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

My guest on today’s episode is Chris Jacobs, from Katana, the smart workshop software platform that is helping Shopify brands that manufacturer and fulfills their own orders.Katana allows you to manage your whole order fulfillment process from a single dashboard, including sales, manufacturing, and purchasing. As a Shopify brand owner, you get stock availability and fulfillment status for every order and with this production process, it means you won’t miss a delivery deadline ever again.Forget spreadsheets or some homegrown hack. You can now automatically track raw materials, product stock, materials en-route from suppliers and products booked for shipping to customers. Just drag-and-drop orders to prioritize your inventory usage.It’s time to add some digital efficiencies to your product production schedule.What You Will Learn Today…Avoid spreadsheet hell by implementing a purpose-built platform for Shopify brands that manufacture their own products.Automatically track raw materials, product stock, materials en-route from suppliers and products booked for shipping to customers.Track actual manufacturing costs based on product recipes (bill of materials) and production operations.Links And Resources Mentioned In This EpisodeKatanaKatana Shopify AppKatana Learning CenterAs an eCommerce Fastlane listener, Katana is offering 30% off for the first three monthsThank You For ListeningI really appreciate you choosing to listen to the show and for supporting the podcast. If you enjoyed today’s show, please share it using the social media buttons on this page.I would also be so grateful if you would consider taking a minute or two to leave an honest review and rating for the show in iTunes. They’re extremely helpful when it comes to reaching our audience and I read each and every one personally!New Strategies Each Week To Help You Build And Scale Lifetime Customer Loyalty. SUBSCRIBE HERE!Being an entrepreneur is a life of learning. All it would take is a new idea, strategy, Shopify app, or marketing platform to be the next thing you need to drive more revenue and lifetime loyalty for your Shopify store. Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, or Spotify. Don’t miss a single episode!Episode SponsorThis episode is brought to you by ShopMessage, an incredibly powerful Shopify App.Do you want to know the secret marketing channel that Fashion Nova, Puravida Bracelets, and MVMT Watches use to drive millions in revenue?The answer is Facebook Messenger, and it’s powered by ShopMessage, the leading conversational marketing platform.Try ShopMessage for free for 30 days. Being a listener of eCommerce Fastlane has many benefits including this free offer from ShopMessage. Test their platform with your brand (for free) for 30-days and prove it to yourself the ROI and significant revenue lift you will achieve.Go to ShopMessage.me/fastlane and get started today! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Show Notes

My guest on today’s episode is Chris Jacobs, from Katana, the smart workshop software platform that is helping Shopify brands that manufacturer and fulfills their own orders.
Katana allows you to manage your whole order fulfillment process from a single dashboard, including sales, manufacturing, and purchasing. As a Shopify brand owner, you get stock availability and fulfillment status for every order and with this production process, it means you won’t miss a delivery deadline ever again.
Forget spreadsheets or some homegrown hack. You can now automatically track raw materials, product stock, materials en-route from suppliers and products booked for shipping to customers. Just drag-and-drop orders to prioritize your inventory usage.
It’s time to add some digital efficiencies to your product production schedule.
What You Will Learn Today…
  • Avoid spreadsheet hell by implementing a purpose-built platform for Shopify brands that manufacture their own products.
  • Automatically track raw materials, product stock, materials en-route from suppliers and products booked for shipping to customers.
  • Track actual manufacturing costs based on product recipes (bill of materials) and production operations.
Links And Resources Mentioned In This Episode
Thank You For Listening
I really appreciate you choosing to listen to the show and for supporting the podcast. If you enjoyed today’s show, please share it using the social media buttons on this page.
I would also be so grateful if you would consider taking a minute or two to leave an honest review and rating for the show in iTunes. They’re extremely helpful when it comes to reaching our audience and I read each and every one personally!
New Strategies Each Week To Help You Build And Scale Lifetime Customer Loyalty. SUBSCRIBE HERE!
Being an entrepreneur is a life of learning. All it would take is a new idea, strategy, Shopify app, or marketing platform to be the next thing you need to drive more revenue and lifetime loyalty for your Shopify store. Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, or Spotify. Don’t miss a single episode!
Episode Sponsor
This episode is brought to you by ShopMessage, an incredibly powerful Shopify App.
Do you want to know the secret marketing channel that Fashion Nova, Puravida Bracelets, and MVMT Watches use to drive millions in revenue?
The answer is Facebook Messenger, and it’s powered by ShopMessage, the leading conversational marketing platform.
Try ShopMessage for free for 30 days. Being a listener of eCommerce Fastlane has many benefits including this free offer from ShopMessage. Test their platform with your brand (for free) for 30-days and prove it to yourself the ROI and significant revenue lift you will achieve.
Go to ShopMessage.me/fastlane and get started today!

 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

Running a Shopify store? You know it's not just about finding the right apps—it's about knowing which strategies actually work when the stakes are real. I'm Steve Hutt, and every week I sit down with Shopify founders, marketing experts, and industry insiders who've been exactly where you are. We skip the theory and dive into what's actually moving the needle right now.

Since 2016, eCommerce Fastlane has been the weekly pit-stop for ambitious DTC founders and marketers. With over 2 million downloads and 400+ episodes, this show delivers actionable Shopify growth strategies that blend AI efficiency with authentic customer relationships.

Each episode brings you proven Shopify strategies, apps, and best practices that drive measurable results. You'll discover digital marketing tactics and retention playbooks that balance automation with genuine human connection, plus real-world founder stories from my journey scaling DTC businesses and insights from 400+ industry leaders.

We dive deep into emerging tech—AI, AR/VR, automation—and show you how to leverage it without losing your brand's soul. Plus, you'll get operations, logistics, and customer experience solutions that reduce overwhelm and build lasting customer loyalty.

Whether you're launching your first Shopify store or scaling past seven figures, you'll walk away from every episode with at least one strategy you can implement this week. No fluff, just real conversations about real growth.

Ready to thrive in today's fast-paced ecommerce world—growing smarter, not just faster? Join thousands of merchants building customer-centric, future-proof brands with strategies that actually work.

Steve Hutt
x-Shopify - 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.com