Hiring an ecommerce agency is a big decision, but it doesn’t have to be scary. There are many partners who can help you with a variety of things, including app development, store launching, and customer growth. However, if you’re hiring an ecommerce agency for the first time, the process can seem daunting. We’ll walk you through everything you need to know to successfully hire an ecommerce agency.

What is an eCommerce Agency?

An ecommerce agency is a B2B business that provides a variety of professional services to help ecommerce businesses achieve their business goals. An ecommerce agency can assist businesses in a variety of areas, including digital marketing, content creation, SEO strategy, and social media management.

Why should you hire an ecommerce agency?

Store owners can focus on running their business, reducing the stress and workload caused by tasks that an agency can handle professionally.

You can get faster results.

Hiring an agency is much faster and more efficient than hiring new employees. While you have to train new employees, an agency has the experience and expertise to get started right away. An agency also provides a team of strategists you need to grow your business. As an ecommerce business, you need an agency that has a wealth of experience with online stores and can deliver quick results in your industry niche. For example, shoe brand Jack Rogers hired an ecommerce agency to increase direct-to-consumer sales. The popular sandal brand had been successful with its products in department stores for some time, but wanted to improve its online sales.

Because their initial ecommerce platform was complex and time-consuming, they hired Shopify Plus Service Partner P3 Media, who had experience migrating to Shopify Plus websites. As a result of hiring the agency, Jack Rogers’ new and improved online store has become one of the company’s main distribution channels: traffic has increased by 60%, and conversion rates have improved by 30%.

You can benefit from the expertise of experts.

When you hire an agency, you gain access to a team of experts who specialize in specific tasks. While it may seem advantageous to hire one person who can do everything, marketers who specialize in a specific area will deliver better results. For example, someone who specializes in Google Ads may have a better understanding of the topic than someone who also manages ecommerce websites, content marketing, email marketing, etc., along with Google Ads. Let’s say your online store is facing a complex technical issue with their website. The in-house marketer who can develop your overall marketing strategy and handle minor website updates may not have the expertise to solve deep technical issues.

Instead, hiring an ecommerce agency with a web developer can accurately diagnose your problem and fix it in a day. On the other hand, an internal marketer can spend weeks researching, testing, and figuring out the problem. Shopify’s Expert Marketplace can help you find service partners who specialize in a variety of areas, including migration, internationalization, marketing, and analytics.

It can save you money.

Agencies aren’t cheap, but they’re often much cheaper than hiring a full-time employee or team. An agency can give you the knowledge and experience you need, and it’s a lot less expensive than hiring a full-time employee. Also, to build a fully specialized marketing team, you’ll need to hire more than just one person. This can quickly add up.

Here are the average costs for marketers :

• Digital Marketer: $39,281 to $133,248 (depending on experience level)
• Social Media Manager: $53,221
• Content Marketing Manager: $76,595
• Email Marketing Manager: $84,244
• Paid Search Manager: $89,181
• SEO Manager: $86,520

This cost does not include employee benefits, vacation pay, company benefits, and monthly marketing software fees. Hiring all of the above staff could cost you around $490,000 per year, or $40,000 or more per month. On the other hand, using an agency can cost you anywhere from $2,000 to $15,000 per month for a team of experts, depending on the desired results, which is much cheaper than the internal team mentioned above.

Types of eCommerce Agencies

Just as marketers specialize in different services, ecommerce agencies also have different specialties. Many agencies offer full marketing services, but you can also choose from different types of ecommerce agencies to suit your specific needs.

E-commerce marketing agency

An ecommerce marketing agency is a digital marketing agency that typically caters exclusively to ecommerce businesses. Brands that hire an ecommerce marketing agency are typically looking to increase brand awareness, expand their online presence, and convert social media followers into customers.

Common services provided by ecommerce marketing companies include:

• Digital Strategy
• Social Media Marketing and Management
• Content Creation
• Search Marketing
• Online advertising (e.g. paid social media and PPC advertising)
• Influencer Marketing
• Community Management
• Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)

Ecommerce SEO Agency

Ecommerce SEO agencies focus on generating organic traffic to your website through search engine optimization (SEO). This strategy typically involves creating keyword-optimized landing pages and blog content to help your ecommerce brand rank higher in search engine results. Hiring an ecommerce SEO agency can help you build your website’s domain authority, which will help you rank higher in search engine results and increase website traffic. Increased website traffic means more potential customers.

E-commerce development agency

An ecommerce web design and development agency helps retail businesses create a successful online store through ecommerce platforms like Shopify. Creating online shopping features and ensuring that your website is easy to navigate is crucial to increasing sales for your ecommerce brand.

Here’s a case study: Able Sense, a Shopify Plus Partner agency, helped Stanfield migrate their website from Magento to Shopify Plus. As a result, Stanfield saw a 168% increase in conversion rate, a 20% increase in average order value (AOV), and a 59% increase in total transactions.

Ecommerce development agencies focus on user experience (UX design) to ensure that your website works well for your customers. They set up the necessary integrations with payment processors and your chosen marketing channels. Many agencies also specialize in graphic design, which allows them to create stunning visuals for your website.

When Should You Hire an Ecommerce Agency?

If you are considering an ecommerce agency, it may be a sign of declining store performance or an increase in the burden of day-to-day tasks. Here are the main reasons why you should hire an ecommerce agency and how they can help.

When sales decline

If you have been growing your business steadily but suddenly notice a decline or stagnation in sales, it may be time to seek outside help. This could be a good time to hire a full-service ecommerce agency to help you address user experience issues and reach more customers with new marketing campaigns.

When launching a new product

When launching a new product, hiring an agency can be more effective at generating buzz. While you may be able to generate some buzz on your own, your product launch can be more successful with the help of a professional team. For example, Shopify Plus Partner Slicedbread helped air purifier company Molekule validate its product concept and successfully complete two pre-launches. Molekule would have had a hard time achieving these results on its own.

When you lack the necessary skills

When you first start your business, you may often be the only one or a few employees, and as a result, you may lack the skills needed to design a website, set up an online store, create social media content, etc. This is where an agency comes in. Once your business has grown enough and is generating a steady income, you can invest in an ecommerce agency to increase your sales. This will help you make more money in the long run.

When entering a new market

Entering a new market can be a daunting challenge, whether as part of a new product launch or a localization strategy. That’s why many brands turn to an experienced agency to help them grow their business. For example, skincare company The Beauty Chef turned to Shopify Plus partner Elephant Room for their globalization strategy. The brand wanted to expand into the US and UK markets, and Elephant Room helped them set up and launch the necessary web pages.

When time is short

Running an online business takes a lot of time, especially if you make your own products. As a business owner, you have to handle a variety of tasks, including processing orders, updating product listings, accounting, and customer service.

If you find it difficult to post on social media or write blog content, consider outsourcing these tasks to an agency. This way, you can focus on running your business, and the agency will take care of your marketing strategy.

When you are not confident in marketing

If you don't like marketing, don't force it. Just do enough marketing to get your business started, and then outsource it. Finding an agency partner will help you build a long-term relationship that will help your business grow, and you won't have to do anything.

How to choose the best ecommerce agency?

Now that you know when to hire an ecommerce agency, let’s focus on the next important question: How do you find the right agency? Let’s take a look at our step-by-step guide to choosing the agency that can take your business to the next level.

1. Identify what you need

What are your goals? Goals can include:

• Monthly sales increase
• Increased number of visitors to your e-commerce store
• Improve website user experience
• New product launch
• Increase brand awareness
• Increase your online followers

Make sure your agency's goals align with your overall business goals.

The next step is to do some preliminary research on the job. For example, you can look for examples of other companies that have done similar work to what you want. This will help the agency understand what you are trying to accomplish.

Based on this information, you should clearly define your budget, timeline, and desired outcomes. The more specific, the better. This information will help you eliminate agencies that do not fit your budget, have a waiting list, or cannot demonstrate the results you want.

2. Consider your budget

Budget is very important when hiring an ecommerce agency. Agencies are quite expensive, so your business needs to be big enough to afford one.

So the first step is to decide how much you can afford to spend and how quickly you want to see results. Factors that affect your budget include the schedule, scope of work, and overall complexity of the project. Many agencies offer services that are flexible to fit your budget, so keep that in mind.

3. Find the right agency

Now it’s time to start looking for an agency that can help you. First, check out Shopify’s list of partners. This list is comprised of agencies with deep knowledge and a proven track record. It’s a good idea to find an agency that you can work with or one that can help you migrate to a Shopify website.

Once you’ve filtered through a few options and found the agency that fits your needs, take a look at their website. Check out their past work and reviews to see which agencies have shared case studies and proven results with similar businesses. Or, you can create a job posting to connect with qualified and award-winning agencies that fit your specifications.

Besides technical expertise, there are a few other things to consider:

• Assess cultural and personal fit : Make sure the agency you choose takes the time to listen and understand your needs.
• Location Evaluation : Consider how easy it is to work with the agency you choose.
• Performance Review : Find out if they have experience working with stores similar to yours.

Once you have narrowed down the agencies you are interested in, move on to contacting them directly and vetting them in person.

4. Have a meeting with the agency of your choice.

Contact the agency of your choice through the contact form on their website. Most ecommerce agencies offer a free consultation or initial meeting so you can learn more about each other and discuss how a partnership could work.

During this meeting, you will have the opportunity to interview the agency. The agency’s goal is to close the sale, but you want to make sure they are the right partner.

Prepare questions like these to help you evaluate whether an agency is a good fit for the job:

• Have you ever worked in the industry : Have you ever worked in a similar field to the industry? What did you do for them and what were the results?
• How do you communicate with your account team : Who is responsible for your account and how do you communicate with that team member? How often do you meet or discuss plans?
• Is the work done in-house : Is all the work done in-house, or do you outsource it to freelancers or contractors? What are your criteria for selecting freelancers and what is their level of experience?
• Onboarding Process : What is the onboarding process?
• Expectations as a Client : What is expected from your team?
• Workflow and Results Reporting : What is the workflow and how are results reported?
• Recent Customer Churn Experience : When was the last time you lost a customer and why?

If you have any additional questions, add them to the list and come to the meeting well prepared to get the most out of the agency-client relationship.

5. Review (and accept) your proposal

After the initial consultation, the agency will prepare a proposal based on the services you are interested in. The first meeting is important because it helps minimize misunderstandings and organize the necessary information by ensuring that the proposal provided by the agency accurately reflects the type of work you are looking for. Review the proposal sent by the agency to ensure that it meets your goals and budget.

6. Contract Conclusion and Start

After reviewing the proposal, you will receive a contract from the agency. Once you sign the contract, the project will begin. After signing the contract, the agency will collect all the necessary information through the onboarding process. Now, you will let the agency start working and maintain good communication so that the agency can provide the necessary information in a timely manner. You will need to carefully monitor the results to ensure that the agency’s strategy is working.

The most important thing is that you can now focus entirely on running your business and day-to-day tasks without worrying about marketing.

Don't rush the process.

Choosing the right ecommerce agency is an important decision. Don’t be afraid to use the tools available to help you choose the right agency, ask lots of questions, and take your time. Working with an agency can be a great decision that can help you accelerate your ecommerce growth and significantly increase your customer base and reach.

E-commerce Agency FAQs