Also on YouTube...

What’s really holding your Shopify store back? After 10,000 UX audits, Oddit co-founder Shaun Brandt has answers, and most stores are making the same 7 mistakes. Menus that bury the merch. Popups that hijack the screen. Product pages with zero context.

This episode is a takedown of bad ecommerce decisions, packed with fixes that actually make you more money. Whether you’re running a $50k side hustle or an eight-figure brand, the solutions are simple and the impact is real.

If your conversion rate’s stuck, this is your episode.

Sponsors:

• Swym – Wishlists, Back in Stock alerts, & more
• Cleverific – Smart order editing for Shopify
• Zipify – Build high-converting sales funnels

Links

• Oddit
• Shaun Brandt on LinkedIn
• Shopify Blog: What Is Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)?

Work With Kurt

• Apply
• Results
• Newsletter

Available on YouTube: youtu.be/qdpFmuFD8yE

Shopify merchants are getting pitched AI SEO “solutions” left and right—none of them proven. So I called Jason Berkowitz, an SEO who actually knows the game, to answer the real question: what should you actually do to rank in an AI-powered world? (Spoiler: most of it’s nonsense.) We break down what’s real, what’s trash, and why good SEO still wins—even in a sea of chatbots and grifters.

Sponsors

• Zipify – Build high-converting sales funnels
• Cleverific – Smart order editing for Shopify
• Viralsweep – Create sweepstakes, contests, and giveaways

Links

• Jason Berkowitz / Break the Web
• Shopify Global Product Catalog
• ChatGPT Product Search Beta

Work With Kurt

• Grow your Shopify store with me: https://ethercycle.com/apply
• See client results: https://ethercycle.com/work
• Join my newsletter for Shopify insights: https://kurtelster.com/

Sara Olsher started Mighty + Bright as a handmade calendar to help her toddler cope with divorce. A decade (and one breast cancer diagnosis) later, it’s a full-time Shopify business helping kids, adults, and neurodivergent folks navigate tough life stuff with visual structure. In this episode, Sara shares how she bootstrapped the brand, embraced customer feedback, and scaled with purpose—not just ad spend.

You’ll learn:

• How personal chaos sparked a viral product line
• Why bootstrapping kept her business healthy and profitable
• The power of customer-led product development
• How one TikTok collab outsold her entire kids’ line

Sponsors

• Zipify – Build high-converting sales funnels
• Cleverific – Smart order editing for Shopify
• Address Validator – Reduce delivery address errors & costs

• Sara Olsher
• Mighty + Bright

Apps, Tools, & Services

• StoreHero – Profit-focused ad tracking and analytics
• Octane AI – Shop quizzes for Shopify
• Sensible Forecasting – Inventory planning
• Bundles.app – Inventory syncing for Shopify bundles
• iPaKey – Packing and fulfillment scanner tool

Work with Kurt:

→ Grow your Shopify store
→ See client success stories
→ Join Kurt’s newsletter

Also on YouTube: youtu.be/4lOLw1k4ocA

Shopify VP of Retail, Ray Reddy, joins to walk through what’s new in POS V10.

• Faster checkouts
• Split fulfillment
• Custom branding
• Better search

If you sell in person, this episode is for you.

• Shopify POS
• Shopify Editions (Summer 2025)
• Ray Reddy on LinkedIn

• Zipify – Build high-converting sales funnels
• Cleverific – Smart order editing for Shopify
• Boost AI Search & Filter – Frictionless Product Discovery with AI

• Grow your Shopify store with me
• See our recent client wins
• Join my newsletter

Watch on YouTube

Shopify unveiled a sweeping AI-first vision at Editions.dev 2025, and it's got their partners buzzing. In this episode, we go beyond the keynote to bring you on-the-ground reactions from developers, partners, and skeptics alike.

Featuring interviews with:

• Anne Thomas (Design Packs)
• Ezra Firestone (Zipify)
• Jamil Bhuya (Otherhalf Studio)
• Karl Meisterheim (Liquid Weekly)

We dig into:

• Horizon's AI-generated blocks
• Shopify’s global product catalog push
• The looming idea of a multi-store global cart

Some call it the future of commerce. We call it required listening.

• Zipify – Build high-converting sales funnels
• Cleverific – Smart order editing for Shopify
• Viralsweep – Create sweepstakes, contests, and giveaways

• Shopify Editions Summer '25
• Editions.dev

Related Resources

• Will Premium Themes Get Horizon Blocks? (ed.codes)
• TUSP Facebook Group Post
• Understanding Shopify Catalog API (Sherocommerce)
• Liquid Weekly

For more unfiltered Shopify wisdom:

• kurtelster.com
• paulreda.com
• ethercycle.com

• Ask a question in The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Facebook Group
• Leave a review
• Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts

What if your Shopify brand could sell 16 million cans and hit $28M in its first full year? Aaron Nosbisch did just that with BRĒZ, a microdose drink brand that taps into the decline of alcohol, the rise of wellness, and a smarter ecommerce playbook. In this episode, he breaks down the entire journey—from ignored category to household name.

Show Links

• Aaron Nosbisch: https://twitter.com/AaronJNosbisch
• BRĒZ: https://drinkbrez.com
• Lucyd: https://www.wearelucyd.com

Sponsors:

• Zipify – Build high-converting sales funnels
• Cleverific – Smart order editing for Shopify
• Viralsweep – Create sweepstakes, contests, and giveaways.

Work with Kurt:

• Grow your Shopify store: https://ethercycle.com/apply
• Join the newsletter: https://kurtelster.com/

Subscribe for more Shopify founder stories.

Also on YouTube: https://youtu.be/fXKVcwl8FS8

How a BOGO Deal Bootstrapped Neven Eyewear to Millions

Jonathan Strauss lost a $500 pair of sunglasses jet skiing—and turned that wipeout into Neven Eyewear. What began as a desperate liquidation promo turned into a DTC breakthrough. In this episode, Strauss reveals how a buy-one-get-two offer saved his brand, what’s changed with Meta ads, and why scaling a bootstrapped Shopify store takes more grit than cash.

Learn:

• Why BOGO x3 worked when nothing else did
• How Neven ships worldwide with no VC money
• The backend tech powering their crazy offer
• What most brands get wrong about Meta ads

Sponsored by:

• Zipify – Build high-converting sales funnels
• Cleverific – Smart order editing for Shopify
• Address Validator – Reduce delivery address errors & costs

Links:

• Neven Eyewear → neveneyewear.com
• Sight for Sound → neveneyewear.com/pages/sight-for-sound
• Judge.me Reviews → apps.shopify.com/judgeme
• Glasson 360 Viewer → apps.shopify.com/glasson
• Shopify → shopify.com

Still trying to crack the SEO code in 2025? Jeff Oxford has worked on 300+ eCommerce sites, and he’s here to share what actually works for Shopify merchants now. From why your $300 product may be killing your rankings to how AI tools can scale your SEO ops, Jeff cuts through the noise. This episode delivers a tactical, no-fluff breakdown of SEO strategy in a search landscape increasingly shaped by AI, user behavior, and smarter content.

Sponsors:

• Zipify – Build high-converting sales funnels: zipify.com/KURT
• Cleverific – Smart order editing for Shopify: cleverific.com/unofficial
• Address Validator – Reduce delivery address errors: addressvalidator.com

Links & Resources:

Jeff Oxford – 180marketing.com
Kurt Elster – kurtelster.com

Tools & Services Mentioned:

• Ahrefs
• Claude (Anthropic)
• Google Search Console
• Replit
• ScreenshotOne API
• Shopify
• Ubersuggest

Work With Kurt:

• Apply to work with Kurt: ethercycle.com/apply
• See our client success stories: ethercycle.com/work
• Get my newsletter: kurtelster.com