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Hey Fastlane Insiders! 👋
15 days.
That's what's left until Black Friday. Not enough time to rebuild your stack or launch some elaborate campaign—but plenty of time to plug the leaks that are costing you real revenue right now.
Most brands are still tweaking discount percentages and refreshing creative. The ones who win? They're fixing mobile checkout friction, building gift buyer flows, and making sure their infrastructure doesn't collapse when traffic jumps 50x.
Here's the uncomfortable truth: mobile drives 70% of BFCM traffic but converts at half the desktop rate. Gift buyers account for 60% of orders but get treated like self-buyers. Your phone line bleeds customers to voicemail who never come back.
These aren't small leaks. They're revenue sitting on the table while you debate whether to run 25% or 30% off.
This week, we're shipping tactical fixes you can implement in days, not weeks:
🎧 Podcasts – Andrew Lipp from EQL on why launch infrastructure breaks under passion (and how draws build loyalty that lasts), plus Thomas Rivera from NLPearl on turning voicemail into 24/7 revenue
💎 Knowledge Drops – The gift buyer playbook that protects 60% of your BFCM revenue, and the 15-day triage plan that prioritizes mobile checkout over everything else
🔥 Tool of the Week – Trustoo Loyalty turns BFCM buyers into repeat customers with points, VIP tiers, and referrals that run on autopilot
📡 Industry Pulse – TikTok Shop's fraud playbook, Meta's AI agents cutting cost-per-lead by 14%, and what drove Shopify's $11.5B BFCM last year
Let's dive in. 👇
🔥 Tool of the Week 🔥
CAC keeps climbing, but here's what the winning brands figured out: the money is in the second purchase, not the first one.
Trustoo Loyalty turns one-time buyers into repeat customers on autopilot. It's a complete loyalty system that rewards purchases, reviews, and shares with points and coupons people actually want to redeem—not the complicated junk that sits unused.
What makes it work:
VIP tiers that make your best customers feel special (and spend more)—members of loyalty programs generate 12-18% more revenue per year than non-members
Referral programs that turn happy buyers into brand advocates doing your marketing for you—referral conversion rates typically hit 30-40% when the offer is clear and immediate
Widget customization in five minutes—no developer, no code, just drag, style, and launch
With 15 days to BFCM, here's the play: Set your points and discount ratios, style the widget to match your brand, and launch before the weekend. Every BFCM buyer you convert into a loyalty member is worth 12-18% more revenue next year.
🎧 New Podcast Episode! 🎧
Why Your Launch Infrastructure Breaks (And How Draws Build the Loyalty That Lasts)
Ever had your site crash right when a product drop goes live? Watched real customers get locked out while bots clear inventory in seconds? Or dealt with an angry inbox for weeks after what should've been your biggest win?
I’ve been around for a few of these, and so has Andrew Lipp.
This week, I sat down with the CEO of EQL, who got so fed up trying to buy limited-edition Nike sneakers (site crashed, payment processed but no product, couldn't even get a refund) that he left Google to fix the broken launch experience. Now his infrastructure powers drops for Nike, Crocs, Stanley, and Foot Locker.
Here's what we dug into:
Why everyday stores collapse during drops — and the queue systems that handle 10-50x traffic spikes without breaking your site or overselling inventory
The bot problem stealing your real customers — how automated scripts clear products in seconds (then flip them on resale markets for 3x), and the detection tools that actually stop them
Draws and raffles as loyalty engines — why giving fans a chance to win (instead of fighting bots) creates anticipation that keeps them coming back, even when they don't win
The tools Fortune 100 brands use, now accessible to you - how a $49/month Shopify app brings enterprise-level launch infrastructure to any store (no Shopify Plus required)
The brands that master this aren't just surviving their drops—they're turning passionate fans into repeat buyers who spend 1.5 times more than regular customers.
[ LISTEN NOW ] → Learn what Nike and Crocs know about launches that you don't
Your Phone Number Is Bleeding Revenue (And You Don't Even Know It)
Here's what's happening right now while you read this: Someone sees your ad at 9 PM, gets excited about your product, has one quick question about sizing, calls your store... and hits voicemail. They're gone. Straight to Google to find a competitor who'll actually answer.
The brutal truth? 80% of callers who hit voicemail never call back.
This week, I sat down with Thomas Rivera, Founding Partner of NLPearl, who's bringing enterprise-level AI voice agents to Shopify stores. Think of it as a 24/7 front desk that never sleeps, handles 10+ calls simultaneously, speaks 18 languages, and costs less than one part-time employee.
Here's what we covered:
The voicemail problem — How ready-to-buy customers vanish forever when they can't reach you (and why "I'll call back later" is a lie we tell ourselves)
10-minute setup that replaces call centers — From app install to fully functional AI agent pulling real-time Shopify data, answering questions about orders, inventory, and shipping
The hybrid approach that actually works — Using AI to handle routine queries around the clock, then seamlessly transferring complex issues to humans during business hours
Why this matters for BFCM — While you're handling one panicked customer call during your flash sale, AI agents manage 15 more simultaneously without breaking a sweat
The real ROI isn't just the $49/month price tag versus $3,000+ call center costs—it's capturing revenue from customers who would've bounced to a competitor that picked up the phone.
[ LISTEN NOW ] → Stop losing customers to voicemail (especially with BFCM 15 days away)
Is Your PPC Strategy Leaving Money on the Table?
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Efficiency gains compared to your current ad model
See how small changes could lead to massive increases in ROI, growth, and efficiency.
Run your numbers today to help future-proof your affiliate strategy in Q4 and beyond.
💡 Knowledge Drops of the Week 💡
💎 60% of Your BFCM Revenue Needs a Different Playbook (And You Have 15 Days Left)
If your BFCM plan treats every shopper like they're buying for themselves, you're missing the biggest opportunity of the season.
Here's what most brands overlook: 86% of Cyber Five shoppers are buying gifts, not treats for themselves. Yet most stores are still optimized entirely for self-buyers—talking to "you" instead of "the person you're shopping for."
The result? Friction. Confusion. Abandoned carts from people who can't figure out if your product ships by December 20th or if they can add a gift message.
The mobile problem makes it worse. About 57% of Cyber Monday sales happen on phones, and if your gift flow doesn't fit a thumb (budget filters, delivery cutoffs, one-tap gift toggle), you're paying for traffic that bounces.
Here's what actually works:
Gift buyers think in budgets and recipients, not product specs—so lead with collections like "Gifts Under $50" and "Last-Minute Gifts That Ship Fast," not your standard category pages.
One checkout toggle can save your conversion rate—a simple "Is this a gift?" option that reveals wrap, message, and gift receipt lifted conversions by 12-18% in stores that shipped it during BFCM 2024.
Delivery cutoffs matter more than your discount—show them on every PDP and in cart, promote gift cards for late buyers, and you'll cut WISMO tickets while protecting revenue.
The real money is in the recipient, not just the giver—tag gift orders, add a QR code to your packaging that leads to a welcome page, and turn recipients into repeat customers instead of one-time transactions.
With 15 days left, you can still ship the changes that protect 60% of your revenue. The brands that fix gift flows this week will win while everyone else scrambles with generic "20% off" emails.
[ READ THE FULL PLAYBOOK ] → Get the stage-aware checklist and exact steps
⚠️ 15 Days Left. Here Are the 80/20 Moves That Actually Move the Needle.
Let's be honest: if you didn't start BFCM prep in September, you're not rebuilding your entire stack in the next two weeks. This is triage now. You're going to remove friction, ship what matters, and stop the bleeding.
Here's the hard truth: Mobile drives 70% of BFCM orders and over 80% of traffic, yet mobile conversion (3.3%) is half of desktop (6.5%). Your mobile checkout is probably costing you more revenue than your discount strategy is generating.
The good news? Small fixes create outsized wins when you're this close.
Focus here first:
Fast wallets and zero friction at checkout — Shop Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay, guest checkout, and showing taxes/shipping early can lift mobile conversion by 12-23% in under two weeks. That's not a typo.
Cart recovery that actually recovers — A tight three-touch sequence at 30 minutes, 4 hours, and 24 hours with mobile-first copy and timed incentives typically adds 8-15% more recovered revenue before Cyber Monday ends.
Payment confidence on every page — Turn on BNPL, show payment logos near add-to-cart, remove surprise fees, and display clear free-shipping thresholds. Mobile shoppers bail when they can't predict the final number.
You have 15 days to remove friction from mobile checkout and tighten cart recovery. That's it. Not perfect creative. Not clever campaigns. Just remove the stuff that's breaking conversions right now.
[ READ THE FULL TRIAGE PLAN ] → Get the complete must-do, should-do, and nice-to-have checklist organized by stage and effort
📡 Industry Pulse 📡
Every week, I come across strategies and insights that are just too good not to share. Here's what caught my attention this week.
TikTok Shop is positioning itself as a legitimate, safe commerce platform ahead of peak season (not just a Wild West marketplace). The extended return window reduces buyer risk. If you're selling on TikTok Shop, understand the platform is cracking down hard on quality and fulfillment - you need solid operations, not just viral content.
Meta rolled out AI-powered tools to boost lead generation in ads globally. The platform introduced "Budget optimization view" showing how budget changes affect key metrics with 'Actual' and 'Estimated' columns, plus recommended budgets.
Shopify merchants broke Black Friday and Cyber Monday records in 2024, generating $11.5 billion in sales. The most wonderful time of the year for shoppers is just around the corner, so now’s the perfect time to start planning your Black Friday marketing campaigns if you want to claim a slice of the action.
🤘 You've Got This
The thread running through today's edition? Small fixes, big wins.
Launch infrastructure that handles 50x traffic without breaking. An AI agent that turns voicemail into revenue. A gift toggle that lifts conversions by 12-18%. Fast wallets that save mobile checkouts.
None of these require a rebuild. They're all shippable in the next 15 days.
Some of you are already testing these plays. Others just realized mobile converts at half the desktop rate and most BFCM shoppers are buying gifts, not treating themselves. Wherever you are, you've got time to move the needle before the weekend hits.
If something in today's edition landed for you—or you're already running one of these plays and want to share what's working—hit reply. I read every response, and your wins (and challenges) shape what we dig into next.
Now go ship something.
— Steve
P.S. Missed a previous edition? Check out the archive for more growth strategies and insights.
