

eCommerce Fastlane: Shopify Growth Strategies—Where AI Efficiency Meets Human Connection
Steve Hutt | Shopify Expert | eCommerce Expert
Welcome to eCommerce Fastlane: Shopify Growth Strategies—Where AI Efficiency Meets Human Connection. I’m Steve Hutt, your experienced guide and host, here to help you unlock real, sustainable growth for your Shopify store by blending the best of automation with the power of authentic customer relationships.
Since 2016, eCommerce Fastlane has been the weekly pit-stop for ambitious DTC founders and marketers. With over 1.5 million downloads and 400+ episodes, this show is your trusted resource for:
- Proven Shopify strategies, apps, and best practices that drive measurable results
- Digital marketing tactics and retention playbooks that balance AI with genuine human touch
- Real-world founder stories and lessons learned from my own journey and 400+ interviews with industry leaders
- Deep dives into emerging tech (AI, AR/VR, automation) and how to use it without losing your brand’s soul
- Operations, logistics, and customer experience solutions that reduce overwhelm and foster loyalty
Each week, I sit down with Shopify partners, marketing experts, and successful store owners who share what’s actually working right now—no fluff, just actionable, battle-tested strategies.
Whether you’re launching your first store or scaling past seven figures, you’ll walk away from every episode with at least one practical idea you can implement immediately.
Ready to thrive in today’s fast-paced ecommerce world—growing smarter, not just faster? Hit subscribe and join thousands of merchants building customer-centric, future-proof brands with eCommerce Fastlane.
Let’s unlock your store’s true potential—together.
Steve Hutt
x-Shopify - DTC Founder - Podcast Host
Website: eCommerceFastlane.com
Newsletter: FastlaneInsider.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/shutt
X: x.com/stevenhutt
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ecommercefastlane
Email: steve@ecommercefastlane.com
Since 2016, eCommerce Fastlane has been the weekly pit-stop for ambitious DTC founders and marketers. With over 1.5 million downloads and 400+ episodes, this show is your trusted resource for:
- Proven Shopify strategies, apps, and best practices that drive measurable results
- Digital marketing tactics and retention playbooks that balance AI with genuine human touch
- Real-world founder stories and lessons learned from my own journey and 400+ interviews with industry leaders
- Deep dives into emerging tech (AI, AR/VR, automation) and how to use it without losing your brand’s soul
- Operations, logistics, and customer experience solutions that reduce overwhelm and foster loyalty
Each week, I sit down with Shopify partners, marketing experts, and successful store owners who share what’s actually working right now—no fluff, just actionable, battle-tested strategies.
Whether you’re launching your first store or scaling past seven figures, you’ll walk away from every episode with at least one practical idea you can implement immediately.
Ready to thrive in today’s fast-paced ecommerce world—growing smarter, not just faster? Hit subscribe and join thousands of merchants building customer-centric, future-proof brands with eCommerce Fastlane.
Let’s unlock your store’s true potential—together.
Steve Hutt
x-Shopify - DTC Founder - Podcast Host
Website: eCommerceFastlane.com
Newsletter: FastlaneInsider.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/shutt
X: x.com/stevenhutt
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ecommercefastlane
Email: steve@ecommercefastlane.com
Episodes
Mentioned books

Feb 12, 2023 • 42min
Shopify Stores Can Now Say Goodbye To Affiliate Links And Discount Codes With Anders Bill and Andy Cloyd Of Superfiliate
In today’s Shopify Ecommerce Podcast, my guests are Anders Bill and Andy Cloyd of Superfiliate.Superfiliate is a platform that automates the creation of personalized storefronts for a Shopify brand's best customers and creators to get the most out of their word of mouth programs. These personalized storefronts give Superfiliates access to a brand's best media content, while also allowing them to customize their storefronts with their own user-generated content, reviews and favorite products. Most referral and influencer programs drive shoppers to a homepage or product page that totally cuts the customer or creator out of the commerce experience. With Superfiliate, merchants can automate the creation of thousands of personalized storefronts and drive a higher activation and conversion rate. Shopify merchants can leverage Superfiliate to run all their word of mouth programs in one place across referral/loyalty, ambassador, affiliate and influencer. Building a successful Shopify business requires not only hard work and dedication, but also access to the right information.Take advantage of the information and resources presented in today's ecommerce podcast. You'll learn how to GROW REVENUE and MAXIMIZE PROFIT for your Shopify store.We would love to hear from you! Whether it's a comment or a question about our latest episode, feel free to reach out to us here or through our social media channels. Your feedback is always welcome!TwitterLinkedInFacebookYour feedback is always welcome!Are you hungry for knowledge on the topics of ecommerce and marketing? Then, we recommend visiting the eCommerce Fastlane Insights Blog for valuable and timely information.TOPICS INCLUDE: Advertising, Affiliate Marketing, Amazon, Attribution, Automation, B2B, Brand, Customer Retention, Customer Support, Data + Analytics, Data Trust + Security, Dropshipping, Ecommerce SEO, Email Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Founder Stories, Influencer Marketing, Legal, Logistics, Shipping, Loyalty, Rewards, Retention Marketing, Marketing, Sales, Conversion, Money From Home, Operations, Payments, Finance, Tax, People, Personalization, Post Purchase Experience,Print On Demand, Product Development, Retail, Shopify POS, Reviews, Search, SMS Marketing, Social Commerce, Social Media, Live Shopping, Startup Ideas, Store Design, Mobile Apps, Sustainability, TikTok, Trends, Ultimate Guides, Web3, best Shopify apps, and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Feb 11, 2023 • 44min
Collaborate Your Way To Success With Influencers And Creators With Brett Owens Of Afluencer
In today’s Shopify Ecommerce Podcast, my guest is Brett Owens & Collab Matchmaker of Afluencer.Afluencer is the easiest way for Shopify brands to find, meet and start “Collabing” with social media micro-influencers and creators. Over 20,000+ influencers are actual users of their app – which means they can make direct introductions for you to new partners. Relevancy is their specialty. They help you meet influencers who have followers that meet the profile of your ideal customer. Whether you need a Jazzercise instructor in Kansas City, a skincare creator in Los Angeles or anything in between, Afluencer can make that collab happen.Building a successful Shopify business requires not only hard work and dedication, but also access to the right information.Take advantage of the information and resources presented in today's ecommerce podcast. You'll learn how to GROW REVENUE and MAXIMIZE PROFIT for your Shopify store.We would love to hear from you! Whether it's a comment or a question about our latest episode, feel free to reach out to us here or through our social media channels. Your feedback is always welcome!TwitterLinkedInFacebookYour feedback is always welcome!Are you hungry for knowledge on the topics of ecommerce and marketing? Then, we recommend visiting the eCommerce Fastlane Insights Blog for valuable and timely information.TOPICS INCLUDE: Advertising, Affiliate Marketing, Amazon, Attribution, Automation, B2B, Brand, Customer Retention, Customer Support, Data + Analytics, Data Trust + Security, Dropshipping, Ecommerce Seo, Email Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Founder Stories, Influencers, Legal, Logistics, Shipping, Loyalty, Rewards, Retention Marketing, Marketing, Sales, Conversion, Money From Home, Operations, Payments, Finance, Tax, People, Personalization, Post Purchase Experience,Print On Demand, Product Development, Retail, Shopify POS, Reviews, Search, SMS Marketing, Social Commerce, Social Media, Live Shopping, Startup Ideas, Store Design, Mobile Apps, Sustainability, TikTok, Trends, Ultimate Guides, Web3, best Shopify apps, and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jan 31, 2023 • 41min
Shopify Stores Are Exploiting A Massively Profitable Direct Mail Channel At Scale With Dave Fink Of Postie
In today’s Shopify Ecommerce Podcast, my guest is Dave Fink, the Founder and CEO of Postie.com.Dave Fink thinks the best kept secret in marketing is hiding where you least expect it — your mailbox. Over a 20-year career he’s generated hundreds of millions of dollars in ad revenue, powered viral sensations like Dollar Shave Club, and helped launch celebrity startups for Jessica Simpson, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, and Kate Bosworth. Now as founder and CEO of Postie, he’s out to reinvent direct mail marketing for a digital world. Building a successful Shopify business requires not only hard work and dedication, but also access to the right information.Take advantage of the information and resources presented in today's ecommerce podcast. You'll learn how to GROW REVENUE and MAXIMIZE PROFIT for your Shopify store.We would love to hear from you! Whether it's a comment or a question about our latest episode, feel free to reach out to us here or through our social media channels. Your feedback is always welcome!TwitterLinkedInFacebookYour feedback is always welcome!Are you hungry for knowledge on the topics of ecommerce and marketing? Then, we recommend visiting the eCommerce Fastlane Insights Blog for valuable and timely information. TOPICS INCLUDE: Advertising, Affiliate Marketing, Amazon, Attribution, Automation, B2B, Brand, Customer Retention, Customer Support, Data + Analytics, Data Trust + Security, Dropshipping, Ecommerce Seo, Email Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Founder Stories, Influencers, Legal, Logistics, Shipping, Loyalty, Rewards, Retention Marketing, Marketing, Sales, Conversion, Money From Home, Operations, Payments, Finance, Tax, People, Personalization, Post Purchase Experience, Print On Demand, Product Development, Retail, Shopify POS, Reviews, Search, SMS Marketing, Social Commerce, Social Media, Live Shopping, Startup Ideas, Store Design, Mobile Apps, Sustainability, TikTok, Trends, Ultimate Guides, Web3, best Shopify apps, and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jan 17, 2023 • 45min
10X Your Browse And Cart Abandonment Email And SMS With Adam Robinson Of Retention.com
In today’s Shopify ecommerce podcast, my guest is Adam Robinson, the Co-Founder and CEO of Retention.comRetention.com helps Shopify stores to grow their abandonment revenues. Your customers can only receive abandoned cart emails if they’re logged in to Shopify. Think about that.Think about how many people aren’t logged in to your store right now that are putting things in their cart.If someone bought on their laptop and is shopping on their phone, they don’t get a message. For the 98% of your traffic where you didn’t capture their email address, they aren’t getting a message.Retention.com helps Shopify stores harness the power of identity to scale abandonment sends by up to 10x.This directly leads an increase in conversions which flows straight through to the bottom line.Let's jump in a learn more!Profitably GROW and SCALE your Shopify business with the resources mentioned in today's ecommerce podcast episode.Have any questions or comments about this episode? We can be reached here: eCommerceFastlane.com/contact or through our social channels. We love hearing from our listeners!Looking to grow and scale revenue for your Shopify ecommerce store profitably? Click here, eCommerceFastlane.com, for the latest strategies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dec 5, 2022 • 48min
Crush Your Profit Target This Holiday Season With First-Party Data And Intelligent Customer Segmentation With John Chao Of Segments
In this podcast, John Chao, Co-Founder and CEO of Segments, discusses leveraging first-party data and intelligent customer segmentation to crush profit targets. They analyze top brands during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, explore the importance of repeat customers, and discuss the power of using the Segments app for customer segmenting and reporting.

Nov 14, 2022 • 45min
Advertising Is Dead: How Modern Shopify Brands Are Staying Alive Through Partnerships With Cristy Ebert Garcia Of Impact.com
In today’s Shopify ecommerce podcast, my guest is Cristy Ebert Garcia, the CMO from Impact.com. They are a partnership management platform that helps businesses of all sizes grow revenue through the partnership channel.Today, the consumer is in the driver's seat. They’ve taken matters into their own hands and no longer make unilateral decisions based on ads; in fact, 96% of consumers don’t even trust ads. They want to source real information about products they’re interested in, and they want to source this information from people or publications, or influencers they trust.9 out of 10 consumers read reviews before making a purchase, and almost 55% of consumers read a minimum of four reviews before buying a product. And So, brands should find out where their consumers are going for information and then “be there” by partnering with those informational sources.Let’s learn more about how to grow your Shopify business through partnerships!Profitably GROW and SCALE your Shopify business with the resources mentioned in today's ecommerce podcast episode.Have any questions or comments about this episode? You can reach us at hello@ecommercefastlane.com or through any of our social channels. We love hearing from our listeners!Looking to grow and scale revenue for your Shopify ecommerce store profitably? Click here, eCommerceFastlane.com, for the latest strategies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nov 13, 2022 • 46min
Breaking Down The Barriers To Best-in-Class Experiences For Shopify SMBs With Eduardo Lopez-Soriano Of UPS Capital
In today’s Shopify ecommerce podcast, my guest is Eduardo Lopez-Soriano, the Vice President of Marketing for UPS Capital. He’s part of the team responsible for the InsureShield Shipping App for Shopify stores.UPS Capital is the shipping experience and insurance division of UPS. We leverage 100+ years of supply chain expertise to help our customers anticipate and overcome shipping setbacks, including protecting against emerging risks, such as porch piracy. We know that shipping is about much more than moving merchandise – it’s a critical touchpoint in the customer experience, often a business’s last chance to make a good impression. That’s why we’re on a mission to simplify the post-purchase and shipping experience, helping businesses protect their reputation and their bottom line with fast claims payment, expedited reshipment and more. Having a partner like UPS Capital gives businesses peace of mind that they’re protected from shipping mishaps including porch pirates!Let’s jump in and learn more!Profitably GROW and SCALE your Shopify business with the resources mentioned in today's ecommerce podcast episode.Have any questions or comments about this episode? You can reach us at hello@ecommercefastlane.com or through any of our social channels. We love hearing from our listeners!Looking to profitably grow and scale revenue for your Shopify ecommerce store? Click here eCommerceFastlane.com for the latest strategies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nov 3, 2022 • 43min
Drive More Revenue By Predicting And Saving Abandoned Carts With Jon Tucker Of HelpFlow
In today’s Shopify ecommerce podcast, my guest is Jon Tucker the CEO and Founder from HelpFlow.com. They are a 24/7 live chat team that helps drive sales by predicting and saving abandonments on your website. They have a team of agents that connect directly with visitors and closes sales on behalf of a brand.Let’s jump in and learn more!Profitably GROW and SCALE your Shopify business with the resources mentioned in today's ecommerce podcast episode.Have any questions or comments about this episode? You can reach us at hello@ecommercefastlane.com or through any of our social channels. We love hearing from our listeners!Looking to profitably grow and scale revenue for your Shopify ecommerce store? Click here eCommerceFastlane.com for the latest strategies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oct 30, 2022 • 36min
Try-Before-You-Buy Shopify App Increases Sales, Trust, And Loyalty With Benjamin Davis Of TryNow
In today’s Shopify ecommerce podcast, my guest is Benjamin Davis the Founder and CEO of TryNow. They are the connected solution that helps Shopify merchants to launch a Try Before You Buy program.Ben saw the transformational growth potential that a TBYB program unlocks, but also saw the complexities of building a program from scratch. TryNow offers try-before-you-buy software so all Shopify merchants can experience a transformational growth, without added risk or operational complexity. With Amazon letting their Prime customers shop in this way, there's never been a better time to differentiate your ecommerce store with a TBYB offering.Let’s jump in and learn more!Profitably GROW and SCALE your Shopify business with the resources mentioned in today's ecommerce podcast episode.Have any questions or comments about this episode? You can reach us at hello@ecommercefastlane.com or through any of our social channels. We love hearing from our listeners!Looking to profitably grow and scale revenue for your Shopify ecommerce store? Click here eCommerceFastlane.com for the latest strategies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oct 28, 2022 • 32min
What Is Logged-In Commerce And How Can It Help Drive More Revenue And Retention With Joe Vancena Of Status
In today’s Shopify ecommerce podcast, my guest is Joe Vancena, the CEO and Co-Founder of Status. They are a new customer account platform that gets more of your customers logged-in and keeps them logged-in for 6 months.Getting customers to login is more important now than ever. Brands have lost data to iOS14.5, they are about to lose cookies, and more than 85% of their customers are shopping anonymously.But with Status, Shopify brands overcome these challenges and create a powerful new world: logged-in commerce. Because once your customer logs in, you know exactly who they are.Inside a Status account, brands drive AOV & LTV by offering personalized shopping tools to every customer: like recently viewed products and products saved from cart. And they reduce those pesky tickets by fully integrating their support tools: helping customers track orders, submit returns, manage gift cards, and earn points – with one passwordless login.Let’s jump in and learn more!Profitably GROW and SCALE your Shopify business with the resources mentioned in today's ecommerce podcast episode.Have any questions or comments about this episode? You can reach us at hello@ecommercefastlane.com or through any of our social channels. We love hearing from our listeners!Looking to profitably grow and scale revenue for your Shopify ecommerce store? Click here eCommerceFastlane.com for the latest strategies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.