Key takeaways
- Ecommerce buyers split between digital, operations and, at smaller brands, the founder.
- Peak trading season is the worst time to pitch; plan around it.
- Replatforming, a new country store or a new warehouse partner are strong triggers.
- Many founders of direct-to-consumer brands read their brand's Instagram messages themselves.
Who decides at an ecommerce business
At an ecommerce business, the decision sits with whoever owns the part of the store you affect. Site, conversion and apps belong to the ecommerce manager or head of digital; fulfilment, returns and stock belong to the head of operations; retention and email belong to a CRM or lifecycle lead.
At a small direct-to-consumer brand, the founder covers most of these and decides fast. At a large online retailer, a trading director and a technology team join in, and buying follows an annual plan.
How do you find ecommerce brands that fit
Find ecommerce brands by combining a product category with signs that they sell online. Category keywords such as skincare, outdoor clothing or pet food narrow the list; store platform names, where companies mention them, narrow it again.
Then open the store. The footer, the checkout and the help pages show the platform, the countries they ship to and the delivery partners they use, which tells you whether your offer fits before you write.
When should you contact online retailers
Contact online retailers in their planning windows, not their trading peaks. In the weeks before and during the main gifting season many teams freeze changes to the site, and an unrelated pitch will wait until the new year at best.
The best moments follow a change: a move to a new store platform, a launch in a new country, a new product range, a switch of warehouse partner or a new head of ecommerce. Each brings a list of problems someone has been asked to solve.
Why does Instagram sit beside email for DTC brand prospects
Instagram sits beside email because many direct-to-consumer brands run their business and their community there, and the founder often reads the messages personally. A short, relevant message about a recent post can reach someone a cold email does not.
Treat it as a conversation, not a broadcast. Comment or reply where it is natural, send one message that is specific to the brand, and move to email once there is interest.
What should you check before selling to ecommerce companies
Check who you are writing to before you send. In the UK, PECR treats sole traders and some partnerships as individuals for email marketing, and many small online shops are run that way, so the rules differ from those for a limited company.
Generic inboxes such as hello@ addresses at small brands often reach the founder, but treat any address with care and record your lawful basis. Confirm the details with your adviser.
How to find ecommerce business leads, step by step
Plan these steps outside the brands' peak trading weeks.
- Decide which part of the store your offer affects, and pick the matching title: digital, operations, retention or the founder.
- Search for brands by product category and store platform keywords, in the countries you serve.
- Open each store and check its platform, shipping countries and delivery partners against your fit rules.
- Look for a recent change, such as a replatform, a new market or a new range, and keep the brands that have one.
- Write a short email to the right person, and for founder-run brands, follow with one specific Instagram message.
Where Pebbles Ai fits
- CapabilityProspecting & customer recordsDescribe the brands you want and your assistant finds matching companies, up to 50 a search; Find fresh leads then finds an ecommerce manager or head of operations at up to ten of them.
- CapabilitySocialboxSocialbox brings Instagram and LinkedIn chats into one inbox, where you write and send messages to founders yourself, spaced out to keep your account safe.
Common questions
What is the worst time to sell to ecommerce companies?
The run-up to and during the main gifting season, when many teams freeze site changes. Pitch in their planning months instead.
Can you tell which platform an online store uses?
Often, yes. The checkout, the footer and the page source usually show it, and some companies name their platform in their own descriptions.
Should you contact the founder or the ecommerce manager?
At a small brand, the founder. Once there is an ecommerce manager or head of digital, start with them and keep the founder for larger decisions.
About this page. Written by the Pebbles Ai team for people who run sales, marketing and growth. Last updated .
