Key takeaways
- Pick a platform, a store size and a category where you already have proof.
- Replatforming, a new head of ecommerce and peak planning are the strongest triggers.
- Open with something you noticed on their store, said politely.
- Brands ask about data access and payment security before they hand over the store.
Which ecommerce brands make good agency clients
Good agency clients are brands on the platform you know, at a size where they need specialist help but cannot hire a full in-house team. Define the platform, such as Shopify, Adobe Commerce, BigCommerce or WooCommerce, the category, and whether they sell direct to consumers, to trade buyers or both.
Headcount and the number of markets they ship to are rough guides to size. Pick the segment where you have stores to show; a brand wants to see work like theirs.
Who hires an ecommerce agency
In a small DTC brand the founder hires the agency. As the brand grows, the ecommerce manager or head of ecommerce owns the decision, with the marketing director involved for growth work and the technology lead for builds and integrations.
In a larger retailer, the ecommerce director chooses, and trading and merchandising teams have a strong voice because the site is how they hit their numbers.
What triggers a brand to look for a Shopify agency
A brand looks for a new agency when a change makes the current setup feel too small or too slow. These are the moments to watch.
- A replatforming project, often announced in a job advert
- A new head of ecommerce in their first months
- Planning for peak season, which starts months before it
- Launching in new countries or adding a trade buyer portal
- A redesign, or the end of a relationship with another agency
How should the first message open
The first message should open with one specific, useful observation about the store. It might be a slow product page on mobile, a market they ship to without local currency, or a checkout step that asks for too much. Keep it courteous; you are pointing out an opportunity, not a failure.
Offer a short recorded walkthrough or a written note of what you found. Peak timing matters too: brands freeze changes before their busiest weeks, so start conversations months ahead, and treat the review after peak as a second window.
What do brands check before giving an agency store access
Brands check how the agency will handle customer data and payments before giving it access to the store. Expect a data processing agreement, because an agency working in the store can see customer details, and questions on who in your team gets which staff accounts.
Agencies that touch checkout or payment pages are often asked about the card industry's data security standard, PCI DSS. Confirm with your adviser what your role means for your obligations.
How an ecommerce agency finds clients, step by step
Run the steps for one platform and store size at a time.
- Define the platform, category and store size you serve best.
- List brands of that size with a replatforming, a new ecommerce lead or a market launch.
- Find the founder, ecommerce manager or head of digital at each brand.
- Look at each store and note one specific improvement.
- Send a short message with the observation and offer a walkthrough, timed well ahead of peak.
Where Pebbles Ai fits
- CapabilityProspecting & customer recordsSearch for brands by keyword, industry, headcount and region through an assistant, then use Find fresh leads for ecommerce managers and heads of digital at up to ten of them.
- CapabilityResearch & analysisAsk an assistant to read a brand's public site and pages and point out what changed recently, with numbered citations to the pages it read.
- CapabilityOutreach contentDraft the observation-led opener in your agency's voice; it is saved as a draft in your connected mailbox for you to check and send.
Common questions
Should an ecommerce agency specialise in one platform?
Most do better that way. One platform gives the agency deeper skills, partner status and stores to show that look like the prospect's own.
Do free store audits win clients?
A short, specific audit opens conversations; a long free report gives away the work. Show one or two findings and offer the rest in a call.
How do agencies find brands that are replatforming?
Job adverts mentioning a new platform, announcements from the brand and conversations with platform partners are the usual signals.
About this page. Written by the Pebbles Ai team for people who run sales, marketing and growth. Last updated .
