eCommerce Fastlane: Shopify Growth Strategies—Where AI Efficiency Meets Human Connection
Steve Hutt | Shopify and eCommerce Expert
Running a Shopify store? You already know success isn't about finding the right app—it's about knowing which strategies actually work at your specific stage of growth.
I'm Steve Hutt, and I've lived every level of the ecommerce journey. From eBay Power Seller shipping products from my garage, to co-founding and scaling VisionPros.com (an optical DTC startup) through to a successful exit, then spending 6+ years as a Shopify Merchant Success Manager helping 100+ brands from startup to enterprise scale, including working with teams at Tentree, Dr. Squatch, Bulletproof Coffee, Salt & Straw Ice Cream, MUD/WTR, Bokksu, and many more.
Here's what makes this podcast different: I've been on both sides of the table.
6+ years working inside Shopify gave me access to what's coming before most merchants know it exists. Building, scaling, and successfully exiting my own ecommerce businesses taught me what actually works when your money and reputation are on the line. That combination of insider access plus real operator experience gives you a perspective you won't find anywhere else.
Since 2018, eCommerce Fastlane has delivered over 430 episodes and more than 2 million downloads to ambitious Shopify founders and marketers. Every week, I chat with operators, developers, and experts who share what's actually moving the needle right now—not theory, but patterns I've seen work consistently across dozens of brands at multiple stages.
Whether you're launching your first store or scaling past seven figures, every episode gives you stage-aware strategies you can implement this week. We dig into Shopify apps, digital marketing, retention tactics, AI tools, and the operational stuff that actually reduces overwhelm—while building customer loyalty that lasts.
You'll learn how to leverage emerging tech without losing what makes your brand unique. You'll also hear real founder stories, including lessons from my own journey building and exiting a DTC brand, plus insights from guests across 430+ episodes who've been exactly where you are.
This isn't content for content's sake. It's what you'd get sitting at a mastermind table with someone who's built, scaled, and exited—and helped hundreds of others do the same.
Ready to grow smarter, not just faster? Join thousands of founders and marketers in the eCommerce Fastlane community through our podcast, newsletter, blog, and forthcoming book "Thriving with Shopify."
Steve Hutt
DTC Founder | Podcast Host
Find Us Online
Website: eCommerceFastlane.com
Newsletter: FastlaneInsider.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/shutt
X: x.com/stevenhutt
Instagram: instagram.com/ecommercefastlane
Email: steve@ecommercefastlane.com
I'm Steve Hutt, and I've lived every level of the ecommerce journey. From eBay Power Seller shipping products from my garage, to co-founding and scaling VisionPros.com (an optical DTC startup) through to a successful exit, then spending 6+ years as a Shopify Merchant Success Manager helping 100+ brands from startup to enterprise scale, including working with teams at Tentree, Dr. Squatch, Bulletproof Coffee, Salt & Straw Ice Cream, MUD/WTR, Bokksu, and many more.
Here's what makes this podcast different: I've been on both sides of the table.
6+ years working inside Shopify gave me access to what's coming before most merchants know it exists. Building, scaling, and successfully exiting my own ecommerce businesses taught me what actually works when your money and reputation are on the line. That combination of insider access plus real operator experience gives you a perspective you won't find anywhere else.
Since 2018, eCommerce Fastlane has delivered over 430 episodes and more than 2 million downloads to ambitious Shopify founders and marketers. Every week, I chat with operators, developers, and experts who share what's actually moving the needle right now—not theory, but patterns I've seen work consistently across dozens of brands at multiple stages.
Whether you're launching your first store or scaling past seven figures, every episode gives you stage-aware strategies you can implement this week. We dig into Shopify apps, digital marketing, retention tactics, AI tools, and the operational stuff that actually reduces overwhelm—while building customer loyalty that lasts.
You'll learn how to leverage emerging tech without losing what makes your brand unique. You'll also hear real founder stories, including lessons from my own journey building and exiting a DTC brand, plus insights from guests across 430+ episodes who've been exactly where you are.
This isn't content for content's sake. It's what you'd get sitting at a mastermind table with someone who's built, scaled, and exited—and helped hundreds of others do the same.
Ready to grow smarter, not just faster? Join thousands of founders and marketers in the eCommerce Fastlane community through our podcast, newsletter, blog, and forthcoming book "Thriving with Shopify."
Steve Hutt
DTC Founder | Podcast Host
Find Us Online
Website: eCommerceFastlane.com
Newsletter: FastlaneInsider.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/shutt
X: x.com/stevenhutt
Instagram: instagram.com/ecommercefastlane
Email: steve@ecommercefastlane.com
Episodes
Mentioned books
Sep 25, 2021 • 43min
Promote Your Products This Holiday Season Across 25 Million Online Destinations
In today’s episode, my guest is Cooper Harris the Founder and CEO of Klickly. They are a data-driven commerce engine that powers fast-growing Shopify brands with commission-based customer acquisition. This means they only charge you a commission (that you choose) when they drive sales. This is an incredible opportunity this holiday season for your brand to expand its product discovery across 25 million online destinations.WHAT YOU WILL LEARN TODAYHow to shorten your sales funnel and let customers buy within your ads.How automation and machine learning can be your brand's superpower.How Klickly's commission-based advertising allows you to lock in your desired ROAS.The privacy concerns over the last few years with Google and Apple and how you can leverage this evolving reality.LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONEDKlicklyKlickly BlogKlickly Private Beta Access - Includes free campaign ad boosts + dedicated growth specialist - Thanks Cooper!BeyondTV with Cooper HarrisEPISODE SPONSORToday's episode is brought to you by FastSimon, a leader in AI-powered shopping optimization. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 19, 2021 • 55min
Create Happy Shoppers By Delivering Exceptional Customer Service Across All Digital Channels
In today’s episode, my guest is Vikas Bhambri the SVP, Sales & Customer Experience from Kustomer. They are a top-rated Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform that helps Shopify brands to deliver modern omnichannel customer service that creates customers for life. Kustomer is a Shopify Plus Certified App Partner and powers many notable brands in the Shopify ecosystem like Thirdlove, Bulletproof Coffee, Untuckit, Outdoor Voices, and more.This is a timely conversation with the holiday shopping season just around the corner.WHAT YOU WILL LEARN TODAYThe new expectations of personalized customer support.Why ticketing systems are outdated for the modern consumer.Advancements in Kustomer's AI interpret a customer's intent to resolve or route requests faster.Why consumers are contacting customer service throughout the buyer journey: before, during and after the transaction.LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONEDKustomerKustomer Shopify AppKustomer Now. What’s NOW and What’s NEXT in CX - November 10, 2021 [Virtual Event]ThirdLove Case StudyBulletproof Case StudyThis episode is brought to you by Attentive, the most comprehensive text message marketing solution for modern Shopify brands. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 17, 2021 • 40min
Harness The Transaction Moment And Crush Your Performance Marketing Goals
In today’s episode, my guest is Justin Viles the co-founder of Rokt Commerce. Their platform empowers Shopify brands to optimize each transaction through seamless integration on the transaction page. They have incredible technology that enables the dynamic management of post-purchase offers, both internally and through their huge network of partners. This is instant, incremental revenue for your Shopify store through supporting non-competitive but complementary offers.WHAT YOU WILL LEARN TODAYHow to leverage the "transaction moment" on your Shopify store to drive more revenue and profit.How to forge deeper relationships with your customers and generate new revenue opportunities.How to counteract the rising acquisition costs on Facebook and Google.LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONEDRoktRokt Case StudiesRokt Shopify AppPop ChartThis episode is brought to you by Omnisend, makers of sophisticated omnichannel marketing automation tools for sales-driven Shopify brands that have outgrown generic email marketing platforms. Engage your customers and boost your sales with dynamic emails, text messages, web push notifications, Facebook Messenger, and retargeting ads on Facebook and Google. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 15, 2021 • 44min
Win More Holiday 2021 Customers By Leveraging Your Shopify 1st Party Data
In today’s episode, my guest is John Chao the Co-Founder of Tresl, the developer of Segments. They are a Shopify app that helps store owners and marketing team scale their revenue by leveraging targeted customer segmentation paired with advanced data analytics.It’s all presented and actionable in an easy-to-understand visual manner. I’m excited to learn more about how Segments is the goto superpower of many Shopify brands and how to leverage it to have an extremely successful holiday season.WHAT YOU WILL LEARN TODAYHow to segment your customers to improve conversions and repeat revenue.Why BFCM 2021 is extremely important for Shopify brands to get right.How to make key data points accessible and actionable.The tactics on how to make the iOS 14.5 and looming iOS 15 updates into your brand's superpower.LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONEDSegments by TreslSegments Shopify AppSegments 30-Day Free Trial - Thank JohnThis episode is brought to you by Attentive, the most comprehensive text message marketing solution for modern Shopify brands. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 14, 2021 • 51min
Tactical Email Marketing Tips From A $75M Ecommerce Email Marketer
In today’s episode, my guest is Chase Dimond, a Partner at Structured Agency. They are a top ecommerce marketing agency that has helped over 150 of the fastest growing e-commerce and DTC brands acquire and convert more customers.He has been responsible for over $75M in email attributed revenue over the past few years. He gets it and shares it ALL today on the podcast.WHAT YOU WILL LEARN TODAYThe three common email problems most Shopify brands have and how to fix them.How to select a marketing automation platform.Proven email flows and campaigns for a successful Q4.LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONEDChaseDimond.comEmail Marketing Course – $100 off with “fastlane” coupon code – Thanks Chase!Structured AgencyBoundless LabsThis episode is brought to you by Omnisend, makers of sophisticated omnichannel marketing automation tools for sales-driven Shopify brands that have outgrown generic email marketing platforms. Engage your customers and boost your sales with dynamic emails, text messages, web push notifications, Facebook Messenger, and retargeting ads on Facebook and Google. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 12, 2021 • 45min
Redefine Returns And Win Customers For Life With Memorable Exchange Experiences
In today’s episode, my guest is Jonathan Poma the Founder & CEO of Loop Returns.Loop is the returns and exchanges platform purpose-built for Shopify brands that drives customer lifetime value and reduces refunds. Merchants that use Loop make more money because they assist customers to make an exchange vs a refund. Notable Shopify brands including Allbirds, Brooklinen, and Chubbies Shorts choose Loop Returns to deliver a great returns experience to their customers. WHAT YOU WILL LEARN TODAYWhy the post-purchase experience is a crucial part of the commerce stack.How to drive up customer lifetime value through exchanges.Why exchanges continue the customer relationship and lead to higher LTV.LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONEDLoop ReturnsLoop Customer Success StoriesThis episode is brought to you by Attentive, the most comprehensive text message marketing solution for modern Shopify brands. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 12, 2021 • 45min
Grow Revenue And Scale Customer Relationships With Done-For-You SMS Marketing
In today’s episode, my guest is Lisa the Co-Founder and COO of Cartloop. They are a conversational SMS marketing tool that helps DTC brands on Shopify and Shopify Plus to drive revenue and connect with customers through 1:1 conversations.The human element that customers crave can sometimes be lost with an e-commerce brand. Conversational SMS with live experts is bringing the real-world experience of being in a store to the online medium.What You Will Learn TodayWhat exactly is Conversational SMS.The pros and cons of SMS automation tools.Why one-to-one interactions with your customers build trust and loyalty.How to recover 2x more abandoned carts overnight.Links And Resources MentionedCartloopCartloop Case StudiesCartloop Shopify AppBelle FeverToday’s episode is brought to you by Frontend by Shogun, the next-generation eCommerce Experience Platform for modern Shopify brands. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sep 6, 2021 • 31min
Inventory Working Capital Is Now Available To Fuel Your 2021 Holiday Growth
In today’s episode, my guest is Sean De Clercq the CEO and Co-Founder of Kickfurther. They are an inventory funding platform that helps growing Shopify brands to scale faster. Kickfurther funds the inventory that brands need to meet demand and overcome the cash-flow pinch that newer inventory orders can cause a business. By funding enough inventory to meet demand, it allows for cash on hand to scale other areas like marketing, development and growth. I’m excited to learn and share more about this creative funding opportunity for Shopify brands.WHAT YOU WILL LEARN TODAYWho is Kickfurther and how are they serving Shopify brands with their inventory needs.How to fund inventory to meet demand by eliminating stockouts.How Kickfurther is intentionally a different funding option for DTC Shopify brands.LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONEDKickfurtherKickfurther Pro Subscription - 50% off for the first 20 merchants - Thanks Sean!Axis GearThis episode is brought to you by Attentive, the most comprehensive text message marketing solution for modern Shopify brands. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aug 29, 2021 • 51min
The Next Wave For Growing A Shopify Brand Is Subscription-First Ecommerce
In today’s episode, my guest is Dileepan Siva the Founder and CEO of Upscribe. They are a subscription solution that helps Shopify eCommerce merchants move beyond managing subscriptions to growing subscribers.The subscription revolution has revolutionized the digital world. But it’s only just started for physical products. You'll learn how Upscribe enables eCommerce merchants to leverage the true power of subscriptions to move beyond recurring transactions to building long-lasting customer relationships based on a subscription-first eCommerce business model.What You Will Learn TodayHow to maximize the next wave of subscription-first ecommerce.Why Upscribe is focused on subscriber retention, growth and acquisition in that order.How to have a clear customer journey that showcases the membership benefits of your brand.How to leverage the power of subscriptions beyond recurring transactions, to build long-lasting customer relationships.Links And Resources MentionedUpscribeUpscribe Subscription BlogGet Started With UpscribeFour SigmaticToday’s episode is brought to you by Frontend by Shogun, the next-generation eCommerce Experience Platform for modern Shopify brands. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Aug 26, 2021 • 33min
Powerful Shopify App Helps Brands Develop Customer Community & Micro Influencers Automatically
My guest today is Brett Bernstein the CEO and Founder of Gatsby. They make micro-influencer marketing easier than ever by automatically connecting influencer data seamlessly with your existing marketing stack including Shopify, Klaviyo, Attentive, Gorgias, Justuno, Privy, Omnisend, and more.You can run influencer campaigns with the tools you already have. Gatsby adds the influencer insights and collaboration tracking to marketing automation tools you already have, so you can get more done!What You Will Learn TodayWhy you should gather Instagram insights from your customers and potential customers.Why you should consider working with micro-influencers over traditional influencers.The benefits of starting now to get your customer and potential customers Instagram handle.How to turn your Klaviyo account into an influencer marketing platform.Links And Resources MentionedGatsbyGatsby Shopify AppGatsby Tech PartnersGatsby Success Case Studies20% off the Gatsby Basics, Business or Plus Plans for your first year - Thanks Brett!KlaviyoOmnisendGorgiasAttentiveThis episode is brought to you by Attentive, the most comprehensive text message marketing solution for modern Shopify brands. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
