Affiliate and Advertising Disclosure
Effective date: October 1, 2026
eCommerce Fastlane is an independent media company. We’re not owned by Shopify or any app, agency, or platform we cover. We pay for our writing, podcast, and newsletter through the partnerships below. You should know about them so you can weigh what you read and hear.
Affiliate links
Many links on the Site, including links that run through ecommercefastlane.com/recommends/, are affiliate links. If you click one and sign up or buy, the company may pay us a commission or referral fee. It doesn’t cost you anything extra, and sometimes it gets you a longer trial or a discount. Our affiliate partners include Shopify and programs run through Impact.com and other networks.
Sponsorships
Companies pay to sponsor the eCommerce Fastlane podcast and the Fastlane Insider newsletter. Sponsorships can include host-read messages, newsletter placements, logos on our homepage, and banners on the Site. Sponsor messages are identified as sponsored when they run.
Paid content
Companies and agencies also pay for content on the Site, including guest articles, inclusion in roundup articles, company spotlights, reviews, press releases, and links placed within articles. Many podcast guest appearances are also part of a paid partnership.
Free products and access
Companies sometimes give us free or discounted access to their software, or other benefits, in exchange for coverage or consideration. When that applies to a review or feature, we say so in the piece.
What payment does and doesn’t buy
Payment buys placement and exposure. It doesn’t buy a positive verdict. We keep final editorial control over everything we publish, edit partner content to our standards, and decline partners who aren’t a good fit for our audience. In our own reviews, we say what the assessment is based on, including when it’s drawn from public information and product documentation rather than hands-on testing.
We cover companies that don’t pay us too, and paying doesn’t move a company ahead in our independent rankings or recommendations.
Questions
If you’re unsure whether something you read or heard was paid for, ask us at [email protected], and we’ll tell you.
