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

Episodes

Mentioned books

Jun 28, 2021 • 44min

Strengthen Loyalty And Act On Real-Time Opportunities With Cross-Channel Customer Engagement Strategies

Today's episode is brought to you by Mesa, the only ecommerce automation platform exclusive to Shopify and Shopify Plus.Your Business Is A Journey. Invest In Yourself Today.Being an entrepreneur or brand marketer is a life of learning, implementing, and iterating. All it would take is a new idea, a strategy, a Shopify app, or a marketing platform to be the next thing you need to improve efficiencies, profitably grow revenue, and build lifetime customer loyalty for your Shopify brand.In today’s episode, my guest is Diana Kim, Senior Product Manage at Braze. They are a comprehensive customer engagement platform that powers relevant and memorable experiences between consumers and the brands they love.Learn more about the technology that drives engagement and business results with smart, dynamic journeys and remain top of mind with your customers.What You Will Learn TodayHow better customer experiences improve the ROI of your Shopify brand.What is purchase behavior segmentation and why is it important.Why leading brands implement cross-channel upsell, cross-sell, and promotional offers.Why acquisition and retention strategies should work hand in hand.Links And Resources MentionedBrazeBraze Case Studies And ResourcesGoat.comThank You For ListeningI really appreciate your choosing to listen to the show and for supporting the podcast and its sponsors. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please share it using the social media buttons on this page.I would also be so grateful if you would consider taking a minute or two to leave an honest review and rating for the show on iTunes. They’re extremely helpful when it comes to reaching our entrepreneurial audience, and I read each and every one personally!Growth Mindset?If you’re reading down here, I know the answer… Subscribe to eCommerce Fastlane and get an instant notification when a new episode is released. We’re available here Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play or wherever you get your podcasts.Episode Sponsor: MESAToday's episode is brought to you by Mesa, the only ecommerce automation platform exclusive to Shopify and Shopify Plus.Mesa is the easiest way to integrate any top ecommerce app or service with your online store. Designed exclusively for Shopify and Shopify Plus; Mesa's automated workflows can get back your time spent on repetitive tasks while growing your business at the same time.Mesa's no-code approach to building workflows allows you to create new ways to improve customer engagement, encourage repeat purchases without lifting a finger, reduce manual data entry, and more through a simple point-and-click interface.Search for "Mesa" in the Shopify App Store and download the app today. Pricing starts at less than $10 a month and comes with a 14-day free trial backed 24/7 by their Customer Success Team. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jun 27, 2021 • 56min

Shopify Plus Partner Shares Strategic And Tactical Experience To Grow And Thrive

Today’s episode is brought to you by HiConversion Recommend. Get real-time personalization to spark your Shopify store's growth. Algorithmically launch product recommendations based on the same machine learning technology used at Amazon.com.Your Business Is A Journey. Invest In Yourself Today.Being an entrepreneur is a life of learning, implementing, and iterating. All it would take is a new idea, a strategy, a Shopify app, or a marketing platform to be the next thing you need to improve efficiencies, drive more revenue, and build lifetime customer loyalty for your Shopify brand.In today’s episode, my guest is Ben Zettler, the founder of Ben Zettler Digital Media.Ben is an Ecommerce and Digital Marketing Consultant that helps both small and large-scale Shopify merchants to profitably grow revenue while assisting with the building blocks for customer lifetime value. He works across three core pillars of success and growth for a Shopify brand:The optimization of the store to drive conversions.The execution of key strategies to acquire new customers.The enhancement of tactics and tools to retain those customersHe is a Shopify Partner, Shopify Expert and Shopify Plus Consulting Partner, as well as a Facebook Marketing Partner and Klaviyo “Platinum” Partner.Let’s all learn from Ben today, about how to build efficient paths for growth.What You Will Learn TodayHow to identify and avoid being the “overworked founder” or the “overworked doer”.The benefits of building your Shopify brands owned marketing channels.The must-have list of tools for Shopify merchants today.The mindset around being a constant learner paired with experimentation.Links And Resources MentionedBen Zettler Digital MediaBen Zettler BlogThank You For ListeningI really appreciate your choosing to listen to the show and for supporting the podcast and its sponsors. If you enjoyed today’s show, please share it using the social media buttons on this page.I would also be so grateful if you would consider taking a minute or two to leave an honest review and rating for the show on iTunes. They’re extremely helpful when it comes to reaching our entrepreneurial audience, and I read each and every one personally!Growth Mindset?If you're reading down here, I know the answer... Subscribe to eCommerce Fastlane and get an instant notification when a new episode is released. We're available here Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play or wherever you get your podcasts.Episode Sponsor: HiConversion Recommend Today’s episode is brought to you by HiConversion Recommend powered by Amazon Personalize – product recommendations with the same AI used on Amazon. With a 5-star rating on the Shopify App Store, HiConversion Recommend helps time-poor ecommerce teams to drive more new revenue from their existing web traffic. One-click Shopify integration, dozens of ready-to-go recommendation templates, effortless reporting, and a hands-free 7-day Product Recommendation Challenge, make it easy to put Amazon’s own AI to the test on your storefront.Do you have 50+ products and $1M+ in online sales? If so, learn how to claim your seat and start your 7-Day Product Recommendation Challenge for Shopify. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jun 26, 2021 • 44min

Increase Your Organic Traffic In Google Search Through Real-Time SEO Auditing

Today's episode is brought to you by Mesa, the only ecommerce automation platform exclusive to Shopify and Shopify Plus.Your Business Is A Journey. Invest In Yourself Today.Being an entrepreneur or brand marketer is a life of learning, implementing, and iterating. All it would take is a new idea, a strategy, a Shopify app, or a marketing platform to be the next thing you need to improve efficiencies, profitably grow revenue, and build lifetime customer loyalty for your Shopify brand.In today’s episode, my guest is Steven van Vessum, the Co-Founder and VP of Community for ContentKing. They’re a real-time SEO auditing and monitoring platform that helps prevent SEO disasters from happening on your Shopify store.Being the natural choice in Google Search for your products is the holy grail of marketing. This is a great conversation around the importance of quality assurance in eCommerce SEO.What You Will Learn TodayWhy quality assurance and store health needs to be part of your eCommerce strategy.The specific nuances and considerations in SEO for Shopify brands.Importance of Google Analytics and Google Search Console for SEO growth.Links And Resources MentionedContentKingContentKing SEO AcademyUltimate Guide To Shopify SEOUltimate Guide To Google's Core Web VitalsContentKing 45-Day Free Trial - Thanks Steve!Thank You For ListeningI really appreciate your choosing to listen to the show and for supporting the podcast and its sponsors. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please share it using the social media buttons on this page.I would also be so grateful if you would consider taking a minute or two to leave an honest review and rating for the show on iTunes. They’re extremely helpful when it comes to reaching our entrepreneurial audience, and I read each and every one personally!Growth Mindset?Listen to the eCommerce Fastlane Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play. Subscribe to the show and get notifications when new episodes are released.Episode Sponsor: MESAToday's episode is brought to you by Mesa, the only ecommerce automation platform exclusive to Shopify and Shopify Plus.Mesa is the easiest way to integrate any top ecommerce app or service with your online store. Designed exclusively for Shopify and Shopify Plus; Mesa's automated workflows can get back your time spent on repetitive tasks while growing your business at the same time.Mesa's no-code approach to building workflows allows you to create new ways to improve customer engagement, encourage repeat purchases without lifting a finger, reduce manual data entry, and more through a simple point-and-click interface.Search for "Mesa" in the Shopify App Store and download the app today. Pricing starts at less than $10 a month and comes with a 14-day free trial backed 24/7 by their Customer Success Team. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jun 17, 2021 • 31min

Discover Your Data-Driven Insights And Trends From Shopify, Google, And Facebook

Today’s episode is brought to you by HiConversion Recommend. Get real-time personalization to spark your Shopify store's growth. Algorithmically launch product recommendations based on the same machine learning technology used at Amazon.com.Your Business Is A Journey. Invest In Yourself Today.Being an entrepreneur is a life of learning, implementing, and iterating. All it would take is a new idea, a strategy, a Shopify app, or a marketing platform to be the next thing you need to improve efficiencies, drive more revenue, and build lifetime customer loyalty for your Shopify brand.In today’s episode, my guest is Yasmin Nozari the Co-Founder and COO from Peel Insights. They are an automated business analysis system built for Shopify brands that are committed to growth.Peel is designed for DTC Shopify brands to quickly understand trends in their business and react to the most promising cohort signals, without the need for any technical skills. They share all the intel Shopify businesses need to sell to more customers and to earn more revenue from existing ones.They provide the daily analysis needed to make growth decisions.What You Will Learn TodayWhy business intelligence is a necessary superpower to succeed in e-commerce.What is cohort analysis and why is it important for a Shopify brand.The importance of focusing on improving LTV from your ad-driven leads.Links And Resources MentionedPeel InsightsPeel Insights Shopify AppPeel Insights Case StudiesPeel Insight - 30-Day Free Trial - Thanks Yasmin!Thank You For ListeningI really appreciate your choosing to listen to the show and for supporting the podcast and its sponsors. If you enjoyed today’s show, please share it using the social media buttons on this page.I would also be so grateful if you would consider taking a minute or two to leave an honest review and rating for the show on iTunes. They’re extremely helpful when it comes to reaching our entrepreneurial audience, and I read each and every one personally!Growth Mindset?Listen to the eCommerce Fastlane Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play. Subscribe to the show and get notifications when new episodes are released.Episode Sponsor: HiConversion Recommend Today’s episode is brought to you by HiConversion Recommend powered by Amazon Personalize – product recommendations with the same AI used on Amazon. With a 5-star rating on the Shopify App Store, HiConversion Recommend helps time-poor ecommerce teams to drive more new revenue from their existing web traffic. One-click Shopify integration, dozens of ready-to-go recommendation templates, effortless reporting, and a hands-free 7-day Product Recommendation Challenge, make it easy to put Amazon’s own AI to the test on your storefront.Do you have 50+ products and $1M+ in online sales? If so, learn how to claim your seat and start your 7-Day Product Recommendation Challenge for Shopify. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jun 16, 2021 • 29min

Build Retention And Community Into Your Marketing Strategy Through A Loyalty Program

Today’s episode is brought to you by HiConversion Recommend. Get real-time personalization to spark your Shopify store's growth. Algorithmically launch product recommendations based on the same machine learning technology used at Amazon.com.Your Business Is A Journey. Invest In Yourself Today.Being an entrepreneur is a life of learning, implementing, and iterating. All it would take is a new idea, a strategy, a Shopify app, or a marketing platform to be the next thing you need to improve efficiencies, drive more revenue, and build lifetime customer loyalty for your Shopify brand.In today’s episode, my guest is Tim Peckover the Senior Marketing and Community Manager from Smile.io. They are the world's largest loyalty and rewards platform provider that helps to scale Shopify brands by keeping their customers coming back. You can turn your hard-earned sales into repeat customers and maximize your customer acquisition efforts by turn transactional sales into passionate brand advocates.What You Will Learn TodayLong-term benefits of turning transactional sales into passionate brand advocates.Why loyalty is an emotion you need to earn with your customers.Benefits of offering reward points for actions like writing product reviews, social follows, and celebrating a birthday.How to create social proof with word-of-mouth marketing.Links And Resources MentionedSmile.ioSmile.io Case StudiesSmile.io Shopify App20% Off Bonus For Fastlane Listeners - Thanks Tim!Thank You For ListeningI really appreciate your choosing to listen to the show and for supporting the podcast and its sponsors. If you enjoyed today’s show, please share it using the social media buttons on this page.I would also be so grateful if you would consider taking a minute or two to leave an honest review and rating for the show on iTunes. They’re extremely helpful when it comes to reaching our entrepreneurial audience, and I read each and every one personally!Growth Mindset?Listen to the eCommerce Fastlane Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play. Subscribe to the show and get notifications when new episodes are released.Episode Sponsor: HiConversion Recommend Today’s episode is brought to you by HiConversion Recommend powered by Amazon Personalize – product recommendations with the same AI used on Amazon. With a 5-star rating on the Shopify App Store, HiConversion Recommend helps time-poor ecommerce teams to drive more new revenue from their existing web traffic. One-click Shopify integration, dozens of ready-to-go recommendation templates, effortless reporting, and a hands-free 7-day Product Recommendation Challenge, make it easy to put Amazon’s own AI to the test on your storefront.Do you have 50+ products and $1M+ in online sales? If so, learn how to claim your seat and start your 7-Day Product Recommendation Challenge for Shopify. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 29, 2021 • 41min

Feeding The Content Treadmill: Why Shopify Brands Need To Prioritize Their Content Strategy

Today’s episode is brought to you by Visely, an incredible e-commerce personalization and search solution for Shopify brands.Your Business Is A Journey. Invest In Yourself Today.Being an entrepreneur or brand marketer is a life of learning, implementing, and iterating. All it would take is a new idea, a strategy, a Shopify app, or a marketing platform to be the next thing you need to improve efficiencies, drive more revenue, and build lifetime customer loyalty for your Shopify brand.In today’s episode, my guest is Liz Giorgi the Co-Founder & CEO of Soona. They’re a content creation engine that helps Shopify brands to create professional photos and videos for their ecommerce stores, landing pages, social ads, all things visual marketing.This is a great conversation with tons of learnings on how you can use visual content as your superpower to grow and scale your business.What You Will Learn TodayWhat is a "content treadmill".Why two-thirds of a customer’s purchase decision is based on product photography.How can your Shopify brand affordable create visual content at scale.Links And Resources MentionedSoonaSoona Shopify AppGet your first photo and one video or gif credit free! Download the app and use code "Fastlane". - Thanks Liz!Soona Case Studies and InspirationThank You For ListeningI really appreciate your choosing to listen to the show and for supporting the podcast and its sponsors. If you enjoyed today’s episode, please share it using the social media buttons on this page.I would also be so grateful if you would consider taking a minute or two to leave an honest review and rating for the show on iTunes. They’re extremely helpful when it comes to reaching our entrepreneurial audience, and I read each and every one personally!Growth Mindset?Listen to the eCommerce Fastlane Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play. Subscribe to the show and get notifications when new episodes are released.Episode Sponsor: VISELYToday’s episode is brought to you by Visely, an incredible e-commerce personalization and search solution for Shopify brands.Hundreds of Shopify brands have implemented Visely to grow their businesses, converting store visitors into happy, loyal customers, with highly relevant product touchpoints, throughout the customer's initial and repeat journeys.Seamless Shopify integration, one-to-one personalization, a/b testing, over 20 pre-built and custom widgets, predictive search, dynamic filters, merchandising, best-in-class support, and so much more.Visely is the perfect solution for efficient e-commerce teams focused on growing their business, not their workload. Start today and find out how Visely can help accelerate growth for your Shopify business!Visit Visely.io or Visely in the Shopify App Store to begin your 14-day free trial. No credit card is required. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 25, 2021 • 34min

Referral Marketing: The Incredible Power Of Word Of Mouth To Accelerate Customer Acquisition

Today’s episode is brought to you by HiConversion Recommend. Get real-time personalization to spark your Shopify store's growth. Algorithmically launch product recommendations based on the same machine learning technology used at Amazon.com.Your Business Is A Journey. Invest In Yourself Today.Being an entrepreneur is a life of learning, implementing, and iterating. All it would take is a new idea, a strategy, a Shopify app, or a marketing platform to be the next thing you need to improve efficiencies, drive more revenue, and build lifetime customer loyalty for your Shopify brand.In today’s episode, my guest is Manish Goyal the Founder and CEO of Friendbuy. They are a Referral Marketing Platform that helps Shopify ecommerce merchants to accelerate customer acquisition through referral programs. Referrals are an incredible channel for dynamic business growth. It lowers your customer acquisition costs and increases your customer lifetime value.Let's learn more about expanding your reach and transforming your customers into loyal and engaged brand advocates.What You Will Learn TodayWhy high growth Shopify brands are leveraging word-of-mouth through scaleable technology.How a well-executed referral program can generate from 5% to 20% of total orders.The benefits of stackable account credits as a referral reward.How Friendbuy integrates with your existing tech stack like Klaviyo, Okendo, Attentive, and more.Links And Resources MentionedFriendbuyFriendbuy Demo + Free Month Offer - Thanks Manish!The Essential Guide To Referral MarketingThe 2021 Referral Marketing Blueprint For EcommerceFIGS ScrubsThinxThank You For ListeningI really appreciate your choosing to listen to the show and for supporting the podcast and its sponsors. If you enjoyed today’s show, please share it using the social media buttons on this page.I would also be so grateful if you would consider taking a minute or two to leave an honest review and rating for the show on iTunes. They’re extremely helpful when it comes to reaching our entrepreneurial audience, and I read each and every one personally!Growth Mindset?Listen to the eCommerce Fastlane Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play. Subscribe to the show and get notifications when new episodes are released.Episode Sponsor: HiConversion Recommend Today’s episode is brought to you by HiConversion Recommend powered by Amazon Personalize – product recommendations with the same AI used on Amazon. With a 5-star rating on the Shopify App Store, HiConversion Recommend helps time-poor ecommerce teams to drive more new revenue from their existing web traffic. One-click Shopify integration, dozens of ready-to-go recommendation templates, effortless reporting, and a hands-free 7-day Product Recommendation Challenge, make it easy to put Amazon’s own AI to the test on your storefront.Do you have 50+ products and $1M+ in online sales? If so, learn how to claim your seat and start your 7-Day Product Recommendation Challenge for Shopify. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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