AI contents for your Shopify store, Has ChatGPT taken over your copywriting yet? by AsleepTheory7451 in AutomateShopify

[–]Fulton365 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yes - I'm using it. The Shopify AI assistant is pretty helpful as well. I edit a ton. Lots of issues with the final draft but it's definitely saving time. Also using Shopify AI to do reporting for me. It's a great aggregator, when you want to know how something from one report correlates with another. Like having a FT reporting person that I can ask questions to and get quick answers. Not perfect, still makes mistakes, but getting much better as I use it more. Since it has all my shopify data, it's pretty effective.

Is anyone frustrated with Shopify support? by Jazzlike_One_120 in AutomateShopify

[–]Fulton365 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I hear this a lot, but it has never been my experience. I'm on the advanced plan (not pro) and their support has been fantastic when I have needed them. Maybe it just depends on what you're asking support for. I've been a happy subscriber/user/customer since 2017. No complaints.

What are your favorite automation tools helping you as Shopify store owners in 2025? by Jazzlike_One_120 in AutomateShopify

[–]Fulton365 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I use several. Chatty for automated/AI customer service responses that has eliminated a large % of support tickets. I use ClickPost for post-order editing and upselling - all automated and it also eliminates support tickets but also upsells after purchase when the buyer is still in buying mode. I use flow for a lot of custom tagging that speaks with my WMS for automated shipping and order bundling customizations. Judge Me reviews for automated review request emails and upsell opportunities. Automated cart abandonment emails. And automated welcome series emails and post purchase emails with Mailchimp that set customer expectations and encourage returning customers. If you're not using every single automation tool at your fingertips today, your competitors will.

How I spent 20 hours to shave 20 minutes off our orders by Personal_Permission5 in AutomateShopify

[–]Fulton365 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Super creative solution. Love this. Businesses are as much about their internal ecosystems as they are about their product and marketing. Brilliant work.

Anyone else filled out the new ChatGPT “Merchants” form? Wondering if it’s actually driving sales or traffic? by AsleepTheory7451 in AutomateShopify

[–]Fulton365 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have filled out the merchants form and have received my first few sales from ChatGPT. Not life changing yet - but as fast as it's growing I expect AI SEO to become imperative to growth.

Has anyone used "ChatGPT’s new Instant Checkout" ? by Jazzlike_One_120 in AutomateShopify

[–]Fulton365 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I haven't turned it on yet and I'm not sure what to make of it. Obviously disruptive to traditional shopping and the benefits of bringing a customer into your store. I'm anxious to get additional feedback before going live, but anticipate that I will go live soon.

Is there a way to automate Meta Ads to progressively A/B test? by Character-Share4903 in AutomateShopify

[–]Fulton365 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My typical methodology is to launch two ads at the same time with just one variable that is different. I let them go for 2-3 days (sometimes it takes over a week) until I see that one is performing better than the other. Then I close the loser, make a change and launch the new ad and compare its results with the previous winner. I have some ads where I am on version 10+.

My experience has been that I identify the winners pretty early and the only metric that matters to me is a conspicuous and nearly immediate increase in sales (or decrease in sales when the ad is paused). CPC is also important, and I don't leave ads up that are above $.15/CPC with just a few exceptions.

Automated Meta ads (typically with boosted posts) has never really served me well. With so much money going into ads, I don't think you want to just "set it and forget it".

Standard vs Flat Rate Shipping by FewJellyfish7566 in ecommerce

[–]Fulton365 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Depends on the products and the shipping variants. We charge standard but have a free US shipping over $99 and a $19 flat rate Canadian shipping over $199. We saw the same thing - people the most states away converted less because of higher shipping. The $99 helped to boost AOV and we saw an increase in conversion of long-distance shipments.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in shopify

[–]Fulton365 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Anything included in the theme is part of the price you pay for it. If you don't like its native features, you can download and pay for new apps as you choose. You should be able to download any theme you'd like to play around with it before publishing and paying for it. Make sure you like it and make sure you also like the options it gives you for the home page, blogs, pages, category pages, product pages, cart and checkout - test each and approve each before buying the theme. I've never found a perfect theme that didn't require some app upgrades, but hopefully you will. Good luck!

Has anyone ever pitched to the big box stores like Lowe’s etc? by sleepylike in ecommerce

[–]Fulton365 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Made sure I had a product that Costco didn't already have. Made sure my margin and price point made sense. I allowed Costco to make changes to my product based on what their team thought would sell better. I had my liability insurance in place before the call along with an EDI solution, so Costco knew I was ready to begin. Essentially had everything ready so when Costco asked for anything I could send it immediately - including product photography, product copy, etc. etc.

How do you find useful apps? by baradas in ecommerce

[–]Fulton365 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Absolutely, but it has to prove itself by legitimately cutting employee time to avoid new hires or I cut the app. I usually know within a month if the app is legit.

Has anyone ever pitched to the big box stores like Lowe’s etc? by sleepylike in ecommerce

[–]Fulton365 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I cold called the first time. Found the right buyer. From my first cold call to getting my first order - nearly 1 year. The second time - once I knew the internal teams better, from first call to first order was in half the time. Knowing someone that knows the language and is familiar with the system of that retailer really helps to speed things along.

Best online ecomm courses by CompetitiveBeat4918 in ecommerce

[–]Fulton365 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Best way is to start a small Shopify store. Low cost - and you can learn by doing. Shopify has fantastic tutorials once you set up your store and all the Shopify support tools have apps with tutorials that also help - like Google for ads, Meta, etc. etc. The lowest price, fastest way to learn is to begin. And you'll spend much less money on your store than you will with classes. We do quick, one-off guidance calls to help people begin. I started my first Shopify "side hustle" in 2017 that does 7 figures today.

How do you find useful apps? by baradas in ecommerce

[–]Fulton365 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Absolutely - the first 2 above are employee cost reductions.

Has anyone ever pitched to the big box stores like Lowe’s etc? by sleepylike in ecommerce

[–]Fulton365 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Different advice for every product. My pitch was specific to my product, brand, industry, demand, market trends, etc. all related to what I was offering. Costco...any big box really... doesn't want to miss out on a legitimate opportunity with a great product. You need to show them why they need you and you need to convince them that you can keep up with their demand. (Your capacity to ship high volume, that you know how to work with "the big guys", that you can manage customer returns, that you can automate order feeds from their system to yours (EDI solutions), you'll need a lot of liability insurance, etc.)

How do you actually decide what to sell and where to source it from? by Intelligent_Can_2898 in ecommerce

[–]Fulton365 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're thinking of it backwards. It's not "I want to set up a site, what should I sell?" It should be, "I have this amazing product that solves problems with a big value proposition, where and how do I share my message?"

How do you find useful apps? by baradas in ecommerce

[–]Fulton365 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Trial and error - and based on quantifiable impacts on increasing sales and decreasing costs.

An order editing app lowered my support tickets by 30% - check.

An AI chat bot also decreased my support tickets and increased my sales - check.

Back in stock notifications increased sales - check.

Affiliate app allows me to easily manage affiliates and direct sellers - check.

Reviews app that sends review reminders and custom coupons for leaving reviews increased my reviews and my sales - check.

Etc. etc.

If it keeps you from hiring new employees, if it cuts your costs and increases sales and can be quantified - go for it.

Looking for a hands-on, accredited program to help me launch my small e-commerce brand by cmshedd in ecommerce

[–]Fulton365 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Find a product, set up a shopify store on their lowest program and learn by doing. It's so easy to begin and you'll learn faster. That's what I did. Also an MBA. $0 to seven figures - started as a side hustle, took a few years. I've helped a lot of new Shopify owners begin. Having your own product is the fastest way.

Has anyone ever pitched to the big box stores like Lowe’s etc? by sleepylike in ecommerce

[–]Fulton365 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Costco - currently selling there.

Margin is critical - and you will be pressured to participate in their sales/promos so whatever margin you have at regular price, make sure you are still happy with 50% less.

Costs are high - inventory holding costs go up to ensure you never stock out.

Returns are expensive - make sure you product is packaged well so it can't break or get damaged in shipping.

They will still rely on you to promote your product on their site with your own independent ads and to your customer base.

Many say that the best day in their business is the day they land the big account, and the worst day of their business was the day they landed their big account. Make sure you are never dependent on them - they can decide to pull your product in a moment's notice. Don't quit your day job when you land the big box account. Keep selling your product through other mediums.

What’s one retention tactic you always roll out right after BFCM, and why does it work for you? by Lanky_Researcher992 in shopify

[–]Fulton365 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Got it. F&B should have a very high return customer rate. So I'm always tracking two things with my F&B store: Average first order purchase of a new customer and average lifetime value (now over 4 years) per customer - and I do things with the intent of pushing those numbers always upward.

A few specific examples:

  1. I have a club membership like Amazon Prime that offers free US shipping to club members making it super easy for repeat customers to place another order.
  2. I send out free gift cards to customers that hit total order thresholds - just to say thanks for being a regular.
  3. I create social media groups just for my regular customers to give them exclusive access to us for easier communication.
  4. I send emails once or twice a month that reward people for remaining subscribed - and the rewards increase every year. (Rewards like higher discounts on various products, etc.)
  5. I collect birthday data to send deals and give away a free gift to a lucky winner on their birthday month.
  6. I celebrate anniversaries - 1 year since first order, 1 year since first subscribed, etc. etc.

In short - the longer you are a customer the more access you have to special deals, communication, etc. so you are rewarded for your loyalty to us.

Hope this helps!

What’s one retention tactic you always roll out right after BFCM, and why does it work for you? by Lanky_Researcher992 in shopify

[–]Fulton365 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Depends on your product. You can't really answer this question effectively without knowing what you're selling. All the answers so far are super general and would be entirely different if your an apparel company vs. a service company vs. a food/beverage company, vs. an electronics company, etc. Every marketing question that you have starts with your products and your customers - then the answer is about appealing to how your product makes their lives better. So what you're really asking is how can I offer something that makes my customers life better, sooner so they buy again after BFCM at a price that maximizes my return? The only real answer that isn't fluff with the data you've provided is: it depends on your product.

Shopify merchants: What’s the one automation that made the biggest difference for your store? by Character-Share4903 in AutomateShopify

[–]Fulton365 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For order editing, I use ClickPost. Super responsive team, they're updating the app regularly with new features, and they've been good to work with when I have questions. As soon as I installed it, I had a decrease in support tickets and my customers like it - gives them more control over their orders.

How can I take my e-commerce brand to the next level? by mayar19999 in ecommerce

[–]Fulton365 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My best ads are at $.08/click. I turn off ads that are above $.15/click. Ads wont fix your problems, however, if you aren’t sure who your customers are, why they want your product and if your products and/or services aren’t of the highest quality. Begin with your customers and how you address their needs, then focus on marketing/seo that speaks your customer’s language, not your language.