Building “Simply Thriftify” with Build Agent . My Journey in the #BuildWithBuildAgent Challenge

[shreedevin]

This is my submission for participating in the #BuildWithBuildAgent challenge, and what an incredible experience it turned out to be! Using ServiceNow’s Build Agent, I created a  functional application  “Simply Thriftify”, a thrift inventory management system  in less than six prompts (including bug fixes!).

I was utterly surprised and honestly, amazed to see how quickly an end-to-end application could be built, deployed, and styled. What normally takes days of scripting, debugging, and UI design happened in a matter of minutes, thanks to Build Agent’s ability to interpret intent and automate the heavy lifting.

 The Inspiration: Helping “Talize” Manage Thrift Store Inventory

As someone who loves exploring how technology can empower sustainability-driven businesses, I wanted to build something meaningful. That’s how Simply Thriftify was born a solution designed to help Talize, a leading thrift store chain in Canada, efficiently manage inventory across multiple locations.

Thrift stores like Talize deal with hundreds of donated items daily clothes, books, furniture, decor, and more making accurate tracking, stock transfers, and low-stock alerts crucial. Simply Thriftify helps store clerks, managers, and administrators manage all of that effortlessly within ServiceNow.

 

 The Build Journey : from Idea to Deployment

It all started with a single prompt describing the concept of a multi-location thrift inventory tracker. Build Agent instantly understood the scope and started creating:

Application Components

Tables Created :

• Location – Store locations with manager assignments

• Inventory Item – Core tracking with metadata like category, condition, and quantity

• Transfer Request – Extended from Task to handle approvals

• Inventory Action Log – A complete audit trail

Roles & Security :

• thrift_user – For clerks managing inventory

• thrift_manager – For location managers approving transfers

• thrift_admin – For system administrators

Each table came with built-in ACLs and business rules  automatically generated!

 

 Business Automation at Work

I didn’t have to manually configure complex scripts  the Build Agent did it all. It added:

• Auto timestamps for every status change

• Low-stock alerts (when quantity < 5)

• Inventory action logs for every update

• Automated transfer approval and completion processes

These automations turned Simply Thriftify into a smart system that works with users instead of adding manual steps.

 

 Designing the Thrift Boutique UI

Once the core app was ready, Build Agent helped me bring it to life with a beautiful, modern UI inspired by a “ thrift boutique” aesthetic  warm pastels, soft neutrals, and gentle gradients.

 Key UI Highlights

• Dashboard Overview: Real-time stats for items, stock alerts, and transfers

• Interactive Cards: Hover animations and quick-access actions

• Charts & Analytics: Visual breakdowns by category and location

• Responsive Design: Optimized for desktop, tablet, and mobile

• Warm Palette: Sage green, terracotta, lavender, and peach tones

It felt like giving the thrift management world a fresh coat of paint literally.

You can check out the live dashboards and tables here in the pictures below.

What Surprised Me Most

What truly blew me away was how Build Agent handled the entire application lifecycle:

• It understood my intent with minimal clarification

• Created tables, business rules, UI pages, and sample data

• Fixed bugs and styling issues in a conversational way

• Delivered a fully deployed, ready-to-use ServiceNow application

From idea → automation → deployment, all within six prompts.

That’s not just AI-assisted development  that’s AI-accelerated innovation.

 

The Outcome

Simply Thriftify is now a ready-to-use, role-based, mobile-friendly application.
It enables:

• Store clerks to add and update inventory items

• Managers to approve transfers and monitor low-stock alerts

• Admins to manage stores, roles, and audit trails

And the best part? Every inventory change is automatically logged and auditable something every large-scale thrift operation needs.

 

 Reflection : What This Means for Builders

Building with AI has always been exciting, but this experience redefined my expectations. The Build Agent didn’t just generate code; it collaborated it understood context, applied ServiceNow best practices, and designed with empathy for the end user.

Once you build something, share your journey  showing what you’ve built and how Build Agent helped you get there.
Because every “build” is more than a product  it’s proof of how ideas, creativity, and technology come together.