In this influencer profile, we’ll highlight one of the web’s foremost experts in Shopify and ecommerce: Kurt Elster. In case you don’t already know who he is, we’ll introduce you to this widely-followed figure and do an overview of his business, along with his most popular ideas and content.
By the end, you’ll know exactly whether or not following his work, or working with him directly, would add value to your business goals. Let’s dive in!
Who is Kurt Elster?
Kurt Elster is an e-commerce expert, business consultant, podcast host, and influencer based in Chicago, IL – but his students and following are worldwide.
His primary areas of expertise are in Shopify / Shopify Plus, e-commerce, application development, and other digital marketing related topics.
He has amassed a sizable following on various social channels throughout the web. Take a look at these stats:
- 10k twitter followers
- Over 4k followers and more than 17k students on Skillshare
- Untold thousands of listeners to his show, The Unofficial Shopify Podcast
Folks, those numbers don’t happen by mistake. There is definitely something appealing about Kurt’s teaching methods and approach to content creation.
Perhaps most importantly, Kurt owns Ethercycle, a renowned Shopify merchant consultancy that has produced some amazing results for some incredible brands. Interesting tidbit: Ethercycle did a project to redesign the website for Jay Leno’s business, Jay Leno’s Garage. And they helped him get a 20% increase in conversions. I guess that’ll help Jay to stay busy without his late night show!
So, yeah, making sure e-commerce businesses succeed is literally Kurt’s job.
Still, you might be wondering if his content would be specifically helpful for your business. So, let’s take a deep dive into his most popular content.
Kurt Elster’s Business and Content
The best way to get your feet wet in following Kurt Elster is to check out his popular e-commerce show, The Unofficial Shopify Podcast. We’ll give you an overview of the show, and then we can take a look at some of Kurt’s paid services as well.
The Unofficial Shopify Podcast Review
The Unofficial Shopify Podcast is one of the most widely listened-to shows providing value to Shopify merchants.
In their own words, “The Unofficial Shopify Podcast is not authorized, endorsed, or sponsored by Shopify– It’s a no holds barred discussion of ecommerce growth strategy & tactics.”
In case you aren’t aware, Shopify is one of the most popular e-commerce platforms for online businesses of any size. Many beginners in the e-commerce space opt for Shopify for its amazing dropshipping tools, but it has plenty of useful automation and robust features for larger, more established brands as well.
On the podcast, Kurt features different tactics, success stories, and helpful applications to add to your Shopify store. In each episode, he curates actionable advice from his guests’ area of expertise and presents it to the listener in a unique and helpful way.
Example?
In a recent episode, Kurt interviews Rich Hanna, founder of Rhux Analytics – a service helping businesses maximize marketing ROI using data. He was the former head of analytics at Lululemon and has worked with some of the largest brands on earth, and offers some excellent insights about how to leverage one of your most powerful assets: your data!
Very cool! I learned quite a bit from this episode in particular.
Ethercycle
As mentioned, Ethercycle is Kurt’s e-commerce consultancy that works with independent, stable businesses that sell their own private label products. They are a part of the official Shopify Experts program, so you can trust that they know what they’re talking about.
Ethercycle focuses on website design, custom theme development, and conversion rate optimization services.
They have an impressive pedigree of case studies and success stories to back up their claims (yes – they’ve worked with more than just Jay Leno’s company). Check them out, here.
Crowdfunder
Crowdfunder is a public Shopify app that Ethercycle developed for Shopify merchants. It helps business owners to run crowdfunded pre-order campaigns on their store, so they can fund their next product launch without spending a dime!
The app has helped hundreds of Shopify stores to run thousands of pre-order campaigns so far.
Should I Follow Kurt Elster?
In conclusion, if you’re getting into e-commerce, digital marketing, or especially Shopify, you might want to give Kurt Elster a follow.
My advice? Check out his Unofficial Shopify Podcast show, see if his content resonates with you, and then take a look at his consultancy. Your business will thank you!
Hopefully this influencer profile was helpful and spurred you to action. Let us know in the comments!
Links to follow Kurt Elster
- Check out the Unofficial Shopify Podcast
- Follow him on Twitter
- Work with Ethercycle
- Use the Crowdfunder app
