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

Running a Shopify store? Success isn’t about finding the right app. It’s about knowing which strategies actually work at your stage of growth.

I’m Steve Hutt. I’ve sold on eBay out of my garage, co-founded and exited VisionPros.com, a DTC contact lens retailer, and spent six years at Shopify as a Senior Merchant Success Manager helping more than 100 brands, including Dr. Squatch, Tentree, Bulletproof Coffee, Salt & Straw, MUD/WTR and Bokksu.

Here’s the idea behind the show. Shopify handles roughly 80% of what a store needs really well. The other 20% comes from apps, marketing platforms and agency partners with deep, niche expertise. Every week I sit down with the founders and builders behind those tools to dig into the specific problem they set out to solve and how they solved it, so you can spot your own store’s problem and a possible fix.

Since 2018 the show has published nearly 500 episodes and passed 3 million downloads. Whether you’re chasing your first sale or scaling past eight figures, you’ll get stage-aware strategies on retention, AI tools, digital marketing and the operational work that cuts overwhelm.

eCommerce Fastlane is an independent show from Fastlane Media Inc. It is not owned or sponsored by Shopify.

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

Copyright: © Steve Hutt

Latest Episodes:

Why Most Black Friday Customers Never Buy Again (And 3 Moves to Fix It Now) Nov 05, 2026

Show notes

Most Black Friday customers never buy again, so here's what Shopify brands can still set up before November 27 to win the second order.

In this solo episode, Steve Hutt, former Senior Merchant Success Manager at Shopify, breaks down:

Why the 90 days after Black Friday decide your retention, and the February 25 date to circle now
A 10 minute Shopify Flow tag that makes your BFCM cohort measurable in Q1
Why first-time buyers need their own path, plus the day 0, 3, 14 and 45 touchpoints

Whether you're doing $10K months or $1M months, these are three moves you can set up this week.

📝 Full show notes + resources: https://ecommercefastlane.com/podcast/episode-498/

Connect with us:

🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/stevenhutt/
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shutt/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thrivingwithshopify/

Your BFCM War Room Needs an AI Teammate Nov 03, 2026

Show notes

Would you let AI run your Meta ads? A billion-dollar DTC brand handed over seven figures in spend and saw ROAS jump 36%.

In this episode, Anthony DelPizzo, VP of Marketing at Triple Whale, breaks down:

• How True Classic taught an AI teammate to buy media exactly like its own team
• The autonomy ladder: approve every action first, then hand over control as trust builds
• How the free BFCM Command Center spots pacing misses so you can act the same day

Whether you're doing $20K months or $20M years, this conversation delivers strategies you can test before Black Friday.

📝 Full show notes + resources: https://ecommercefastlane.com/podcast/episode-497/

Connect with us:

🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/stevenhutt/
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shutt/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thrivingwithshopify/

$100K in Amazon Sales and Still Owing Amazon Money: Why Your Payouts Don’t Match Your Sales Oct 29, 2026

Show notes

Payouts never match your sales report? If you sell on Shopify, Amazon or TikTok Shop, here's where the money actually goes.

In this episode, Stefan Dobrev, Sales and Onboarding Lead at Link My Books, breaks down:

• Why payouts land days after the sale, and how to reclaim 6 to 10 hours a month per channel
• How a seller doing $100K+ in Amazon sales still owed Amazon money every payout, and the ad spend behind it
• The one Amazon fee mapping mistake that led sellers to overpay 40,000 to 50,000 in VAT

Whether you're doing $20K months on one Shopify store or $10M years across five sales channels, this conversation delivers strategies you can test this week.

📝 Full show notes + resources: https://ecommercefastlane.com/podcast/episode-496/

Connect with us:

🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/stevenhutt/
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shutt/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thrivingwithshopify/

Test Your Ads on Simulated Customers Before You Spend a Dollar This BFCM Oct 27, 2026

Show notes

Test your Shopify ad creative on simulated customers before a dollar of ad spend, right as Black Friday CAC climbs.

In this episode, Tamera Montagna, founder and CEO of Clarvos, breaks down:

How 1,300 values-based consumer segments find likely buyers that age and gender targeting misses
Why testing creative against 50 simulated customers per segment beats letting Meta learn on your budget
How to launch a campaign in about an hour, with you approving every ad before it goes live

Whether you're doing $1M or $10M a year, this conversation delivers strategies you can test this week.

📝 Full show notes + resources: https://ecommercefastlane.com/podcast/episode-495/

Connect with us:

🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/stevenhutt/
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shutt/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thrivingwithshopify/

Copy of a Copy: Why Weak Product Descriptions Make Your Shopify Store Invisible to AI Oct 22, 2026

Show notes

Supplier copy is hiding your Shopify store from AI search: identical product descriptions give ChatGPT no reason to recommend you.

In this episode, Jim Boudreau, founder and CEO of Studio 1119, the team behind CataSEO, breaks down:

The "copy of a copy" problem: why a weak core description drags down your metadata, structured data, and AI visibility
Why refreshing 10% of your catalog monthly beats a one-time overhaul whose lift fades after about 90 days
How winning a dozen overlooked B-tier keywords helped one gift store outrank an entrenched competitor on its biggest term

Whether you're running a $500K store or a $2M brand, this conversation delivers strategies you can test this week.

📝 Full show notes + resources: https://ecommercefastlane.com/podcast/episode-494/

Connect with us:

🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/stevenhutt/
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shutt/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thrivingwithshopify/

Why 9 Out of 10 A/B Tests Fail (and How Shopify Brands Pick the Ones That Win) Oct 20, 2026

Show notes

Nine out of ten A/B tests on Shopify stores lose to the original, so the win is picking the right test before BFCM.

In this episode, Jeffrey Lin, founder and CEO of ABConvert, breaks down:

Why raising your free shipping threshold can be a test you almost can't lose, using your own order data
When every landing page sits at 2%, why small tweaks won't move you and a new format will
The one test to run before BFCM code freeze, and how to choose it by your biggest unknown

Whether you're doing $20K months or $20M years, this conversation delivers strategies you can test this week.

📝 Full show notes + resources: https://ecommercefastlane.com/podcast/episode-493/

Connect with us:

🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/stevenhutt/
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shutt/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thrivingwithshopify/

Your Black Friday Popup Discount Is Probably Too Big Oct 15, 2026

Show notes

Your Black Friday popup discount is probably too big: for Shopify brands, 10% email offers beat 15% on signups and revenue per visitor.

In this episode, Taras Talimonchuk, CMO at Claspo, breaks down:

Why offers of 10% or less converted at 7% versus 6% for 11% to 15%, with more revenue per visitor
How to match popups to shopping intent so paid, organic, and blog traffic each get the right offer
Using agentic AI to run popup A/B tests and build custom games without a developer

Whether you're doing $20K months or $20M years, this conversation delivers strategies you can test before Black Friday.

📝 Full show notes + resources: https://ecommercefastlane.com/podcast/episode-492/

Connect with us:

🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/stevenhutt/
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shutt/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thrivingwithshopify/

The AI Shopper Landed. Now What? Oct 14, 2026

Show notes

AI shoppers land on your Shopify product page with one question left, and if you can't answer it, they go back to ChatGPT.

In this solo episode, I break down:

The five questions shoppers still have after ChatGPT, from "does it come in red?" to "will it arrive by Christmas?"
A free fix for each question, plus optional Shopify apps if a fix needs extra help
A plan to finish before the November code freeze, plus what to leave alone until January

Whether you're doing $10K months or $1M months, this episode delivers fixes you can test this week.

📝 Full show notes + resources: https://ecommercefastlane.com/podcast/episode-491/

Connect with us:

🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/stevenhutt/
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shutt/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thrivingwithshopify/

The Hidden Cost of Fraud Protection: Good Orders You’re Declining Before BFCM Oct 08, 2026

Show notes

Shopify flagged the order as high risk. Cancel it or ship it? For most Shopify brands, that guess is quietly costing real revenue, and BFCM is about to multiply it.

In this episode, Trevor Miller, Senior Account Executive at ClearSale, breaks down:

* Why false declines, not chargebacks, are the fraud number most merchants can't quote
* How a one point lift in legitimate approvals on $20M in sales can add up to $200K in order value
* Where Shopify Protect stops and a second human review picks up the gray area orders
* Why January is the "report card month" for every holiday fraud decision you make right now

Selling higher-ticket products, shipping internationally, or canceling more "risky" orders than you'd like? This one's for you. Trevor also shares one number to pull before Black Friday, plus a listener-only offer from ClearSale in the show notes.

📝 Full show notes + resources: https://ecommercefastlane.com/podcast/episode-490/

Connect with us:

🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/stevenhutt/
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shutt/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thrivingwithshopify/

Why 73% of Your Declined Orders Are Actually Good Customers Oct 06, 2026

Show notes

About 73% of declined orders are good customers, so your Shopify fraud rules may be rejecting buyers you paid to acquire.

In this episode, Nicole Jass, SVP of Enterprise Strategy at Signifyd, breaks down:

How to spot fraud beyond checkout, from card testing and account takeover to loyalty point theft and return abuse
The signals that you've outgrown Shopify Protect, including cross-border orders and crossing $5M in annual sales
How Carbon38 reached a 99% approval rate and a 3% revenue lift by declining fewer good customers

Whether you're doing $3M a year on Shopify Protect or $30M with a fraud team, this conversation delivers strategies you can test this week.

📝 Full show notes + resources: https://ecommercefastlane.com/podcast/episode-489/

Connect with us:

🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/stevenhutt/
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shutt/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thrivingwithshopify/

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