

The Unofficial Shopify Podcast
Kurt Elster, Paul Reda
NEW EPISODES EVERY TUESDAY, SUBSCRIBE FOR UNBEATABLE ECOM RECON – Every Tuesday since 2014, host Kurt Elster shares the Shopify success stories that nobody tells you about, straight from the entrepreneurs living it. Subscribe for a raw look at what it really takes to succeed on Shopify.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 27, 2022 • 38min
Can Cashback Rewards Save Ecommerce from Discount Addiction?
Here's how I shop from a new brand. I see an ad on Facebook, I click through, if the site is on Shopify and looks legit, maybe I'll buy. When I do buy, I'm going to wait until I'm on my desktop so that I can use a browser extension to painlessly check for coupon codes and apply the best one. Every single time. The bigger the discount, the bigger the dopamine hit, the more likely I am to buy. That's the truth.I can only do this because I know brands are just as addicted to coupon codes as Iam.We're joined by Oren Charnoff, Cofounder and CEO, at Fondue based in Tel Aviv.Fondue just raised $11m to replace every coupon code with CashBack.Prior to cofounding Fondue, Oren was on the founding team at Hanaco Ventures, a now $1.5B VC fund based in TLV and NY.Oren is a long time listener, first time caller into the podcast!Show LinksGetFondue - Let them know you heard about it on the podcast.Honey - Automatic coupon codes via a browser extensionLoop Returns - "Loop helps Shopify's best brands optimize return costs, retain more revenue, and prevent return losses."Negative Underwear - "Negative is underwear that fits your life - effortless bras, underwear, thongs and loungewear."SponsorsFree 30-day trial of Zipify OCU - To get an unadvertised gift, email help@zipify.com and ask for the "Tech Nasty Bonus".Back up your store with RewindTry Bold Product Upsell, free trialPrivy: The Fastest Way To Grow Sales With Email & SMSNever miss an episodeSubscribe wherever you get your podcastsJoin Kurt's newsletterHelp the showAsk a question in The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Facebook GroupLeave a reviewSubscribe wherever you get your podcastsWhat's Kurt up to?See our recent work at EthercycleSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelApply to work with Kurt to grow your store.

Dec 20, 2022 • 48min
BUILDING A CULT(URE) OF COMMUNITY
"Business, like life, is about how you make people feel. It's that simple, and it's that hard." –Daniel MeyerAuthenticity & community are buzzwords we here often when discussing brand marketing in 2022, but what does community look like?Caitlin Teed, a creative marketer who helped make Shopify's community what it is today, discusses her experience with community-building and her career in eCommerce tech.Show Linkscaitlinteed.comThe Culting of BrandsTwitter/@caitlinteedInstagram/@caitlinteedAmlings Cycle - Kurts first Shopify build.SponsorsFree 30-day trial of Zipify OCU - To get an unadvertised gift, email help@zipify.com and ask for the "Tech Nasty Bonus".Back up your store with RewindTry Bold Product Upsell, free trialPrivy: The Fastest Way To Grow Sales With Email & SMSNever miss an episodeSubscribe wherever you get your podcastsJoin Kurt's newsletterHelp the showAsk a question in The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Facebook GroupLeave a reviewSubscribe wherever you get your podcastsWhat's Kurt up to?See our recent work at EthercycleSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelApply to work with Kurt to grow your store.

Dec 13, 2022 • 55min
AI Chat Funnels: Bots are back, are they better?
In 2016, Facebook opened up messenger bots. And in 2017, it felt like we hit peak chat bots. We didnt hear about them as much in 2019, but that doesnt mean they ever went away, and now there is a resurgence of chat bots. I love automation and AI, so let's revisit chat bots!At the very least, you’ll benefit from this talk if you want to use Instagram to get more sales.At the most, you’ll learn how to 2-10x your sales on Instagram.Natasha Willis is the co-founder of School of Bots, where she has helped train over 14,000 businesses how to use AI Chat Funnels to grow revenue. Her expertise comes from generating more than $30 million in sales for clients like Foundr, ClickFunnels, and Mindvalley. Natasha has spoken at 160+ events alongside influencers like Gary Vaynerchuk and Richard Branson, and has been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur, and more.Show LinksSchool of BotsManyChat@natashatwillis - DM her 'kurt' to see it in actionSponsorsFree 30-day trial of Zipify OCU - To get an unadvertised gift, email help@zipify.com and ask for the "Tech Nasty Bonus".Back up your store with RewindTry Bold Product Upsell, free trialPrivy: The Fastest Way To Grow Sales With Email & SMSNever miss an episodeSubscribe wherever you get your podcastsJoin Kurt's newsletterHelp the showAsk a question in The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Facebook GroupLeave a reviewSubscribe wherever you get your podcastsWhat's Kurt up to?See our recent work at EthercycleSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelApply to work with Kurt to grow your store.

7 snips
Dec 6, 2022 • 45min
Picking the Perfect Shopify Theme
"Which theme should I use for a store that sells..." is a common question from Shopify merchants. With 97 themes currently in the Shopify Theme Store, thousands mores floating around the web, and very few of them made to the same standard, what's the right answer? How do you go about picking a theme? What about custom themes? That adds infinite variability.To discuss it, we're joined by Cofounder of Up at Five & Design Packs, Trudy MacNabb. She's run her Shopify agency Up at Five for seven years, and has worked with clients such as WWF, Canada Learning Code, and Jenny Bird. She has a deep knowledge of both front-end and back-end development (she used to be a mainframe developer!) and is a driving force behind the Shopify app Design Packs.Show LinksUp at fiveShopify ThemesCode ShopifyDesign Packs - Get an extra free section! Install the Design Packs app for free to get our standard free sections. For a limited time, choose an additional section to add for free. Send the name of the section and the promo code KURT through the in-app contact form and we'll grant you full access. Details: Available until January 15th, 2023. Does not apply to templates.SponsorsFree 30-day trial of Zipify OCU - To get an unadvertised gift, email help@zipify.com and ask for the "Tech Nasty Bonus".Back up your store with RewindTry Bold Product Upsell, free trialPrivy: The Fastest Way To Grow Sales With Email & SMSNever miss an episodeSubscribe wherever you get your podcastsJoin Kurt's newsletterHelp the showAsk a question in The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Facebook GroupLeave a reviewSubscribe wherever you get your podcastsWhat's Kurt up to?See our recent work at EthercycleSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelApply to work with Kurt to grow your store.

Nov 29, 2022 • 50min
Postal Petals Disrupts Floral Industry
The great lockdown of 2020 seems like a lifetime ago. At that time, a lot of took on hobbies. Some of us baked. I made a lot of homemade pizza.Today's guest also picked up a pandemic hobby, and then, unlike my homemade pizza, she turned it from a passion to a business.Talia Boone, founder of Postal Petals, a store that sells “do it yourself” flower arrangements shares her journey from sports marketing to entrepreneurship, and we'll find out just how tough - but not impossible - it is to break into some industries.TALIA'S BIO: Postal Petals Founder & CEO, Talia R. Boone, enters the floral industry after a groundbreaking career in sports, entertainment and social impact. She brings with her over 15 years of experience in brand strategy, communications, marketing, public relations, promotions, sales and strategic partnerships.In addition to Postal Petals, she is the Managing Director of INTER:SECT, a tactical solutions agency that serves as a catalyst for pioneering ideas, collaboration and creative opportunities that exist at the intersection of sports & entertainment, business, technology, consciousness, culture and the arts.Talia’s passion to help drive efforts to achieve long-standing, systematic social justice spills over into anything she does and that includes Postal Petals, where messages encouraging consumers to register to vote and highlighting the frequent injustices against underrepresented communities can be found throughout the brand’s site and its social media platforms.A native of a Los Angeles suburb, Talia is a graduate of San Diego State University where she earned a degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations. Talia is an advocate of civic engagement and collective social change as well as a lover of facts, experiences, art, culture and of course flowers.Show LinksPostal PetalsSponsorsFree 30-day trial of Zipify OCU - To get an unadvertised gift, email help@zipify.com and ask for the "Tech Nasty Bonus".Back up your store with RewindTry Bold Product Upsell, free trialPrivy: The Fastest Way To Grow Sales With Email & SMSNever miss an episodeSubscribe wherever you get your podcastsJoin Kurt's newsletterHelp the showAsk a question in The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Facebook GroupLeave a reviewSubscribe wherever you get your podcastsWhat's Kurt up to?See our recent work at EthercycleSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelApply to work with Kurt to grow your store.

Nov 22, 2022 • 51min
How ‘Made With Local’ Scaled with Values
Made with Local started as a simple farmer’s market table and is now a B-Corp certified food provider available at stores across Canada–but it’s still baked at home (that is Dartmouth, Nova Scotia!), by locals with local ingredients.Founder & CEO Sheena Russell is on a mission to inspire mindfulness and conscious consumption through community connection, storytelling, and food.A Certified B Corp, Sheena and her team at Made with Local are committed to creating delicious snacks that have social impact, baked-in.Show LinksMade with LocalFlower Cart GroupB LabPulp & Wire - Female-founded natural CPG agencySponsorsFree 30-day trial of Zipify OCU - To get an unadvertised gift, email help@zipify.com and ask for the "Tech Nasty Bonus".Back up your store with RewindTry Bold Product Upsell, free trialPrivy: The Fastest Way To Grow Sales With Email & SMSNever miss an episodeSubscribe wherever you get your podcastsJoin Kurt's newsletterHelp the showAsk a question in The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Facebook GroupLeave a reviewSubscribe wherever you get your podcastsWhat's Kurt up to?See our recent work at EthercycleSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelApply to work with Kurt to grow your store.

Nov 15, 2022 • 55min
How Harley Finkelstein Went From Shopify's Earliest User to its President
This episode is also available on YouTube: youtu.be/eyGIORYpio4Before Harley Finkelstein was President of Shopify, he was one of their first customers, selling t-shirts on a Shopify store sixteen years ago. In 2010, he joined the company as a "jack of all trades" and now serves as its president.Today, Shopify as a platform is the second largest online retailer in the U.S., and Harley is once again a merchant selling on Shopify.In this episode, Harley opens up to us to share his origin story, why ecommerce is an outdated term, what he's most proud of at Shopify, and where he thinks he could have done better.Show Links@harleyfFirebelly TeaShopifySponsorsFree 30-day trial of Zipify OCU - To get an unadvertised gift, email help@zipify.com and ask for the "Tech Nasty Bonus".Back up your store with RewindTry Bold Product Upsell, free trialPrivy: The Fastest Way To Grow Sales With Email & SMSNever miss an episodeSubscribe wherever you get your podcastsJoin Kurt's newsletterHelp the showAsk a question in The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Facebook GroupLeave a reviewSubscribe wherever you get your podcastsWhat's Kurt up to?See our recent work at EthercycleSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelApply to work with Kurt to grow your store.

Nov 8, 2022 • 45min
2022 eCommerce Trends Report
Ecommerce Fuel community leader Andrew Youderian joins us to discuss the results of his 2022 ecommerce trends report gathered directly from store owners like you.We'll give you a unique, detailed look at what trends are shaping the eCommerce landscape and, ultimately, your business.GUEST BIO: Andrew Youderian is the Founder of eCommerceFuel, a community for 7- and 8-figure brand owners. I'm a member, its a high quality community. Also a podcast host of Ecomm Fuel, and early inspiration for After a few years in the investment banking world, Andrew decided he’d had enough and decided to quit and start his first eCommerce business. He has since sold numerous eCommerce stores over the years and loves geeking out about eCommerce, investing, finance, marketing and community.Show Links2022 eCommerce Trends ReporteCommerceFuel.comeCommerceFuel PodcasterTw:@youderianSponsorsFree 30-day trial of Zipify OCU - To get an unadvertised gift, email help@zipify.com and ask for the "Tech Nasty Bonus".Back up your store with RewindTry Bold Product Upsell, free trialPrivy: The Fastest Way To Grow Sales With Email & SMSNever miss an episodeSubscribe wherever you get your podcastsJoin Kurt's newsletterHelp the showAsk a question in The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Facebook GroupLeave a reviewSubscribe wherever you get your podcastsWhat's Kurt up to?See our recent work at EthercycleSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelApply to work with Kurt to grow your store.

Nov 1, 2022 • 44min
Automating Real UGC on TikTok
How a 12-month-old platform, Bounty, is merging influencers and loyalty for efficient customer acquisitionGUEST BIO: Abe started Bounty in November 2021 following Apple’s iOS 14.5 privacy updates that turned the advertising industry upside down. He previously co-founded two direct to consumer brands, but due to the product categories, couldn’t run Facebook ads. Instead, he focused on working with influencers and creators to drive growth. When the privacy updates drove digital advertising to an inflection point, Abraham leveraged his learnings in the new advertising landscape to create a new scalable channel to help brands drive growth.Show LinksBountyTwitter:@abewolkeSponsorsFree 30-day trial of Zipify OCU - To get an unadvertised gift, email help@zipify.com and ask for the "Tech Nasty Bonus".Back up your store with RewindTry Bold Product Upsell, free trialPrivy: The Fastest Way To Grow Sales With Email & SMSNever miss an episodeSubscribe wherever you get your podcastsJoin Kurt's newsletterHelp the showAsk a question in The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Facebook GroupLeave a reviewSubscribe wherever you get your podcastsWhat's Kurt up to?See our recent work at EthercycleSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelApply to work with Kurt to grow your store.

Oct 25, 2022 • 52min
Maximizing CLTV this Q4 w/ SMS & Email
This panel was originally recorded live during Commerce Accel 2022, and is syndicated on The Unofficial Shopify Podcast with permission from conference organizer Kunle Campbell.We find ourselves in a challenging retail and economic environment this year, the stakes have never been higher, and consumer psychology and behavior is adjusting rapidly to new market realities.Throughout the next 40 minutes, this group of messaging and customer lifetime value maximization experts will give you the step-by-step on what you need to do as a brand to adjust your marketing to changing consumer psychology, and give you the best practices that top brands are using already in response to changing market conditions.Panelists:Reinis Krumins, co-founder of agencyJR, an eCom email marketing agency working with your favorite 7 & 8 figure brands. His team has generated over $30,000,000 in email sales in the past 3 years.Tracey Wallace, Director of Content Strategy at Klaviyo, where her team helps to educate SMB and MM ecommerce brands on how to grow more efficiently with email and SMS, yes, but also how to build their own audiences, increase lifetime value and build a legacy brand that outlasts any economic headwinds. Previously, she was the Editor-in-Chief at BigCommerce, and even started her own DTC brand to test out the theories and advice her writers were giving. Tracey comes from a long line of educators, and is focused on helping business leaders have more successful impact at their organisations.Lindy Crea, VP of Partnerships at Recharge, the leading subscription management solution, helping ecommerce merchants of all sizes launch and scale subscription offerings. Lindy leads the team responsible for Recharge’s all-star partner network.Show Linkscommerceaccel.comSponsorsFree 30-day trial of Zipify OCU - To get an unadvertised gift, email help@zipify.com and ask for the "Tech Nasty Bonus".Back up your store with RewindTry Bold Product Upsell, free trialPrivy: The Fastest Way To Grow Sales With Email & SMSNever miss an episodeSubscribe wherever you get your podcastsJoin Kurt's newsletterHelp the showAsk a question in The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Facebook GroupLeave a reviewSubscribe wherever you get your podcastsWhat's Kurt up to?See our recent work at EthercycleSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelApply to work with Kurt to grow your store.