The Unofficial Shopify Podcast

Learn the strategies master marketer Ezra Firestone is using this year for his 8-figure ecommerce brand. Show Links Smart Holiday Bootcamp Zipify Pages Smart Marketer Boom Sponsors Free 30-day trial of Zipify OCU - (To get an unadvertised gift, email help@zipify.com and ask for the "Tech Nasty Bonus". Try Bold Product Upsell, free trial Save 20% on Turbo, a blazing fast Shopify theme - Use code KU...

In this bonus episode, Julie Elster (AKA Mrs. Unofficial Shopify Podcast) describes the free content strategy and "feedback loop" she's implemented on her Shopify store to generate 550 qualified organic visits daily to her store, all without using paid traffic or tools. Show Links Double Your WDW Holiday Email Guide Never miss an episode Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts Join Kurt's newslet...

We're taking a deep dive into Facebook ads strategy. We're talking what we're seeing working, and sane strategies you can use in your campaigns. You'll learn a three stage strategy to set your Facebook ads funnel up for success this holiday season. Our guest today is Kurt Bullock, founder of ecommerce marketing agency the Produce Department, and our strategic Facebook ads partner. Show Links KB's...

Joining us to discuss Pre and Post BFCM Email Marketing Strategies is Chase Diamond, an experienced email marketer who has sent over one billion emails resulting in $75 million in email attributable revenue. We learn: Dialing in messaging for 2021 Improving deliverability (to offset lowered open rates) Why testing your offers is your biggest opportunity The optional Klaviyo snippets you probably f...

In this episode, we talk to an experienced Facebook marketer Mojca Zove who started her first real online store in 2020, and then bootstrapped it to 100k in 6 months. The number of things she learned along the way is priceless. Her store, Your Soul Time , sells crystals and natural incense. Almost a year later their house is packed with inventory and they’re opening their first brick & mortar stor...

In this episode, we discuss the global supply chain disruption affecting US store shelves. Turns out the mega ship got stuck in the Suez Canal was nothing compared to this. Why are limits on toilet paper back in stores? How many container ships are sitting in the water outside of Long Beach right now? Why does Amazon want to legalize weed? Turns out all of these things are related to supply chain...

This episode is for you if... You have retail locations (or are considering it) then you'll want to hear at least the first 20 minutes of this "Connected Retail" discussion with an experienced insider. OR you have a Shopify store and a Point-of-Sale but they don't talk, then you'll want to listen to the whole episode. Lots of industry analysis and insight in this one from our guest Kevin McKenzie,...

In this episode, Shopify merchants will hear about the problems with discounting, how the modern consumer is changing, and one innovative way you can adapt. As co-founder and CEO of Givz, Andrew Forman is helping Shopify merchants drive sales without discounts, while reaching an increasingly socially-aware demographic. Prior to Givz, Andrew was treasurer for a nonprofit, where the pains of accepti...

For our upcoming Black Friday merchant survey, we asked what questions you wanted to be included. In this episode, we're predicting the answers to those questions before we conduct the survey. Questions like... What's better: Free Gift with Purchase or flat discount rates? Do you buy extra inventory or clear out distressed inventory? What's Plan B if your BFCM sales don't meet your goals? Sponsors...

On today's show, we're getting a crash course on Headless Ecommerce. Our guest today is uniquely suited to the task, having led a headless Shopify migration for a top 100 Shopify Plus store, and most recently joining headless solution provider Shogun. Show Links Shogun Frontend NOMAD - 15% off full priced and in stock gear on nomadgoods.com with code 'unofficial' Reese's LinkedIn Sponsors Free 30-...

If you're going to have the best holiday selling season ever, you need to have a plan in place starting now. But what's that look like? What do we prioritize? In this episode, we'll talk through phase 1 of your Best-Black-Friday-Ever plan by laying the strategic groundwork you need to succeed. Sponsors Free 30-day trial of Zipify OCU - (To get an unadvertised gift, email help@zipify.com and ask fo...

Everyone likes to say they make data-driven decisions, fewer actually do, and even fewer are making those decisions with good data. As more and more Shopify businesses drill into making data driven decisions having the proper foundation is imperative. I have Rich Hannah from RHUX analytics here. One of our mutual clients has been working with him and was really impressed. Hot takes: Shopify's Goog...

Kurt Elster, Emmett Shine, and Lisel Welden work with DTC brands on the daily, respectively, so you’d think they’ve heard and seen it all. From Domino's self-driving cars to Walmart’s plan to be fully self-checkout by the end of 2021, to virtual fitting rooms debuting at a time when a lot of Americans really just want to get back into the mall (you get the picture)-- we want to know their takes on...

Paul and Kurt recap and discuss July's ecom buzz: Klaviyo's new features Headless Hotness The Summer Slump Paul's Beef(s) with Kurt Our favorite Online Store 2.0 feature Show Links Klaviyo Product Event Screencast: Online Store 2.0 Demo Shogun Frontend Sponsors Free 30-day trial of Zipify OCU - (To get an unadvertised gift, email help@zipify.com and ask for the "Tech Nasty Bonus". Try Bold Product...

In this episode, we'll pull back the curtain on how coupon extensions work, and reveal new data showing how they really impact key performance metrics like average order value and cart completion. How do coupon extensions like Honey and Capital One Shopping get the discount codes that they share in their apps? When a coupon extension is present in a user's browser, how does that impact attribution...

In this Ask Us Anything episode, we answer listener questions. When should I upgrade to Online Store 2.0? What's headless ecommerce? The new metafields: What are they? How would I use them? What are you doing differently with FB Ads since the Apple privacy update? How to structure content for landing pages How to promote subscriptions Establishing free shipping minimums ...and more. Somewhat more....

For more than 15 years Zuly Matallana worked in large multinational companies to develop businesses by successfully leading teams to monetize market opportunities. Now, Zuly is translating the skills she gained to become a successful entrepreneur. It started when Zuly recognized the need for a product to help busy women keep their hair dry while showering. Consequently, she found an opportunity to...

Ryan Tarver, a serial entrepreneur with a full-time job, joins us to discuss the realities of what it’s like to start a LLC, design a brand, and launch two shops while having a full time job, a toddler, a newborn, and way too many hobbies in the middle of a global pandemic. We discuss: The importance of brand identity The case for co-founders Tools to stay organized Balancing perfectionism vs "jus...

In-store marketing & merchandising are the basics of eCommerce but something that is missed often. Our guest today won the 2020 Shopify Commerce Awards with her app ModeMagic by Mason. She's conducted interviews with over 2,000 merchants, discovering their biggest pain point is "Lots of traffic but no sales." In this episode, we'll learn what are the basics of in-store marketing - where merchants...

Working from home looked good on Shopify because this year's Unite announcements are the most featured-packed yet. So much is changing that they're calling it "Online Store 2.0" In this episode, we recap the highlights with a focus on what matters for merchants. Show Links Shopify Unite Never miss an episode Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts Join Kurt's newsletter Help the show Ask a questi...

Manufacturing your own goods is expensive, and can be even more expensive when you manufacture in the U.S. In this episode, Sarah Resnick, founder of Gist Yarn, tells us how she's used pre-ordering to fund our inventory growth. Sarah started her career as a community and union organizer, and made the switch to small business when she helped to run a cut and sew factory in 2016. Show Links Gist Yar...

Steve Chou and his wife Jennifer built a seven-figure business... and made a lot of mistakes along the way. We all have! This episode isn't about successes, it's about the stuff everybody (myself included) gets wrong when starting out. MyWifeQuitHerJob's Steve Chou co-hosts this joint episode to discuss the boneheaded mistakes we've all made running online businesses. Show Links Twirly Girl Brian...

Customer acquisition costs are more expensive than ever, so how can small brands acquire their first customers without spending big on paid traffic? Our guest today has a practical approach to that problem most brands can implement today. How can a brand get customers if they don't have a budget for ads? Why should brands invest in BFCM planning when it's so far off? What are big brands doing that...

Through vigorous testing over a decade long ecommerce career, today's guest has come to a conclusion: the product is the most important page on the whole site, and he's got outside-the-box wisdom on how to optimize it. Show Links Frictionless Commerce Rishi on LinkedIn zingermansbakehouse.com jpeterman.com Sponsors Free 30-day trial of Zipify OCU - (To get an unadvertised gift, email help@zipify.c...

Paul de Jersey wants you to lie on what looks like a bed of nails. If you think this is unusual, so did he when he first experienced a spikey acupuncture mat, but it works. It worked so well that he eventually began selling his own spike mats on Shopify, and even appeared on Dragon's Den to pitch the idea. Born and raised in Vancouver, Paul de Jersey is a former Division 1 hockey player turned ent...