The client-agency relationship can be a hugely rewarding one when you have the right agency to work with. You will have the resource, the ideas and the passion from another team who are invested in your brand and can help you take your store to the next level.
However, you may be finding that the relationship you currently have isn’t working out and you are exploring your options and sourcing a new ecommerce agency. Your current agency might not be proactive enough or they have made a major mistake with a campaign.
What are the key reasons why you should find a new ecommerce agency?
#1 – You may have outgrown your agency
The first question to ask is if you’ve just outgrown your agency. It’s fairly common for a small agency to work with a small retailer and there comes a point where the retailer becomes a multi-million international brand and the agency hasn’t grown alongside them.
This causes issues with agency resource, communication and expectation management. If you’ve outgrown your agency, you may need a larger agency with a more strategic setup for your business.
#2 – Your agency isn’t proactive enough
One of the most common reasons why retailers approach us is because their previous agency isn’t proactive. Most retailers are looking for an ecommerce growth partner who can offer recommendations and make improvements to their site and their strategy on an ongoing basis.
However the reality is that there are a large number of agencies (some of them well established with big brand names) who are just not proactive when it comes to the retailers they work with.
#3 – Your agency doesn’t communicate well
Similarly, another common reason why retailers leave their previous agency and approach us is because the agency doesn’t communicate well.
The key to a strong client-agency relationship is communication. The agency needs to be able to manage expectations, handle requests efficiently and be clear about the project.
If you find yourself having to chase your agency or they’re not clear enough about what work needs doing, then you may need to start exploring other options.
#4 – Your agency can’t report on success
Your agency should be able to report on the success of your site or your campaign, and should be able to demonstrate ROI. Most agencies don’t have the tools to be able to do this and some fall short when retailers ask for regular ecommerce reports.
If you’re experiencing rapid growth, you will need to be able to understand how your site or campaigns are performing with enough detail to make data-driven decisions.
If your current agency is unable to do this, then this may be another reason to explore other options.
#5 – Your agency made a major mistake with a project or campaign
You may be exploring other agencies after a major incident such as Black Friday downtime or issues with a migration project.
Depending on your vertical and your size, issues like this are unacceptable and can quickly turn a client-agency relationship sour and begin to cause distrust.
If your agency has made a major mistake which has directly affected your revenues and orders, then this is a reason to look elsewhere for your project or campaign management.
#6 – Your agency has mishandled a number of smaller projects
Sometimes it may be not a major mistake that your agency has made, but instead they’ve mishandled a number of smaller projects and you may not even realise how much of an impact they’ve had on your success.
These may be simple mistakes such as promotions and discount codes not running properly, or they haven’t fully explained how an integration with a secondary technology works.
The impact of these smaller issues can add up and can be another reason to find a new ecommerce agency.
#7 – You need a platform or campaign specialist
Another major reason you may want to find a new ecommerce agency, which is no fault of your current agency, is that you need a platform or campaign specialist.
If you’re built on the Magento platform for example, you will want to work with a Magento Solution Partner, and if you’re built on Shopify will need a Shopify Partner.
If you’re running PPC campaigns, you will also want to work with an appropriately accredited Google Partner or Microsoft Advertising Partner.
These accreditations are crucial for making sure you’re working with agencies who know your platforms and campaigns inside out. All partners must have shown demonstrable success in using the relevant applications and resources. When you work with an official partner, you can be certain that you are working with a fully-committed, partner-vetted and approved partner who has been trained in all aspects of the platform or campaign.
#8 – Your agency doesn’t have strong partnerships with technologies
And finally, you may want to work with an agency who has stronger partnerships with both the technologies you work with and other technologies you may want to explore in the future.
If you’re currently working with a partner who doesn’t have a relationship with Klevu, LoyaltyLion or Nosto for example – but these are tools you are using – you will be missing out on partner-specific offers, guidance and resources that could be maximising your opportunities.
The ecommerce agency search
The ecommerce agency search is challenging and finding a new agency can have a huge impact on your business. You may find it easier to stick with your current agency to minimise disruption (‘better the devil you know’) but you could be missing out on opportunities to truly take your store to the next level of high growth.
We understand retailers don’t just need an ecommerce agency, they need a partner. They need a proactive partner who can help with wider ecommerce growth.
If you’re interested in how we can work together on your Magento or Shopify Plus store or PPC campaigns, then get in touch.