To choose an ecommerce agency, first name what is broken: the store, the ads, or repeat orders. Each needs a different agency. Then ask who owns your accounts, what you keep when you leave, and which number they report.
To choose an ecommerce agency, first name what is broken: the store, the ads, or repeat orders. Each needs a different agency. Then ask who owns your accounts, what you keep when you leave, and which number they report.
What kind of ecommerce agency do you need?
"Ecommerce agency" covers at least three different businesses. They hire different people, use different tools and sell different results. Hiring the wrong type is the most expensive mistake on this page, because no amount of good work fixes the wrong job.
Start with the symptom, not the agency.
What you see What is broken Agency type What they should deliver The site is slow, the theme fights you, checkout is clunky The store Build or dev agency A faster, simpler store you can edit yourself Traffic is flat and new customers cost too much Getting new customers Paid ads agency Lower cost per new customer at the same quality People buy once and never come back Repeat orders Retention or Klaviyo agency More second orders from the customers you already paid forMost brands between $1M and $10M can tell which row is theirs in a minute. If two rows fit, fix the one closer to money already in motion. A shopper who added to cart and left is cheaper to win back than a stranger. That is why the build order on the ecommerce customer retention hub starts with the abandoned cart flow.
Why does every agency guide read the same?
Search this question and most top results are written by agencies selling their own services, many of them Shopify build shops. Their advice is fine for that job. Check the portfolio. Read the reviews. Ask about communication. Agree on scope and KPIs.
None of it helps you tell two retention agencies apart. Both will have a portfolio. Both will have happy clients. Both will promise clear communication. The questions that separate them are about control and measurement, and the generic guides skip them.
What should you ask before you hire?
Five questions. The first three matter most.
1. Who owns the Klaviyo account?
Klaviyo allows exactly 1 Owner per account. Only the Owner can close the account, create private API keys and edit domain authentication. If the agency creates the account, or takes the Owner role, they hold the keys to your list. Keep the Owner role yourself. Give the agency an admin login.
2. What do you keep when you leave?
The flows, templates and segments should be built inside your account, not copied in from the agency's. Then, when the contract ends, everything keeps running. Ask them to say this in writing. Ask what happens to any custom code or tools they set up.
3. Which number do they report?
This is where most agency reports flatter the agency.
Open rate is the first problem. Klaviyo's own help center says Apple Mail Privacy Protection loads every image "whether the recipient opens the email or not". That "artificially inflates your open rates". An agency that reports rising opens may be reporting Apple.
Attributed revenue is the second. By default, Klaviyo gives an email credit for any order placed within 5 days of someone opening or clicking it. Some of those people would have ordered anyway. The number is real, but it is not proof the agency caused it.
Ask for repeat purchase rate on a cohort instead. Take everyone who placed a first order in one month. Count how many ordered again within 90 days. That number can go down, which is what makes it honest.
4. How long is the contract?
MarketerHire's 2026 guide to Klaviyo agencies says month-to-month is worth paying more for than a 12-month lock. If an agency is confident, a long lock-in should not be needed.
5. How many flows will they build?
The same guide says to ask how many distinct flows they build for a mid-size DTC client. Its answer: 12 to 18, not 5. A welcome flow and a cart flow are a start, not a retention program. The flow that creates the second order is the post-purchase flow.
How much does an ecommerce agency cost?
For Klaviyo and email agencies, MarketerHire published these ranges in July 2026:
Type of engagement Typical cost Small retainer $3K to $6K a month Mid-market retainer $6K to $12K a month One-time flow build $5K to $25K total Fractional expert $4K to $10K a monthTwo things to ask about any quote. First, the fully loaded number: what is in scope and what costs extra. Second, the shape. Some agencies charge monthly for building and running the flows, forever. Others charge once for the build, then less to run it. The second shape can cost less over a year, if the build is done well.
WDNN publishes its own pricing on the customer retention agency page, so you can compare it against these ranges.
What are the red flags?
Walk away, or at least slow down, if you see any of these:
- They offer to set up the Klaviyo account for you. That usually means they own it.
- They lead with open rates. Ask what Apple Mail Privacy Protection did to that number.
- They say email drove most of your revenue. Ask what attribution window that uses.
- They need 12 months to show results. Ask why month-to-month is not on offer.
- They want to start with a loyalty program. A loyalty program rewards a second order. Build the flows that create one first.
- They cannot name the trigger and exit condition for each flow they plan to build.
Most of these come down to who controls your customer data and how results get measured. Get those two right and most of the other choices sort themselves out.
Talk it through
If the repeat-orders row is yours, book 30 minutes. Show us your Klaviyo account and we'll tell you which flows are missing, whether you hire us or not.