer

Co-founder 1

All code: geometry kernel, UI, infrastructure, exports, deploy
Geometry kernel architecture and implementation
3D rendering pipeline (R3F)
Export file generation (PDF/DXF)

Structural designer / Domain expert

Co-founder 2

All POS display templates (FSDU, shelf trays, dump bins, etc.)
Structural validation rules and constraints
Manufacturing constraint knowledge (flutes, scoring, tolerances)
Supplier relationships and manual concierge
Pilot customer acquisition

A software-only team trying to build this needs 3-6 months to source and validate a structural designer. Shelfy has this embedded in the founding team from day one. This is the most defensible part of the current position.

Jobs to Be Done

10 jobs across two personas. Click any job to see its user stories and wireframe mappings.

Brand Manager (Primary)

I need a retail display quickly

Product launch in 3 weeks, no time for agency cycle → display concept in <10 minutes

Brand Mgr

S1.1 Land on marketing page, understand Shelfy in <5s W1 S1.2 Click CTA, enter builder with pre-configured FSDU W2 S2.1 Pick a preset (Compact/Standard/High Impact), instant update W2 S2.2 Adjust dimensions, see 3D update in real-time W2 S2.7 Adjust individual shelf heights W2 S2.8 Push/pull individual shelf depth W2 S2.9 Input product dimensions, see clearance feedback W2 S2.10 Input planogram constraints, see fit indicator W2

I want to see what the display looks like in-store

Can't visualize from a dieline → 3D preview with artwork + lifestyle render

Brand Mgr

S1.3 Realistic 3D display with sample artwork W2 S2.4 Select a finish, see material update in 3D W2 S5.3 Choose from 4 retail scene presets for AI lifestyle render W4

I need artwork applied to the structure

Have brand assets but no structural skills → upload artwork, see it on display

Brand Mgr

S3.1 See printable zones with labels (header, front, sides) W3 S3.2 Upload artwork to a zone, see it on 3D display W3 S3.3 See DPI quality feedback per zone W3

I need supplier-ready files

Manufacturing requires specific formats → production-ready export pack (PDF, DXF, spec)

Brand Mgr

S5.1 Click Export, see validation summary before generating W4 S5.2 Get PDF dieline, DXF, spec sheet, 3D preview, lifestyle render in ZIP W4 S5.4 See export progress, get notified when ready W4 S2.5 Validation warnings for unsafe configurations W2 S2.11 Real-time structural warnings W2

I want to know cost before committing

Need budget approval before engaging supplier → indicative cost estimate with tiers

Brand Mgr

S4.1 Live cost estimate updates as I change parameters W2 S4.2 Tiered pricing (100/500/1000 units) W2 S4.3 Delta messaging on cost changes W2 S2.3 Select board grade, see cost impact W2

I want to get a real quote from a manufacturer

Indicative isn't enough for procurement → RFQ submitted, formal quote returned

Brand Mgr

S5.5 Request a formal quote alongside export W4 Quote display + accept/decline on design detail W7

Founder / Admin (Secondary)

I need to review exports before they go to suppliers

Quality control → concierge queue + validation engine. Review offline at MLP.

Admin

S7.1 Queue of submitted exports/RFQs with status W6 S7.2 View design and export pack W6

I need to coordinate supplier quotes

Concierge model → RFQ to supplier, quote returned to customer

Admin

S7.3 Enter quote (price, lead time, notes) W6

I need to manage customers and organisations

Multi-tenant access control → org CRUD, memberships

Admin

S7.4 Manage orgs and memberships Post-MLP

J10

I need to author and preview display templates

MLP: JSON in repo + dev preview route. Phase 2: full template authoring UI.

Admin

S7.7 Template JSON + preview route (MLP) W8 Phase 2

Feature Map

MLP features that ship in Phase 1. Every feature maps back to a JTBD and forward to a wireframe screen.

MARKETING ├── Landing page with CTA → builder W1 J1 • S1.1 └── Template detail (1 FSDU, coming-soon badges) W1 J1 • S1.2 BUILDER (core product loop) ├── 3D Viewport W2 J2 │ ├── Orbit camera, shadow mapping │ ├── Material preview (gloss/matte/raw) │ └── Artwork UV mapping on panels ├── Parameter Controls W2 J1 • J5 │ ├── Presets (Compact / Standard / High Impact) │ ├── Global dims (width, depth, height, header, kicker) │ ├── Per-shelf controls (height, depth, lip, add/remove) │ ├── Product-fit input (W×D×H, clearance feedback) │ ├── Planogram constraints (allocated space, fit/no-fit) │ ├── Board grade + finish selectors │ └── Structural validation (real-time warnings) ├── Artwork Panel W3 J3 │ ├── Zone list with upload per zone │ ├── DPI quality badges │ └── Bleed/safe zone indicators ├── Cost Rail (sticky bottom) W2 J5 │ ├── Per-unit estimate at 3 quantity tiers │ ├── Delta messaging on changes │ └── "Estimate only ±X%" disclaimer └── Export Flow W4 J4 • J6 ├── Validation summary (blocking + warnings) ├── File manifest (PDF, DXF, spec, preview, render) ├── Scene preset picker (4 retail environments) └── RFQ checkbox ("Also request a formal quote") AUTH ├── Public builder → auth gate on save/export W4 J1 • S6.1-S6.3 └── localStorage state preservation through redirect APP ├── Dashboard (card grid, status badges, empty state) W5 S6.4 └── Design detail (timeline, quote, accept/decline) W7 J6 • S5.5 ADMIN (concierge at MLP) ├── RFQ queue + design viewer W6 J7 • S7.1-S7.2 ├── Quote input (price, lead time, notes) W6 J8 • S7.3 └── Template dev preview route dev-only J10

Design State Machine (4 states)

Draft

→

Exported

→

Quoted

→

Accepted

Simplified from 8 states. No in-app review at MLP — validation engine + supplier coordination is the safety net.

Shipping Roadmap

Phase 1 ships in ~19 dev-weeks. Every milestone depends on the previous one. Critical path is sequential for a solo dev.

Phase 1: MLP (~19 weeks)

M1 Weeks 1-2

Foundation

Monorepo scaffold, React Router v7 app shell, Supabase (tables, RLS, auth), CI pipeline, staging deploy, design system tokens.

M2 Weeks 3-5 Core IP

Geometry Kernel

Expression resolver, panel layout, UV computation, dieline vectors, material/flute offsets, structural validation engine, FSDU template JSON. Zero external dependencies. The moat.

M3 Weeks 6-8

Builder Core

R3F 3D viewport, presets, global + per-shelf controls, product-fit validation, planogram constraints, board grade/finish selectors, real-time validation warnings, cost rail with delta messaging.

M4 Weeks 9-10

Artwork

Zone-based upload, DPI quality badges, file validation (magic-byte, 20MB), Supabase Storage integration, R3F texture mapping with mm-based UVs.

M5 Weeks 11-13

Export

PDF dieline (pdfkit), DXF (cut geometry), spec sheet, 3D preview capture, ZIP bundling, auth gate, RFQ checkbox, design CRUD + autosave, localStorage preservation.

M6 Weeks 14-15

Dashboard + Design Management

Design card grid, status badges, design detail page, export history, quote display with accept/decline, email notifications.

M7 Weeks 16-19 Launch

Admin, Polish + Pilot

Admin concierge queue + quote input, landing page, AI lifestyle renders (FLUX Kontext), Sentry, Turnstile, rate limiting, PostHog analytics, legal docs, onboarding hints, production deploy.

Phase 2: Self-Serve Graduation (~18 weeks)

M8 Weeks 20-23

Admin Dashboard + Review Queue

In-app structural review, annotation blocks, auto-approve rules engine, notification system.

M9 Weeks 24-27

Template Authoring UI

Split-pane editor, expression editor, test matrix runner, template versioning, publish flow.

M10 Weeks 28-31

Variants + Retailer Profiles

Multi-SKU variant management, bulk export, Woolworths/Coles/Bunnings constraint presets, internal approval workflow, shareable review links.

M11 Weeks 32-34

Assembly + Logistics

Auto-generated assembly instructions, flat-pack dims + weight + pallet calculator, substrate-aware preview (kraft vs white).

M12 Weeks 35-37

Supplier Integration

Supplier portal, competitive quoting, async export (Cloudflare Queues), analytics dashboards.

Phase 3: Platform (6-12 months post Phase 2)

M13-16

Template Marketplace, Supplier Marketplace, Campaign Management, Advanced Features

External template designers, multi-supplier quoting, campaign-level organization, 2D dieline viewport, artwork controls, design duplication, LCA/CO2e.

Architecture

Core IP is the geometry kernel. Pure deterministic, zero dependencies. Only the recipe is persisted — all geometry is derived.

Kernel Pipeline

TemplateDefinition (JSON)

↓ Zod validate

ResolvedTemplate (expressions evaluated)

↓ + MaterialContext

StructuralModel (panels, edges, fold graph, UVs, dieline)

↓ Adapters

RenderModel | ExportModel

Stack

Framework React Router v7 + Vite

3D React Three Fiber + Zustand

Deploy Cloudflare Pages + Workers

Database Supabase Postgres + RLS

Storage Cloudflare R2

AI Renders FLUX Kontext via CF AI Gateway

Payments Stripe

Monorepo

apps/web/ # React Router v7, builder UI, R3F
workers/api/ # Auth, CRUD, signed URLs, job enqueueing
workers/export/ # Export generation (PDF/DXF/spec)
packages/geometry/ # Pure deterministic kernel (THE MOAT)
packages/export-core/ # Vector/PDF/DXF adapters
packages/contracts/ # Zod schemas, API contracts
packages/test-fixtures/
supabase/ # SQL migrations, RLS, seeds

Export Bundle

dieline.pdf

AI-compatible layers, CMYK

dieline.dxf

Vector cut geometry for die tooling

spec_sheet.pdf

Complete specification

preview_render.png

3D preview from R3F canvas

lifestyle_render.png

AI-generated retail scene

export_bundle.zip

All files in one download

Design retail displays in minutes, not weeks.

Mission & Positioning

What Shelfy is

Pipeline

What Shelfy is not

MLP Model

The Problem

Current workflow

Competitive Landscape

Moat & Differentiation

12-Month Moat Targets

Team Advantage

Jobs to Be Done

Brand Manager (Primary)

Founder / Admin (Secondary)

Feature Map

Design State Machine (4 states)

User Flows

Flow 1: First-Time Design

Flow 2: Returning User

Flow 3: Quote Acceptance

Wireframes

Shipping Roadmap

Phase 1: MLP (~19 weeks)

Phase 2: Self-Serve Graduation (~18 weeks)

Phase 3: Platform (6-12 months post Phase 2)

Architecture

Kernel Pipeline

Stack

Monorepo

Export Bundle