The Unofficial Shopify Podcast

In this listener-inspired episode, we break down the answers to your questions. You'll hear: How to use Hotjar's free plan to easily conversion rate optimize your store Build your tribe with a Facebook group Options to reduce risk when sourcing products for your first store Plus: Paul drops hot takes, and Kurt invents a new creative compound insult. Tune in for more details! Resources Meetup Hooni...

Google ads is more complex than ever before. Truthfully, it's downright scary if you don't know what you're doing, and an exceptional good way to lose money. Yet if you do know what you're doing, it can generate huge sums of wallet-out ready to buy customers to your store. So what do the experts know that we don't? We ask the expert your questions: Best tool/app to automate the set up and optimiza...

In our second listener mailbag episode, we answer three topics chosen by you. You'll hear: Myth Busted: Debunking popular merchant myths How to find your blogging voice Growth Hacks: What the big boys are doing that you can too Plus, why Kurt made drama with the CEO of Simplecast Tune in for more details! Resources Apple Support: Use your voice to enter text on your Mac Chicago Brick Oven Apple Su...

Chief Everything Officer and footwear designer Darin Hager couldn’t find the sneaker style he craved at retail. His own designs were hindered by the corporate footwear brands he designed for day in and day out for over 10 years. So in 2008 he set out on his own create his own sneaker brand. Learn The mindset that drove Darin to entrepreneurship How Darin leveraged his unfair advantages The dark si...

In our first listener mailbag episode, you told us what to discuss, and we deliver. You'll hear: Podcasting 101: learn everything you need to know to start your own podcast in 10 minutes How to grow your business from day 1 without pay-per-click ads Why calling bootstrapped businesses a “lifestyle business” is offensive Tune in for more details! Resources Kurt's recommended mic: Blue Yeti Famebit...

Learn the current state of on-site conversions from Privy founder Ben Jabbawy. After capturing over 100 million emails with Privy, Ben Jabbawy reveals: The most effective pop-up campaigns (that you probably aren't running) the dirty secret about checkout abandonment emails and what they're doing with $4.25M in funding Ben is the founder of Privy, the leader in on-site conversions for Shopify store...

Building on our last discussion of the "perfect homepage" we move onto the next step in the sales funnel: Product Detail Pages. In this episode, Paul and Kurt break down tested & proven product detail page elements you should use to maximize your own conversions. Tune in for more details! Resources Tactical Baby Gear Chicago Brick Oven WalMart Share your thoughts Ask a question in Th...

Most of us have Google Analytics running on our stores. But what are we doing with that? And is it reporting correctly? In this episode, we'll learn how to turn Google Analytics into a powerful business tool. Founder & Head of Optimization at Test Triggers, Josh Frank walks us through start to finish an actually useful Google Analytics strategy. Josh has helped countless eCommerce businesses b...

You can think of your Shopify store's homepage as the storefront of your store. Just because someone walks by, doesn't mean they're going to come in and shop. You have to to present an alluring storefront to your customer to coax them down your sales funnel. In this episode, Paul and Kurt break down the tested & proven homepage layout you should use to maximize your own conversions. Paul and K...

In this brief bonus episode with Klaviyo's senior marketing manager, Alicia Thomas, you'll learn: What seven and eight figures brands are doing differently with their email marketing What you can do to get ahead with email marketing Several upcoming events to grow your business Links mentioned: Klaviyo's Docuseries: Beyond Black Friday Klaviyo:BOS - Use code KURT100 to save $100 on your registrati...

Shopify wunderkind Ezra Firestone walks us through his $700K holiday sale. DONT MISS THIS EPISODE. We'll find out: How 14,573 of their most engaged subscribers generated the most revenue The breakdown of the holiday email strategy, which they used to build excitement and generate sales The Holiday ad campaign generated a 10x return on ad spend Why they opted for a simple, to-the-point landing page...

Every year around this time, we see an influx of new people to our community looking to add to their income by starting an ecommerce business. According to a recent article in the Atlantic, "many people turn to a growing number of self-proclaimed experts promise they can teach anyone how to make a passive income selling cheap Chinese goods in the internet's largest store. Not everyone’s getti...

Paul Jarvis joins us to explain why he believes the real key to richer and more fulfilling work could be to not create and scale something into a massive corporation, but rather, to work for yourself, determine your own hours, and become a (highly profitable) and sustainable company of one. Paul is the author of Company of One: Why Staying Small is the Next Big Thing For Business. He’s worked with...

Wrapping up the year, my business partner (and producer of this show) Paul Reda joins me to discuss his experiences as a Shopify theme developer with ten years of experience. We'll find out: The dark truth about ecommerce design How you could be over-optimizing your store And how to approach theme performance Tune in for more details! Resources Tactical Baby Gear Sand Valley Golf Ethercycle Paul R...

This is the story of how a lemonade stand became turned into a successful skincare line. In less than one year, today's guest began manufacturing all-natural soap, sold out of their first 5,000 units on Amazon, gained hundreds of positive reviews for their nine-item catalog, and launched a Shopify store. All while working full-time as an ER physician with kids. It's with those kids that our story...

Tom Ness is co-founder and former CMO of Truth Nutra and former CMO at Kinobody, and has since left both companies to pursue his new venture, Rugged Naturals - a natural personal care product brand for men. Tom is a self-taught, self-starter with a passion for building companies that create a positive impact. He has helped scale two companies from inception to nearly 8 figures in revenue apiece, i...

You already know the importance of sharing your brand’s story. I've told you over & over on this show, "People buy from people, not brands." Your story is the ultimate way to create an emotional connection with your customers so that they not only become raving fans, they share your story with their friends. Unfortunately, no one tells you HOW to write your story. Worse yet, most mar...

Get a glimpse into the silent crime wave that cost the US economy $16 billion last year: credit card fraud. We'll find out: How fraudsters get ahold of your customers' personal info The various fraud schemes criminals use (this is fascinating) How chargebacks work How to protect yourself Tune in for more details! Resources NoFraud NoFraud in the App Store SPECIAL OFFER: 20% off for your first thre...

In last week's episode, Kurt Bullock walked us through tips and strategies to maximize our Facebook ad budgets before the holidays. This week we build on that conversation and learn the five-phases of holiday advertising and example offers and audiences to run during the holidays. Our guest today is Karan Jassar, founder and CEO of Socioh, a social media marketing service for Shopify stores lookin...

Get your products on your customer's minds (and wishlists) this year without blowing a fortune on Facebook ads. Kurt Bullock joins us to discuss the tactics & strategies you need to know to maximize your Facebook ads before, during, and after Black Friday. Kurt Bullock is the founder of ecommerce agency ProduceDept, our exclusive marketing partner at Ethercycle for nearly three years. We'll fi...

Klaviyo is the most recommended email marketing platform for Shopify merchants. In this episode, we hear what features are new in Klaviyo that you should implement before the holidays. Plus we discover the interesting views on marketing that Klaviyo's company culture has produced. Jake is the Director of Product at Klaviyo. Jake has been working in marketing since he was one, when his parents star...

Today we're hearing from the co-founder of Cowbucker, inventor of "the Bucker," a hat that's part trucker lid and part cowboy brim. According to them, it's "probably mankind's greatest invention." Here's the wild part: they have sold close to 50,000 of them since launching in October 2014. In today's episode, Derek shares his journey with us, and tells what he's learned along t...

Less than one month after launching her first Shopify store, I interview Julie Elster about her experience so far. Julie Elster is the owner of the one-month old Disney World-planning info-product empire Double Your WDW . In 2015, she achieved viral success among freelancers when she started (and just ended) Just Tell Julie , an accounts receivable service. We'll find out: what’s working & wha...

It's not too late to drive additional revenue with holiday SEO. And it's easier than you think. In this episode, we walk through each step of the holiday SEO planning process in detail. We'll learn how to engage in thoughtful keyword research, create optimized content for the season, and even the right way to link to your holiday content properly. Dale Bertrand runs Fire&Spark, an ecommerce ma...

Want to do seven-figures in revenue and work four hours a week? How about getting there in two years? Today's guest has done just that. He's sold 170,000 golf clubs resulting in $6.3 million revenue last year with just three employees and a four hour work week. We're joined by BombTech Golf's Tyler 'Sully' Sullivan who shares with his story, what's worked, what hasn't, and how you can emulate his...