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
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.
Oct 22, 2022 • 48min
Send AI-Generated Personalized Videos At Scale To Delight Customers And Boost LTV With Maverick
In today’s Shopify ecommerce podcast, my guests are Eitan Winer (CEO) and Debarshi Chaudhuri (CTO) from Maverick. Check them out at TryMaverick.com.Maverick is a software company that helps Shopify ecommerce brands to boost LTV and delight customers through their AI generated personalized videos at scale. Imagine being able to have customer interactions through an AI generated video that addresses your customer or potential customer by name? It’s amazing technology and could very well be a tool that can differentiate your brand in a sea of competitors in ecommerce. 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 22, 2022 • 45min
Live Selling: The 2022 BFCM Tactic Of The Year With Joe Suh Of SoldLive
In today’s Shopify ecommerce podcast, my guest is Joe Suh the founder from SoldLive.Joe has been making Shopify apps for more than 5 years, and his current Shopify app, SoldLive, helps merchants automate and scale their live sales on Facebook and Instagram.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 22, 2022 • 42min
Effective Ecommerce Digital Marketing Strategies For BFCM With Richard Hexter Of Electric Orange
In today’s Shopify ecommerce podcast, my guest is Richard Hexter, the Director of Partnerships and Digital from Electric Orange Creative. They are a Digital Marketing Agency that helps Shopify ecommerce businesses scale profitably.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.
