A good e-commerce agency. How to find it?

February 17 2023

A set of icons associated with a good e-commerce agency and online sales

What is an e-commerce agency and how can it help you?

The e-commerce agency is a team of professionals specializing in creating and operating online stores.

The responsibilities of individual agencies vary and depend on many factors. You can meet companies that narrow their activities to specific areas, e.g. creating stores on specific platforms, such as PrestaShop, or specific industries. Other agencies, in turn, employ larger teams of specialists, e.g. in the field of marketing, and it is in this field that they can offer you the most.

An optimal e-commerce agency should be able to take care of every aspect of your online store, providing technical support and advice both at the stage of creating the store and its further operation.

Smartphone screens with a view of instagram accounts created by a good e-commerce agency
A good agency will comprehensively take care of various aspects of your e-business.

A good e-commerce agency. How to get to know her?

You enter “good e-commerce agency” in the search engine and a wide list of results appears. How do you know that a given agency will be the best for your industry?

An agency that listens

Pay attention to this from the beginning. If you encounter a pushy sales representative on your first phone call, beware of the red flag. A good e-commerce agency should give you space to describe your situation in detail. After all, every business is different and deserves a personalized approach.

It’s good if you receive a brief to fill out, in which there will be questions about the background of your brand, your current position against the competition, or the goals you want to achieve. Note: A good e-commerce agency won’t be satisfied with a generic “increase in sales” answer.

Photo of a young woman, an e-commerce specialist from the Click Leaders agency
From a good e-commerce agency, you can expect detailed questions about your e-commerce business.

An agency that has the resources

Look carefully at the level of the website of the agency with which you are considering starting cooperation. Is its site made carefully and aesthetically, or does it look as if it was created in the late 1990s? Just looking at the agency’s website gives you a lot of information about the skills of the graphic designers, copywriters or UX specialists employed there.

It is also worth checking which people work in which positions. However, keep in mind that appearances are deceptive: a large team does not always mean quick and effective actions, and the young age of the crew does not have to be synonymous with inexperience. However, if you see that the same person is responsible for texts, graphics and customer contact, you can expect that he will not be able to meet many deadlines.

Another aspect to consider is the portfolio that a given e-commerce agency boasts. An extensive blog section, as well as examples of case studies (i.e. specific projects) are indicators that suggest that you are dealing with professionals. By getting to know the existing stores that the agency takes care of, you can check whether it has experience in your industry. After all, it is better to work with people who are already initiated into the subject of clothing or pet stores.

Specialists of a good e-commerce agency Click Leaders at computers working on a project
A competent and ambitious team that loves their job? It's possible!

An agency that adjusts activities to a specific business

A good e-commerce agency is one from which you can expect an individual approach. Pay attention to the available forms of contact, because it will be an important factor when working on your store. Find out if face-to-face or virtual meetings are possible. Also check whether and how often the agency intends to report the results of its activities to you.

There is also a financial issue here, because an agency that gives you a fixed valuation of activities in advance is unlikely to qualify as a “good” e-commerce agency. Talks about financial details should be preceded by a detailed interview, needs assessment, as well as the collection of appropriate documentation.

The valuation of a specific project depends on many factors, which is why a meeting during which many questions about your business and your expectations will be asked is so important.

An agency that has good reviews (and reacts to bad ones in an appropriate way)

Word of mouth marketing is one of the most effective forms of advertising. Also in the case of e-commerce agencies, you can be guided by the opinions of other entrepreneurs. When looking for agency reviews on the Internet, remember to choose verified ones. In addition to positive entries, it is also worth reading how the company deals with possible allegations from former clients, employees or … completely random people.

Screenshot with an incorrectly inserted opinion on the profile of an e-commerce agency
An example of an incorrectly inserted opinion on our agency's profile, which accidentally lowers the overall rating.

A company that bravely faces criticism and responds to allegations of Internet users in a reasonable way shows that it cares about a substantive discussion, as well as the satisfaction of its customers and business partners.

Will a good e-commerce agency tell you what you want?

When analyzing the business goals you have set for yourself, a good e-commerce agency should give you an honest answer to the question of whether such assumptions are realistic. Of course, there are companies that accept every order, promising the client gold mountains. Over time, however, it turns out that some implementations are not possible, and this was predictable practically at the very beginning.

So think about whether you want to pay for time that will ultimately turn out to be unproductive for your business.

Case from the life of our agency

We were close to establishing cooperation with a seemingly perfect client. Excellent assortment, many years of experience, great potential and a large budget. The company pushed for heavy advertising on the assumption that other business aspects were working fine. However, we quickly noticed that the unsatisfactory sales results have their sources in poorly functioning store structures. In this case, activities, for example, in social media missed the point. Engaging fans to visit a website where it’s hard to order anything is just burning the budget and causing unnecessary frustration of potential customers.

An honest e-commerce agency in such a situation presents even the brutal truth, putting the good of the client above its own profits. It may happen that you will not hear what you expected from her, but treat it as a favor thanks to which you will avoid stepping on an e-commerce mine.

A team of specialists from a good e-commerce agency presenting solutions for the client
A good business partner does not beat around the bush, but presents the facts and possible solutions.

Remember that at every stage of cooperation you should feel comfortable enough to ask a question that bothers you. A good agency willingly shares its knowledge and patiently explains technical issues. All this so that you understand the ongoing processes and gradually take independent action.

Our job is not to show off our own knowledge, but to act for the benefit of the client. One such action is also the education of the company owner and his employees. We create detailed instructions as well as video tutorials to give you more control over your business processes.

A good e-commerce agency. Summary.

When looking for the perfect agency, think carefully about your business goals. Make contact with agencies whose portfolio seems attractive to you. Initial interviews will quickly verify your competences and experience, and will also allow you to estimate costs.

A good e-commerce agency should approach your business individually, even if it already has similar projects in its portfolio. Therefore, thorough research and a pinch of intuition are your allies in the search for a company that will be able to take care of your online business.

The photo shows the Specialist for Social Media at the Click Leaders agency - Jagoda Wichurska.

Jagoda Wichurska

In the creative department, she is responsible for creating content and making up marketing ideas, which then form into neat plans.

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