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
Apr 9, 2022 • 36min
Build Trust And Completely Remove Checkout Hesitancy For Your Shopify Brand With Jack Bloomfield Of Disputify
In today’s episode, my guest is Jack Bloomfield the Founder and CEO of Disputify.They are redefining the ecommerce status quo by empowering Shopify merchants to offer instant refunds, make smarter refund decisions, and to remove product uncertainty at checkout.Through a 15-second Shopify integration, instant refunds are promoted on the product page and have proven to drive a 22%+ increase in conversions, paired with deep insights on customer behavior also are delivered at the transaction and at the point of refund request.You can also get today's Shopify ecommerce podcast show notes, full transcripts, links, resources, and actionable DTC marketing strategies, including tips to fast-track the growth and profitability of your Shopify ecommerce business.LEARN MORE and grow your Shopify store at eCommerceFastlane.com and eCommerceFastlanePodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 9, 2022 • 48min
Solving A $50 Billion Problem: The Last-Mile Delivery Of Heavy And Oversized Goods With Doug Ladden of Deliveright
In today’s episode, my guest is Doug Ladden, the Co-Founder and the CEO of Deliveright. They are technology, logistics, and final-mile delivery provider to Shopify retailers of heavy and oversized goods.With the app, shippers can use instant shipping quotes to turn delivery service into a profit center and offer customers service levels ranging from curbside to full white glove delivery.The app integrates directly with Deliveright’s Grasshopper platform, which automates the entire booking and shipping process.You can also get today's Shopify ecommerce podcast show notes, full transcripts, links, resources, and actionable DTC marketing strategies, including tips to fast-track the growth and profitability of your Shopify ecommerce business.LEARN MORE and grow your Shopify store at eCommerceFastlane.com and eCommerceFastlanePodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 3, 2022 • 29min
Segment Shopify Store Customers By Social Influence And Develop Email And SMS Campaigns For Micro-Influencer Marketing With Brett Bernstein Of Gatsby
In today’s episode, my guest is Brett Bernstein the CEO and Co-Founder of Gatsby, a Shopify influencer app.They help ecommerce marketers to scale their micro-influencer and ambassador programs directly inside Klaviyo, Gorgias, Yotpo, Omnisend, and more.This is an excellent conversation with tons of learnings on how to scale influencers and brand ambassadors with your Shopify-powered store.You can also get today's Shopify ecommerce podcast show notes, full transcripts, links, resources, and actionable DTC marketing strategies, including tips to fast-track the growth and profitability of your Shopify ecommerce business.LEARN MORE and grow your Shopify store at eCommerceFastlane.com and eCommerceFastlanePodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 3, 2022 • 34min
Build Long-Term Relationships And Drive More Revenue From Your Existing Customers With Fiona Stevens of LoyaltyLion
In today’s episode, my guest is Fiona Stevens the Head of Marketing from LoyaltyLion. They are a data-driven loyalty and engagement platform, that helps Shopify ecommerce retailers to build longer-lasting customer relationships that drive sustainable growth.As a Shopify Plus Technology Partner, they create unique loyalty programs that integrate with their technology stack to add power to their overall marketing strategies.They are one of very few Shopify Partners to be 100% loyalty focussed with no distractions. They truly eat, sleep and breathe retention.In today’s opt-out era, they exist to help Shopify stores retain their most valuable customers and build customer relationships that outlast privacy updates, supply chain problems, and much more.This is a timely episode to learn how relationships with your customers go beyond points and rewards.You can also get today's Shopify ecommerce podcast show notes, full transcripts, links, resources, and actionable DTC marketing strategies, including tips to fast-track the growth and profitability of your Shopify ecommerce business.LEARN MORE and grow your Shopify store at eCommerceFastlane.com and eCommerceFastlanePodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 30, 2022 • 37min
Increase Your Shopify Conversion Rate And Revenue Per Visitor By Serving The Social Media Generation With Michael Prichard Of Skafos
In today’s episode, my guest is Michael Prichard the CEO and Founder of Skafos.ai. They work with forward-thinking brands to stop shoppers from endless scrolling and leaving their online stores unhappy, Their platform simply asks shoppers what they like and dislike and gives them the product mix they want to see at that moment.Skafos is the modern Product Discovery platform designed to work with the "social media generation".You can also get today's Shopify ecommerce podcast show notes, full transcripts, links, resources, and actionable DTC marketing strategies, including tips to fast-track the growth and profitability of your Shopify ecommerce business.LEARN MORE and grow your Shopify store at eCommerceFastlane.com and eCommerceFastlanePodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 30, 2022 • 52min
Healthy Shopify Ecommerce Growth: Why You Need It And How to Achieve It With Ken Ott Of Metacake
In today’s episode, my guest is Ken Ott the Co-Founder of Metacake, a Shopify Plus Agency Partner.They’re an ecommerce growth team that helps Shopify brands of all sizes to achieve healthy, long-lasting business growth.For over 10 years they’ve helped some of the most influential brands in the world.Its mission is to help grow brands that matter. Brands that have a positive impact simply by creating great products and operating a great business.You can also get today's Shopify ecommerce podcast show notes, full transcripts, links, resources, and actionable DTC marketing strategies, including tips to fast-track the growth and profitability of your Shopify ecommerce business.LEARN MORE and grow your Shopify store at eCommerceFastlane.com and eCommerceFastlanePodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 27, 2022 • 39min
New Data-Driven UX For Your Shopify Store For An Improved Conversion Rate With Peter Szalontay Of Datamilk
In today’s episode, my guest is Peter Szalontay the Founder & CEO of DataMilk.aiThey are a no-code UX optimization tool that helps build AI-driven UX optimization for Shopify brands.With their platform, a Shopify store can start growing revenue in an hour without the need for technical resources. It optimizes the core user experience on your ecommerce site, with the goal to create the right experience for each user at each moment. It ultimately maximizes revenue from each visitor and shopping session.You can also get today's Shopify ecommerce podcast show notes, full transcripts, links, resources, and actionable DTC marketing strategies, including tips to fast-track the growth and profitability of your Shopify ecommerce business.LEARN MORE and grow your Shopify store at eCommerceFastlane.com and eCommerceFastlanePodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 13, 2022 • 45min
Successful Shopify Stores Have Customer Experience As Their Cornerstone For Customer Acquisition And Customer Retention With Adam Pearce Of Blend Commerce
In today’s Shopify eCommerce podcast, my guest is Adam Pearce the Co-founder & CEO of Blend Commerce. They’re an on-demand digital team focused on helping Shopify brands to grow and scale.They have experts in many areas that a DTC Shopify brand needs including CX Designers, Front & Backend Developers, Conversion Rate Consultants, Growth Marketers, and Strategy Consultants.They offer a Shopify business the right amount of capacity not only to maintain an ecommerce store but to also improve the business outcomes month-over-month.Let’s learn more about how Blend Commerce has created a paradigm shift in the traditional agency model through customer experience.You can also get today's Shopify ecommerce podcast show notes, full transcripts, links, resources, and actionable DTC marketing strategies, including tips to fast-track the growth and profitability of your Shopify ecommerce business.LEARN MORE and grow your Shopify store at eCommerceFastlane.com and eCommerceFastlanePodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 13, 2022 • 53min
Shopify Brands Can Now Acquire New Customers Without Expensive Acquisition Costs With David Perry Of Carro
In today’s Shopify eCommerce podcast, my guest is David Perry the CEO of Carro. They are an amazing Shopify app and platform that introduces brands to the social media influencers that love them.With over seven million introductions later, Carro now also helps Shopify online stores to build incredible partnerships with other brands they love.Over 35,000 Shopify businesses have installed Carro as a sales channel in Shopify and are now truly living up to their mission to help direct-to-consumer (DTC) Shopify brands “Sell More, Together.”You can also get today's Shopify ecommerce podcast show notes, full transcripts, links, resources, and actionable DTC marketing strategies, including tips to fast-track the growth and profitability of your Shopify ecommerce business.LEARN MORE and grow your Shopify store at eCommerceFastlane.com and eCommerceFastlanePodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 13, 2022 • 39min
Incredible Two Hour Delivery Option For Your Shopify Powered Store With Ben Jones Of Ohi
In today’s Shopify eCommerce podcast, my guest is Ben Jones the founder and CEO of Ohi. They are an instant commerce delivery platform that helps DTC and CPG retailers and brands to deliver their products in under two hours, with a more sustainable, carbon-neutral delivery model. This is a great conversation with tons of learnings as brands strive to meet and exceed their customer's expectations.You can also get today's Shopify ecommerce podcast show notes, full transcripts, links, resources, and actionable DTC marketing strategies, including tips to fast-track the growth and profitability of your Shopify ecommerce business.LEARN MORE and grow your Shopify store at eCommerceFastlane.com and eCommerceFastlanePodcast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
