eCommerce Fastlane: Shopify Growth Strategies—Where AI Efficiency Meets Human Connection

Steve Hutt | Shopify and eCommerce Expert
  • 5.0 (1)
  • MARKETING
  • EVERY TWO WEEKS

Running a Shopify store? You know it's not just about finding the right apps—it's about knowing which strategies actually work when the stakes are real. I'm Steve Hutt, and every week I sit down with Shopify founders, marketing experts, and industry insiders who've been exactly where you are. We skip the theory and dive into what's actually moving the needle right now. Since 2016, eCommerce Fastlane has been the weekly pit-stop for ambitious DTC founders and marketers. With over 2 million downloads and 400+ episodes, this show delivers actionable Shopify growth strategies that blend AI efficiency with authentic customer relationships. Each episode brings you proven Shopify strategies, apps, and best practices that drive measurable results. You'll discover digital marketing tactics and retention playbooks that balance automation with genuine human connection, plus real-world founder stories from my journey scaling DTC businesses and insights from 400+ industry leaders. We dive deep into emerging tech—AI, AR/VR, automation—and show you how to leverage it without losing your brand's soul. Plus, you'll get operations, logistics, and customer experience solutions that reduce overwhelm and build lasting customer loyalty. Whether you're launching your first Shopify store or scaling past seven figures, you'll walk away from every episode with at least one strategy you can implement this week. No fluff, just real conversations about real growth. Ready to thrive in today's fast-paced ecommerce world—growing smarter, not just faster? Join thousands of merchants building customer-centric, future-proof brands with strategies that actually work. Steve Hutt x-Shopify - 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

  1. 2 DAYS AGO

    $100M Ad Spend Secrets: How to Scale DTC Brands 230% With Full Funnel Marketing

    Today’s episode cuts straight to a costly mistake holding back serious growth for Shopify brands: disconnected marketing systems and fragmented execution. If acquisition costs are creeping up, lifetime value feels stuck, and your paid channels and retention efforts are running in silos, this is your blueprint to unify your approach and unlock real, profitable growth. Joining me is Bobby Palmieri, co-founder and CEO of Lilo Social—a two-time Inc. 5000 agency, Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, and one of Klaviyo’s Master Elite partners (top 0.2% worldwide). Bobby’s team manages over $100 million in ad spend for DTC brands, setting the pace with full-funnel strategy, fresh creative processes, and AI-powered insights. In this episode, we dig into Lilo Social’s holistic playbook: how their creative development, testing frameworks, and attribution models fuel momentum and breakthrough results for leading Shopify merchants.  Reach out to us! We welcome questions and comments about this episode. Connect with us here or through our socials — your feedback is always welcome. TwitterLinkedInFacebookFor more ecommerce, marketing, and growth strategies, check out the eCommerce Fastlane Insights Blog.

    40 min

  2. 26 AUG

    From Founder Mode To Self-Managing Teams: Breaking Through Seven-Figure Growth Ceilings

    Today’s episode pulls back the curtain on the “dirty secret” stalling growth for scaling Shopify brands: operational complexity and founder bottlenecks. If hitting $2M–$5M+ in revenue has brought chaos, team misalignment, and burnout, this conversation is the wake-up call—and antidote—you need. We’re diving into the practical playbook for building a self-managing organization that breaks through the ceiling and unlocks sustainable scale. My guest is Leon van der Laan, founder of Remode Company, architect of the REMODE leadership framework, and trusted coach to 7–8 figure eCommerce founders across Europe. Leon has spent years helping DTC leaders escape “founder mode,” implement clarity-driven systems, and build companies that thrive independent of their constant oversight. Leon’s approach isn’t about more hustle—it’s about deploying a proven four-pillar framework that activates intrinsic motivation, sets meaningful goals, creates crystal-clear accountability, and operationalizes high-leverage execution. Whether you’re battling burnout, stagnant growth, or struggling to build an A-player team culture, this episode gives you the roadmap to transform complexity into lasting growth.    Reach out to us! We welcome questions and comments about this episode. Connect with us here or through our socials — your feedback is always welcome. TwitterLinkedInFacebookFor more ecommerce, marketing, and growth strategies, check out the eCommerce Fastlane Insights Blog.

    40 min

  3. 19 AUG

    The $30K+ Monthly SEO Strategy: How Plugin AI Gets Shopify Stores Ranking in ChatGPT & Google's AI Results

    Today's episode pulls back the curtain on one of the highest ROI strategies for Shopify brands: AI-powered SEO and organic growth. If you're watching 98% of your paid traffic slip away before converting while acquisition costs keep climbing, this episode is your wake-up call. We're diving into the new playbook for driving organic reach that actually moves the needle. My guest is Mike Simmons, CEO of Plug In Useful, whose SEO and site speed solutions power over 30,000 Shopify stores. He's a builder and operator living on the front lines of traffic acquisition for direct-to-consumer brands. Plugin Useful's suite goes beyond "best practice" checklists. We're talking actionable recommendations, specialized keyword analysis, bulk content optimization, and tracking that shows if your SEO changes actually work. Mike shares why native solutions like Shopify Magic leave money on the table, and reveals overlooked strategies like leveraging collection pages and schema markup. Plus, his take on how AI tools like Perplexity and Google's AI Overviews are changing the game. Whether you're a founder, marketer prepping for Q4, or operator fighting complexity, this episode gives you clarity and tools to own your organic growth. Reach out to us! We welcome questions and comments about this episode. Connect with us here or through our socials — your feedback is always welcome. TwitterLinkedInFacebookFor more ecommerce, marketing, and growth strategies, check out the eCommerce Fastlane Insights Blog.

    47 min

  4. 12 AUG

    Why Unilever Moved 50% Of Ad Budget To Micro-Influencers (And How Shopify Brands Can Copy This)

    Today, we're diving into one of the most powerful—yet often misunderstood—strategies for Shopify brands: micro-influencer marketing. If you're tired of celebrity endorsements that feel inauthentic and paid ads with questionable ROI, this episode is for you. We're exploring how authentic voices, strategic product seeding, and user-generated content can actually supercharge your growth while reducing those brutal acquisition costs we all know too well. My guest is William Gasner, Co-founder and CMO of Stack Influence—a marketplace that's connected brands with over 11 million vetted micro and nano creators. But here's what makes William different: he's not just talking theory. He's a six-time founder who's scaled multiple seven-figure Shopify businesses before building the platform he wished existed when he was in the trenches. Stack Influence isn't your typical SaaS database where you're left to figure things out. It's a living, two-sided marketplace that automates hundreds—sometimes thousands—of collaborations monthly. Think of it as where "give a product, get a post" is just the beginning. William shares some eye-opening insights, like why major brands such as Unilever are shifting 50% of their budgets away from traditional Meta and Google ads toward influencer tactics. More importantly for most of you listening, he explains why smaller brands often see their best ROI from curated, genuine recommendations rather than big-money sponsorships. We break down how social platforms are evolving, why content now matters more than follower count for reach, and how Stack Influence's unique "pay for outcome" model actually guarantees results—while most platforms only offer hope. Whether you're scaling your Shopify brand and thinking about Q4 strategy, or you're a founder just launching your first product, this episode gives you a tactical roadmap to build real trust, amplify word-of-mouth marketing, and extract maximum value from every UGC asset—not just for social, but across your ads, website, and retention strategies.    Reach out to us! We welcome questions and comments about this episode. Connect with us here or through our socials — your feedback is always welcome. TwitterLinkedInFacebookFor more ecommerce, marketing, and growth strategies, check out the eCommerce Fastlane Insights Blog.

    53 min

  5. 6 AUG

    The Vibe Coding Warning: How Technical Debt is Silently Killing Your Shopify Store's Revenue

    Today, we're shining a light on an invisible profit killer lurking in many Shopify stores: technical debt. It's the hidden drag on your growth, silently creeping in as you layer on apps, experiment with new tech, and expand your team—until suddenly, you're slowed by complexity, site issues, and mounting customer headaches. My guest today is Paolo Vidali, Founder and CEO of Hidden Gears. Paolo’s team specializes in helping scaling Shopify brands get to the root of technical chaos—those “duct tape” solutions, clashing apps, and homegrown workarounds that work… until they don’t. If your store feels a bit buggier, slower, or just harder to operate as you grow, this episode is your roadmap to getting operationally lean again—before Q4 hits and every conversion counts. Paolo shares real-world examples from his agency’s work: migrating brands in and out of headless, troubleshooting mysterious checkout bugs, and auditing countless tech stacks where everyone forgot why an app or workaround even exists. The conversation covers not just fixes, but how to future-proof your stack as AI, low-code tools, and ever-shifting Shopify features accelerate both opportunity and risk.    Reach out to us! We welcome questions and comments about this episode. Connect with us here or through our socials — your feedback is always welcome. TwitterLinkedInFacebookFor more ecommerce, marketing, and growth strategies, check out the eCommerce Fastlane Insights Blog.

    48 min

  6. 29 JUL

    The $1.2M Revenue Recovery System That Identifies 5x More Visitors Than Your Competitors

    Welcome back to eCommerce Fastlane! Here's a painful reality that's quietly killing Shopify brands: you're spending thousands driving traffic to your store, but 98% of those visitors are complete ghosts. They browse, they leave, and you have zero way to bring them back—while your competitors who've cracked visitor identification are building massive email lists from the exact same traffic. If you're feeling the squeeze of rising acquisition costs while retention gets tougher thanks to the cookie apocalypse, this episode is your wake-up call. My guest today is Liam Millward, Co-Founder and CEO of Instant. After working with 1,000+ Shopify brands—including headliners like Liquid I.V., July Luggage, and The Oodie—Liam's team has cracked the code on turning "anonymous" traffic into high-ROI repeat customers. While most brands are still playing the "pray they come back" game with tools that identify maybe 5% of visitors, Instant routinely identifies 40-60%—turning anonymous browsers into revenue-generating customers. We're talking about brands like July Luggage adding $1.2M in incremental revenue in just 10 months, and College & Co seeing 62x ROI in their first 30 days. Today, Liam reveals why most retention solutions are leaving money on the table, how AI-powered flows are eliminating the manual email grind, and why the brands implementing smarter identification now are building unfair advantages for Q4—while their competitors will be fighting for scraps from traffic they can't even track.    Reach out to us! We welcome questions and comments about this episode. Connect with us here or through our socials — your feedback is always welcome. TwitterLinkedInFacebookFor more ecommerce, marketing, and growth strategies, check out the eCommerce Fastlane Insights Blog.

    36 min

  7. 22 JUL

    Why Your Store is Bleeding Money (While You Chase More Traffic)

    Welcome back to eCommerce Fastlane! Here's a story that might sound familiar: you're spending $10,000+ a month on ads, traffic looks solid, but somehow you're barely breaking even. Sound familiar? The hard truth is that most Shopify merchants don't realize they have a revenue leak problem. While you're obsessing over getting more traffic, your store is quietly bleeding money through hidden conversion killers and psychological friction points that drive customers away. I see it every BFCM season—brands celebrate stellar top-line numbers only to discover their net profit has vanished into the red. The real challenge isn't getting more eyeballs; it's plugging the invisible leaks that are costing you thousands every month. My guest today is Matt Stafford, Managing Partner at Build Grow Scale. Matt's been in the trenches for nearly 30 years, scaling multiple 7- and 8-figure brands and helping close to a thousand founders break through growth plateaus. But here's what makes him different: he doesn't just tweak conversion rates—he decodes the psychology behind why people buy and why they don't. Matt learned this the hard way. After selling $15 million in t-shirts, he launched a kitchen gadgets store that was crushing it at 100-200 sales per day...until it suddenly wasn't. Orders dropped to 30-40 per day, and with hundreds of thousands in inventory on the way, he had to figure it out fast. That crisis became his breakthrough—and today, he's going to share the frameworks that can help you stop the bleeding and start scaling profitably.  Reach out to us! We welcome questions and comments about this episode. Connect with us here or through our socials — your feedback is always welcome. TwitterLinkedInFacebookFor more ecommerce, marketing, and growth strategies, check out the eCommerce Fastlane Insights Blog.

    39 min

  8. 18 JUL

    Why Fulfillment Is Marketing: ShipMonk's Strategy For Turning Post-Purchase Into Profit

    Welcome back to eCommerce Fastlane! Today, we're tackling the hidden growth killer that's sabotaging even the best DTC brands—and most founders don't see it coming until it's too late.You know the story: you've nailed product-market fit, your marketing is humming, orders are pouring in... then everything falls apart. Split shipments eat your margins. Inventory nightmares unfold. Customer complaints spike. And suddenly, you're drowning in operational chaos instead of celebrating growth. Here's the thing most brands miss: those first warning signs are almost invisible. You start solving fulfillment problems with your leadership's time—founders manually fixing orders, ops managers chasing inventory issues. You're reacting instead of scaling, and that's where growth stalls. My guest today is Aras Kolya, Chief Revenue Officer at ShipMonk, one of America's fastest-growing 3PLs that's doing things radically differently. While most 3PLs are just brokers stitching together fulfillment networks with middleware, ShipMonk is what Aras calls a "tech-enabled operator"—they own their warehouses, control their labor, and run their entire technology stack under one roof. Their proprietary four-in-one platform combines warehouse management, order management, inventory systems, and transportation optimization into a single, real-time control tower. And here's why this matters: they're not just moving boxes—they're helping brands like Dr. Squatch scale from startup to 8-figure powerhouse without hitting that invisible ceiling. If you're spending all your energy on acquisition but ignoring the post-click experience, you're leaving money on the table. Because as Aras puts it: "Fulfillment IS marketing." It's the fuel that feeds conversion, retention, and lifetime value—and most brands are getting it dead wrong.    Reach out to us! We welcome questions and comments about this episode. Connect with us here or through our socials — your feedback is always welcome. TwitterLinkedInFacebookFor more ecommerce, marketing, and growth strategies, check out the eCommerce Fastlane Insights Blog.

    36 min
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About

Running a Shopify store? You know it's not just about finding the right apps—it's about knowing which strategies actually work when the stakes are real. I'm Steve Hutt, and every week I sit down with Shopify founders, marketing experts, and industry insiders who've been exactly where you are. We skip the theory and dive into what's actually moving the needle right now. Since 2016, eCommerce Fastlane has been the weekly pit-stop for ambitious DTC founders and marketers. With over 2 million downloads and 400+ episodes, this show delivers actionable Shopify growth strategies that blend AI efficiency with authentic customer relationships. Each episode brings you proven Shopify strategies, apps, and best practices that drive measurable results. You'll discover digital marketing tactics and retention playbooks that balance automation with genuine human connection, plus real-world founder stories from my journey scaling DTC businesses and insights from 400+ industry leaders. We dive deep into emerging tech—AI, AR/VR, automation—and show you how to leverage it without losing your brand's soul. Plus, you'll get operations, logistics, and customer experience solutions that reduce overwhelm and build lasting customer loyalty. Whether you're launching your first Shopify store or scaling past seven figures, you'll walk away from every episode with at least one strategy you can implement this week. No fluff, just real conversations about real growth. Ready to thrive in today's fast-paced ecommerce world—growing smarter, not just faster? Join thousands of merchants building customer-centric, future-proof brands with strategies that actually work. Steve Hutt x-Shopify - 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

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