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Unsure whether it's time to partner with an ecommerce agency? You're not alone. Here are some tips to help you know when you need to take the jump.
Consistently running out of time to handle everything that’s needed to power your business? Feeling like your business is growing faster than you can keep up with? Unsure what step to take next in your ecommerce journey? These are all signs that it might be worth partnering with an ecommerce agency.
To ecommerce brands big and small, the speed at which the ecommerce landscape changes has made it increasingly difficult to keep up. From algorithmic updates to technical changes on platforms like Shopify, it requires more than ever before to succeed in the modern ecommerce world.
It’s why more and more ecommerce businesses are choosing to partner with an ecommerce agency to support their ecommerce efforts. Whether an agency is helping a brand stay on the right track, preventing them from falling into any of the common ecommerce pitfalls, or helping empower their business with innovative strategies, they’re becoming more and more important for brands looking to succeed.
If you’ve toyed with the idea of hiring an ecommerce agency to support your business, read on. Here, we discuss the benefits of hiring an ecommerce agency and look at the key indicators that it might be time for you to hire one.
An ecommerce agency is a specialised digital marketing firm, who specifically works with ecommerce businesses. As there are many different aspects that go into powering a successful ecommerce business, an ecommerce agency can take many different forms and have many different specialisms.
For example, some ecommerce agencies may be partnered with ecommerce technology platforms such as Shopify and offer website development services as a primary discipline, alternatively, some ecommerce agencies may be more specialised in Meta Ads and only offer web development in certain cases. This is to say that ecommerce agencies come in all different shapes and sizes, and choosing the right one for your business is not a decision that can be made on a whim.
The key differentiator between a general digital marketing agency and an ecommerce agency is the depth of understanding around the unique challenges ecommerce businesses face. Ecommerce agencies understand customer lifetime value, shopping cart abandonment, inventory management integration, seasonal fluctuations, and the complex customer journey before a purchase decision is made.
For ecommerce businesses looking to grow, there are many benefits to partnering with a specialised ecommerce agency.
Ecommerce agencies invest heavily in premium tools and software that would be cost-prohibitive for an individual business. From advanced analytics platforms and heat mapping tools to sophisticated email automation systems and AI-powered personalisation engines, agencies provide access to technology that can transform your business operations.
Building an internal marketing team is the end goal for many brands. But it’s a task that takes months of hiring, training, and onboarding. Alternatively partnering with an ecommerce agency means you can hit the ground running immediately.
Additionally, ecommerce agencies have established processes, proven methodologies, and all of the experience to help your brand avoid common pitfalls.
As your business grows, your needs change. Not only can agencies scale their services up or down based on your requirements, seasonal demands, or budget constraints, but they can stay one step ahead. They’ll be able to strategise and steer your business in the direction best suited for growth - keeping you proactive, not reactive.
Ecommerce agencies work with multiple clients across different industries, giving them unique insights into what works across various markets. They can apply successful strategies from one industry to another, bringing fresh perspectives and innovative approaches to your business.
The fateful question. Whilst there’s no set criteria, there are a number of different scenarios where partnering with a dedicated ecommerce agency is going to present itself as additionally beneficial to your business. Let’s look at five reasons for which we often see ecommerce brands enlist the help of an ecommerce agency
If you run a fashion brand, you may be an expert in product development and knowing the ebbs and flows of fashion trends. If you run a homeware brand, you may be an expert at material procurement and interior design. And if you run a cookware business, you may be an expert in the requirements of developing foodsafe materials.
None of these means you are an expert at ecommerce. Whilst the skills aren’t mutually exclusive, you can expect an ecommerce agency to have the dedicated expertise to help ecommerce businesses succeed in the realm of ecommerce, and not just within their niche.
Maybe you managed to set up your ecommerce store and some basic meta advertising campaigns successfully, but If you’re starting to feel like you need ecommerce-first expertise, then reaching out to an ecommerce agency should be the natural next step.
Whilst there’s a number of elements that can’t be directly measured, ecommerce is a numbers game and success is derived by knowing what to look for in the numbers you have available.
If you sell on Shopify and market on platforms like Meta and Google, then there's an abundance of statistics at your fingertips - but knowing which ones are relevant? That’s an entirely different can of worms. There’s no hidden switch where the data will suddenly make sense to you, it comes from years of experience working with ecommerce brands. If you’re starting to feel like you’re spinning your wheels and not acting on the data that can let you take the next step, then it’s more than worth enlisting the expertise of an ecommerce agency.
Some of the biggest missed opportunities for ecommerce brands revolve around the strategic use of data to improve customer journeys and identify where they need to refine and innovate. Conveniently though, this is where ecommerce agencies typically make the biggest impact.
When you feel disconnected from your customers
We all know that customers are the beating heart of any business, which is why the feeling of not connecting with them can feel so jarring. It’s not an uncommon scenario for a brand’s understanding of their business and the customer’s to be misaligned. This naturally leads to a number of hang ups and missed opportunities for the ecommerce business in question.
Partnering with an ecommerce agency can give you an outside perspective. Ecommerce agencies have seen it all - they’ll have experience working with brands in a similar position and can use their experience to dive deep into your how your customers engage with your brand
By using the right combination of customer analytics and creative experience, ecommerce agencies can successfully identify how customers are engaging with your brand and figure out the best ways you can position your messaging and content as a result.
This is the most common reason that brands partner with ecommerce agencies. Whilst additional insights, advanced analytics, and tailored strategies are all extremely beneficial - if you find yourself consistently running out of time or time spent on your marketing efforts is detracting from time spent on other areas of your business, having an ecommerce agency step in is going to be a big help.
Consider the true cost of doing everything in-house. Most growing ecommerce businesses can partner with a comprehensive agency for a fraction of this cost while getting access to senior-level expertise across all these areas.
From a business perspective, it’s simply a good idea to partner with a third party to allow your business to flourish as you know it can.
No matter what you try, some ecommerce businesses struggle to take that next step on their own. Whether it’s breaking into a new market, expanding your product library, or bridging the gap between making 6 figures annually and making 7 - it doesn’t just happen without a strategy in place.
An ecommerce agency can provide you with a personalised and tailored path towards growth for your business. By leveraging the data they have available to them, the technologies at their disposal and their extensive expertise in optimising every aspect of the customer journey, an ecommerce agency can develop and implement a tailored path to getting your business to where it needs to be. This can involve everything from the careful management and optimisation of performance marketing campaigns to full scale implementations of new technologies and integrations.
By combining data-driven insight, technology, and agile strategy, an ecommerce agency can create a truly personalised growth path - turning browsers into loyal buyers and maximising the long-term value of every customer relationship.
As we’ve noted before, ecommerce is an ever-evolving and ever-changing industry. A microcosm example of this is the ebb and flow in the popularity of different technology platforms. In the early to mid 2010s, many ecommerce businesses favored the now-adobe-owned Magento, but entering the 2020s, Shopify took its place as the ecommerce platform of choice.
And there are unique examples of this throughout all technology niches and also within the platforms themselves. For example, in 2025 Shopify updated how custom-built post purchase pages were structured and created.
Taking this a step further, there’s certain to be change within your business too. Whether it’s a team member leaving the business, a change in business goals, or something brought on by external factors - change is inevitable within this industry. This is where an ecommerce agency can step in.
Some ecommerce agencies prefer to work on a revolving door of projects, focusing on migrations, tech audits, and short campaigns. This type of ecommerce agency may be best positioned for a short turn around project you need help on quickly - such as migrating to a new tech platform. Whereas an agency focused on nurturing long term relationships may be better suited if the change is going to impact you on a more long term basis, such as the loss of a team member or a more major business pivot.
The process of finding and partnering with an ecommerce agency brings with it a number of considerations that you as a business need to navigate.
It’s likely that your partnership with an ecommerce agency will be one of the largest invoices you are charged on a monthly basis. Depending on the depth of service you have enlisted, an ecommerce agency can be charging north of 5 figures on a monthly basis.
However this does not mean that partnering with an ecommerce agency is an unworthwhile expense. The return on investment - and it is an investment - from partnering with an ecommerce agency cannot be understated.
From increasing the ROAS of your Meta ad campaigns and optimising your total MCOS to even small quality of life changes such as whittling down on unnecessary integrations (and therefore expenses) an ecommerce agency promises to consistently provide value.
Like the businesses they partner with, ecommerce agencies come in all different shapes and sizes. For you to have a great partnership with one another, it’s key to choose an ecommerce agency that slots into your business well from a communication and cultural standpoint. This factors in everything from the location of the agency, the channels and technologies they communicate to you with, and the “feeling” you get from the staff.
Some good questions to ask yourself when considering an agency might be…
When evaluating potential agency partners, it’s key to dig deep into their track record. Asking for case studies that are relevant to your industry and business size is key and a good ecommerce agency will be able to demonstrate tangible results they've achieved for similar businesses.
It’s important to look for agencies that can show you specific improvements in the metrics that matter to you, whether it’s an increase in a store’s conversion rate, a reduction in the customer acquisition cost, or just general revenue growth percentages.
Not all ecommerce agencies are created equal when it comes to technical expertise. If you're running on Shopify Plus, you’ll want an agency that has deep Shopify Plus experience, not just general ecommerce knowledge. Similarly, if you're using specific tools for email marketing, customer service, or inventory management, ensure your potential agency has experience integrating with and optimising these systems.
The wrong agency partnership can result in costly technical mistakes or missed opportunities because the agency is learning your platform as they work with you.
The answer won’t be the same for every business, but the signs are usually clear when you know what to look for. If you're consistently running out of time to handle your marketing efforts, feeling disconnected from your customers, or struggling to make sense of your data, you have some strong indicators that an agency partnership could benefit your business.
Consider where your business stands today. Are you spending more time working in your business rather than on your business? Are growth opportunities passing you by because you lack the resources or expertise to capitalise on them? Are you feeling overwhelmed by the constant changes in the ecommerce landscape?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you're likely at a point where an ecommerce agency could provide significant value. The key is recognising that seeking help isn't a sign of weakness or failure - it's a strategic business decision that can accelerate your growth and free you up to focus on what you do best.
Remember, the most successful ecommerce businesses aren't necessarily those that do everything in-house, but those that know when to leverage external expertise to achieve their goals. An ecommerce agency partnership isn't about replacing your role as a business owner, but about amplifying your efforts and providing you with the specialised knowledge and resources you need to compete in today's complex digital marketplace.
Take an honest look at your current situation, your growth goals, and the challenges you're facing. If an ecommerce agency can help bridge the gap between where you are and where you want to be, then the answer to whether you need one becomes much clearer.
If you’d like to take the jump and work with an ecommerce agency, contact us to see how we can help you.
