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NEW EPISODES EVERY TUESDAY, SUBSCRIBE FOR UNBEATABLE ECOM RECON â Every Tuesday since 2014, host Kurt Elster shares the Shopify success stories that nobody tells you about, straight from the entrepreneurs living it. Subscribe for a raw look at what it really takes to succeed on Shopify.
Episodes
- 2025 / 4 / 1Shopify Dev AMA: Store Spying, AI Tools, and TrendsTwo Shopify Partners get real in an AMA packed with listener questions. Store spying tricks, AI fails, bold 2025 predictions, a garage full of jacked-up cars, and a sneak peek at their next app.What youâll...
- 2025 / 3 / 25Lady Gagaâs on Shopify: Go Behind the BuildLady Gaga has a new Shopify site. But this isnât just a merch store. Itâs a stage, a story, a digital homeâbuilt to evolve as fast as she does.Her team needed something different. A site that could change...
- 2025 / 3 / 18The Store That Won March MadnessMegan Smalley didnât plan to build a powerhouse ecommerce brand. Scarlet & Gold started as a creative side projectâuntil she got laid off.Fast forward 12 years, and Scarlet & Gold is one of the only...
- 2025 / 3 / 1110 Shopify Mistakes Killing Your SalesAre you making one of these Shopify mistakes? If so, youâre losing sales. In this episode, The Unofficial Shopify Podcast host Kurt Elster teams up with Bold Commerce co-founder Jay Myers to reveal the top 10...
- 2025 / 3 / 4Fart-Proof Underwear? This Shopify Brand Says YesImagine a world where your worst gas-related fears simply⊠disappear. No awkward moments, no subtle side-eye glances. Just peace, dignity, and activated carbon filters.Thatâs the world Collin White and his...
- 2025 / 2 / 25Obviâs Ron Shah on Fails, Exits & Lessons Learned"You start with âthereâs no way this is me.â Then you question everything. Then, eventually, you realizeâthis really could be me."Ron Shah built Obvi into a $100M+ powerhouse, with $40M in top-line revenue in...
- 2025 / 2 / 18How a Twitter Account Became a Thriving Shopify BrandâRainier Watch started as me shouting into the void about whether the mountain was out. Now, itâs a brand in REI. Didnât see that coming.âDavid Lindahl started Rainier Watch as a simple Twitter accountâjust a...
- 2025 / 2 / 11Reinventing Oral Care: The Slate Flosser StoryIn this episode of The Unofficial Shopify Podcast, Brynn Snyder, co-founder of Slate Flosser, shares how she and her dentist husband tackled one of the most overlooked aspects of healthâflossing. Together,...
- 2025 / 2 / 4Building Frizz + Co: Haircare, Shopify, and CommunityBuilding Frizz + Co: Haircare, Shopify, and CommunityDaphné Eastmond ditched the CPA grind to create Frizz + Co, a brand that says screw the stigma and celebrates textured hair. From her raw startup struggles...
- 2025 / 1 / 28Why Shopifyâs Planet App is Good for Business (and the Earth)âWhy not try it? Planet is low-risk, easy to configure, and can have a meaningful impact on your brand and the planet.âDiscover how Shopify Planet helps merchants make a positive environmental impact while...
- 2025 / 1 / 21Montana Knife Company: American-Made Knife EmpireWhat if your side hustle turned into an 8-figure brand selling out every week?Also on YouTube: https://youtu.be/DxGxZ20rfQIMontana Knife Companyâs Brandon Horoho shares the journey from launching during COVID...
- 2025 / 1 / 14Growing a Supps Brand to $70M in 2.5 YearsDevyn Merklin, former CMO of Livingood Daily, shares the raw truth behind scaling a supplement brand to $70M in annual revenue. From relentless testing to mastering Shopify funnels, Devyn provides a...
- 2025 / 1 / 7Avoiding CRO mythsâLook, if you redesign your grocery store and I canât find the chicken or checkout clerk I like, Iâm shopping somewhere else.âHow do you turn clicks into customers without falling for CRO myths? Oliver...
- 2024 / 12 / 31How This Athlete Built a $10M Sock Brand"I wanted to create a product that could be the yoga pant for the foot."Rob Fraser, former pro cyclist and the founder of Outway, believes socks should do more than cover your feet. Drawing from his...
- 2024 / 12 / 24Why Mizzen+Mainâs $100M Founder Left to Build a Baby MonitorKevin Lavelleâs got a knack for big ideas and starting fresh. First, he took on menswear with Mizzen+Main, bringing performance fabric to dress shirts and making them a hit with pro athletes and office rebels...
- 2024 / 12 / 17Turning Scratched Lenses into 8 FiguresâWeâre doing about 1,500 pairs a day⊠weâre gonna hit eight figures this year, probably next year for sure.âYou know that favorite pair of sunglasses you canât throw away? Brandon Dill turned that frustration...
- 2024 / 12 / 11Shopifyâs New Customer AccountsTired of logging into five different portals just to make a return? Shopify says enough. Patrick Millegan joins Kurt Elster to talk about the new customer account extensions, designed to simplify logins,...
- 2024 / 12 / 10Smart Marketer Live RecapMindset, AI, and ghost huntingâ Smart Marketer Live wasnât your typical marketing event. We break down the big ideas that got us thinking (and laughing) in Denver. You'll get an inside look at the conference,...
- 2024 / 12 / 3Building a Successful Shopify App & CommunityHarshdeep Singh Hura didnât just stumble into the Shopify partner communityâhe helped build it. In this episode, we meet the first-ever recipient of the Shopify Community Award, whose open-source projects now...
- 2024 / 11 / 2610,000 UX Audits Later: How Oddit Boosts Shopify Sales (Without Data or Meetings)What if you could boost your Shopify sales without relying on data or endless meetings? Oddit's unconventional approach has turned headsâstripping away feedback loops, simplifying designs, and focusing on...
- 2024 / 11 / 19From $800K to $26M: Depesh Mandaliaâs Facebook Ads StoryâItâs truly magic. Thatâs the word I use internally to describe what weâre doing here.âWhat if you could turn $800K into $26 million in just 18 monthsâusing nothing but Facebook ads? Thatâs exactly what...
- 2024 / 11 / 12The Black Friday Email Guide for Real-World BrandsâHonestly, I think my best customers donât even look at the discounts. They get the email, see the new pants, and just say, âI want them.ââBlack Friday: the annual marketing frenzy brands prep for all year....
- 2024 / 11 / 5How Downpay Solves Payment Challenges | The Unofficial Shopify Podcast"I can't stop talking about partial payment, apparently." â Diana BirsanCo-founder of Downpay and former Shopify Product Manager, Diana Birsan, joins us to break down how she built Downpay, the app that lets...
- 2024 / 10 / 29How Shopify Built a Financial Hub to Empower EntrepreneursâItâs truly magic. Thatâs the word I use internally to describe what weâre doing here.âWe chat with Vikram Anreddy, Head of Product for Finance at Shopify, about how Shopify is making money management way...
- 2024 / 10 / 22TikTok Shop Made This Stationary Store Go ViralâMost brands just send out samples and then itâs done. We go the extra mile that 99% of brands do not do.âBuilding a multi-million dollar business typically involves more than wedding invitations and viral...
- 2024 / 10 / 15PR Strategy for Shopify StoresâPR is the highest leverage activity, and weâre not taught that because itâs easier to just create a reel and hope it goes viral.âIn this episode of The Unofficial Shopify Podcast, we meet Gloria Chou, a PR...
- 2024 / 10 / 8SHOP CAMPAIGNS: Deep DiveAlso available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/djnSFyBsB7MWe explore Shopifyâs latest updates to simplify customer acquisition through its Shop Campaigns tool.Host Kurt Elster talks with Shopify's Andrius...
- 2024 / 10 / 1Meet $100M+ Chubbies Co-Founder Kyle HencyâIâm a builder. I want to be building a team, building an exceptional product, and competing every day.âKyle Hency had a simple goal: create a brand that speaks authentically to men like him. What started as...
- 2024 / 9 / 24Top Pickleball Creator's Video Content Strategy"Our number one best-selling product⊠itâs called the Dink Master."Enhance Pickleball's Connor Hance shares his incredible journey from college tennis player to the leading content creator and entrepreneur in...
- 2024 / 9 / 17How a Reddit Post Led to a $5M Skincare BrandHear how Austin Beals hacked his way out of a chronic skin condition to create Dermazen, a skincare brand thatâs bringing in $5 million a year. No investors, no BSâ just one manâs obsessive quest to relieve...
- 2024 / 9 / 10Inside the Shadowy World of Returns FraudTackle the increasingly troubling issue of returns fraud in the e-commerce world. As return fraud rises, this once-overlooked issue is now a major concern for online retailers. You'll learn how fraudsters are...
- 2024 / 9 / 3Boost Conversions with Build Grow Scaleâs CRO TipsâMost Shopify themes are built by developers to create an online store catalog, not a converting funnel.âIn this episode of The Unofficial Shopify Podcast, Kurt Elster talks with Matthew Stafford, the CEO of...
- 2024 / 8 / 27Goodsellas: Why Movie Spoof Ads are Total GeniusStep into the rebellious side of marketing with this episode of The Unofficial Shopify Podcast. Molly Pittman from Smart Marketer joins to rip up the rulebook on conventional advertising. We dive into the...
- 2024 / 8 / 20Insider Tips on Buying & Selling Shopify Stores"Buying a business is so much faster than building one and so much safer if you buy big enough."Also on YouTube: youtu.be/BuDtoDsC4tAGet the inside scoop on buying and selling Shopify stores from Gregory...
- 2024 / 8 / 13Inside Shopifyâs Major Checkout UpgradeAlso on YouTube: https://youtu.be/fIDw3fvPPgIUnpack the intricacies of Shopify's Checkout Extensibilityâ a feature poised to revolutionize online commerce.Michael Elmgreen, Shopify's Product Director,...
- 2024 / 8 / 6Building a Sustainable Activewear Brand from ScratchReprise Activewear founder Mary Bemis takes us through her incredible journey from launching a Kickstarter campaign to building a sustainable activewear brand that has caught the attention of Self Magazine...
- 2024 / 7 / 30The Declining Churn FallacyGet ready for a deep dive into what really makes customers stick around or peace out. Professor Daniel McCarthy unravels the myths around churn rates and why a low number isn't always a high-five moment for...
- 2024 / 7 / 23How Dapper Boi is Smashing Fashion's Gender LimitsVicky Pasche, a Shark Tank alum and co-founder of Dapper Boi, reveals how a personal quest for authenticity led to the creation of a groundbreaking apparel line.Dapper Boi's innovative apparel line challenges...
- 2024 / 7 / 16Unlocking Shopify FlowUnlocking Shopify Flow: Automation Insights with Paul Nuschke & Matti PihlainenIn this bonus episode we dive deep into the world of Shopify Flow with two remarkable guests. Paul Nuschke, the Senior Product...
- 2024 / 7 / 12Chalet Nurseryâs Shopify POS ImplementationAlso on YouTube: https://youtu.be/DcptOEqEACwJoin Kurt Elster, host of The Unofficial Shopify Podcast, as he sits down with Lawson Thalmann, CTO of Chalet Nursery, to discuss how theyâve transformed their...
- 2024 / 7 / 9Mastering Shopify App DevelopmentSit down with the insightful Mat De Sousa, a trailblazing Shopify app developer whose creations, Wide Bundle and Wide Review, have generated enviable annual recurring revenues. His story is a testament to the...
- 2024 / 7 / 5Shopify Magic Media EditorMary Bemis, the founder of Reprise Activewear, shares her experience using Shopifyâs Magic Media Editor and its AI features.Guest Background: Mary Bemis founded Reprise Activewear six years ago, starting with...
- 2024 / 7 / 2Editions.dev 2024 Trip ReportAlso available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/mi3iKmZBxREWeâve got all the highlights from the Shopify Editions.dev conference in Toronto. With exclusive insights from Harley Finkelstein, Shopify's president,...
- 2024 / 6 / 25Is Faire is a Must-Have for Wholesale?"Faire really helps us connect and buy wholesale merchandise, and it's cheaper than trade shows."Discover how 'FAIRE really helps us connect and buy wholesale merchandise,' as Emily Grey of Flourish Market...
- 2024 / 6 / 18Affiliate Marketing's New Content CodeGet the inside scoop on how to revolutionize your affiliate content game. It's not just about what you say, but how you say it. Dive into the strategies that are setting today's affiliate marketers apart from...
- 2024 / 6 / 11Slumberkins: From Craft Fairs to Shark TankAlso available with video on Youtube: https://youtu.be/-qxIqPtAYhEJoin us as we explore the journey of Kelly Oriard and Kaylee Christensen, founders of Slumberkins, an emotional wellness brand dedicated to...
- 2024 / 6 / 4Shopify & SEO TacticsJoin us with SEO expert Jason Berkowitz as we dissect e-commerce SEO. We're cutting through the noise of AI content and zeroing in on standout strategies. It's all about making your site visible online,...
- 2024 / 5 / 28Buying Over Building a Business"It's just a hell of a lot easier to optimize a business than to start something from scratch."Also available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/tbVh1J1sOEQââDrew Sanocki has a knack for transforming struggling...
- 2024 / 5 / 21Katanas, Candy, & a Billion ViewsAlso available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/DFUi5Cq8YuoWe're slicing deep into the world of e-commerce with Isaac Medeiros, the man behind MiniKatana and Kanpai Foods. After using TikTok to sell out of his...
- 2024 / 5 / 14Glam-Aholic: From Blog to $50M Fashion BrandDetroit's Mia Ray took her passion for fashion from a blog to a $50M Glam-aholic empireWatch: https://youtu.be/OqGQTRpjuJQFrom her roots in Detroit, Mia dishes on turning a passion for fashion into a...