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

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

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

By: Steve Hutt | Shopify and eCommerce Expert
Listen for free

LIMITED TIME OFFER | £0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Premium Plus auto-renews at £8.99/mo after 3 months. Terms apply.

About this listen

 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.comSteve Hutt Economics Leadership Management & Leadership Marketing Marketing & Sales
Episodes
  • Why Shopify Brands Need a Data Layer (Not Just Better Tracking)

    Why Shopify Brands Need a Data Layer (Not Just Better Tracking)
    Jan 13 2026

    When Facebook shows 50 sales, Google Analytics shows 35, and Shopify shows 68 — which number do you trust to scale profitably?


    In this episode, discover:

    • How server-side tracking eliminates the 20-30% revenue gap plaguing most Shopify brands' analytics, bypassing Apple ITP and ad blockers to achieve 100% order relay from Shopify to your marketing channels
    • Why Littledata's unified data layer synchronizes customer behavior, loyalty tiers, and product metafields across Meta, Google, and Klaviyo — enabling advanced segmentation without custom code or GTM configurations
    • What changes immediately after installation: accurate conversion tracking that feeds real purchase data back into ad algorithms, even for orders from ChatGPT checkout and Shopify's Shop app

    Edward Upton is CEO and Founder of Littledata, rebuilding e-commerce tracking infrastructure from the ground up to solve the data accuracy crisis affecting Shopify brands globally.

    Whether you're doing $10K months or $1M months, this conversation delivers actionable insights you can implement this week.


    📝 Full show notes, strategic takeaways, and resources: https://ecommercefastlane.com/podcast/episode-442/

    Connect with us:

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

    Show More Show Less
    32 mins
  • The Hidden Nexus Trap Costing Shopify Sellers Thousands

    The Hidden Nexus Trap Costing Shopify Sellers Thousands
    Jan 6 2026

    Most Shopify sellers have no idea they're breaking tax laws until it's too late—and the penalties are brutal.


    In this episode, discover:

    • Four types of nexus that trigger tax obligations beyond economic thresholds: physical locations, affiliate commissions, click-through traffic, and even trade show attendance create instant compliance requirements
    • Why Amazon FBA sellers get blindsided when launching Shopify stores—Amazon handles sales tax automatically while Shopify puts the burden entirely on you, creating massive compliance gaps
    • 2025's aggressive tax changes: Illinois eliminating transaction thresholds, California charging $800 minimum just to store one product, and states adding new service taxes monthly

    Reuben Mattinson is CEO of RJM Tax Exemption, serving 4,000+ e-commerce businesses as the #1 rated tax compliance firm on TrustPilot in the Shopify ecosystem.

    Whether you're doing $10K months or $1M months, this conversation delivers actionable insights you can implement this week.


    📝 Full show notes, strategic takeaways, and resources: https://ecommercefastlane.com/podcast/episode-441/

    Connect with us:

    🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/stevenhutt
    💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shutt/
    📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thrivingwithshopify
    Show More Show Less
    32 mins
  • Why Conversion Rate Is a Vanity Metric (And the 4 Numbers That Actually Matter)

    Why Conversion Rate Is a Vanity Metric (And the 4 Numbers That Actually Matter)
    Dec 30 2025

    Most CRO agencies chase test velocity while your conversion problems go undiagnosed—here's the research framework that changes everything.

    In this episode, discover:

    • Why 80% of optimization work should happen before you launch a single test, using research to understand customer psychology instead of copying competitors
    • The Intrasite Funnel diagnostic framework that reveals the four critical metrics Shopify's analytics completely miss (including the product discovery gap)
    • How conversion rate is actually a vanity metric—95% influenced by ad spend and traffic source changes, not your button colors or layouts

    Anthony Morgan is Founder and CEO of Enavi. He's built a reputation as a contrarian in the CRO space, pioneering "human-obsessed CRO" that prioritizes customer research over rapid-fire testing.

    Whether you're doing $10K months or $1M months, this conversation delivers actionable insights you can implement this week.

    📝 Full show notes, strategic takeaways, and resources: https://ecommercefastlane.com/podcast/episode-440/

    Connect with us:

    🐦 Twitter: https://twitter.com/stevenhutt
    💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shutt/
    📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thrivingwithshopify
    Show More Show Less
    50 mins
No reviews yet