10 Questions to Ask When Hiring An eCommerce Email Marketing Agency
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Partnering with the right eCommerce email marketing agency can be a game-changer.
The best agencies don’t just throw together some catchy subject lines and call it a day.
They blend creativity with strategy, data with storytelling, and innovation with a personal touch.
But how do you find an agency that truly understands your vision and can turn it into reality?
We’ve compiled a list of the top 10 things to look for in an eCommerce email marketing agency so you can make an informed choice.
1. Evaluate revenue ownership and pricing
2. Great experimentation capability
3. Assess their proven success in email marketing agency certifications
4. Explore their personalization scalability and tools
5. Study the use of predictive analytics & AI integration
6. Look into innovative use of email automation
7. Look into their process and metrics
8. Review their transparency and reporting methods
9. Understand what you want: full-service or specialized approach
10. Delve into customer service and additional services
When hiring an email marketing agency, clarify the cost structures and understand how fees align with performance to ensure the partnership is transparent and mutually beneficial.
Revenue KPIs like conversions, CTRs, revenue per email, and how long it takes to nurture email leads to move from awareness to consideration and then to the decision stage.
Roles include email marketing manager, data analyst, and content manager.
Grouping subscribers by geography, psychography, behavior, and customer lifecycle.
Email sequences like automated reminders, exclusive offers, urgency cues, limited-time offers, seasonal discounts, and exclusive deals tailored to segments.
Most email marketing agencies structure their piercing packages according to
--> hourly rates (if you are using only tools),
--> monthly retainers (so you can use them on a trial basis before signing up yearly contracts),
--> per-project fees (if you target only seasonal campaigns), and
--> revenue share models (rarer circumstances).
Some agencies just set up campaigns and let them run.
Great experimentation capability means an agency has a systematic, data-driven approach to continuously testing and improving email campaign elements.
Gives insight into the email marketing agency’s commitment to A/B testing and using different elements in emails to convert more sales.
Ask for specific examples with metrics. This will demonstrate their effectiveness and creativity in testing.
Their answer should reflect a structured approach, ideally grounded in data and strategic goals.
Look for an email marketing agency with a clear process for documenting and utilizing insights from each test.
This is crucial for an eCommerce business where targeted, personalized campaigns often outperform general ones.
Experimentation often involves using advanced platforms and analytics tools to track and measure results accurately.
Their answer should show they don’t test for testing’s sake; instead, they should be able to tie each experiment to revenue or engagement improvements.
This indicates whether they focus on meaningful areas that can drive quick wins for your eCommerce brand.
When selecting an eCommerce email marketing agency, examining their portfolio can provide insight into their expertise.
These factors collectively demonstrate their ability to:
Look for quantifiable results in areas like customer acquisition, repeat purchases, or seasonal sales.
Their answer should show a nuanced understanding of the industry’s unique challenges, such as high cart abandonment in fashion eCommerce or purchase seasonality in health products.
Specific examples show if they understand industry best practices and can adapt them to different brands.
This question assesses whether they’re proactive in adapting to trends that impact the industry, such as personalization techniques, pricing psychology, or seasonal marketing tactics.
Certifications should be relevant to their strategy and agency’s goals, not just a list of badges. (Google, Hubspot, etc)
An agency committed to ongoing education and development is likely to stay ahead of industry shifts and apply innovative solutions to email campaigns.
This question helps assess the practical value of certifications by asking how the agency has applied its knowledge.
Ideally, they should leverage robust email marketing platforms with powerful personalization features, as well as other tools that integrate with agencies.
Their answer should demonstrate an ability to handle large-scale personalization with flexible automation, segmentation, and adaptive content.
This helps you understand if the agency goes beyond basic demographics to more complex, behavior-based segmentation that scales as email marketing agency customer data grows.
Specific examples will help you see how they’ve applied personalized, scalable approaches in real campaigns.
Their response should show a nuanced understanding of tailoring experiences based on customer lifetime value and relationship with the brand.
This will show how they keep personalization up-to-date, such as by using real-time data integrations.
This will reveal the agency’s expertise with the platforms best suited for personalized eCommerce marketing.
Effective agencies will have experience linking multiple data sources to keep their personalization informed and consistent.
AI tools help drive personalization at scale, especially for recommendations and behavioral-based messaging.
Compliance with data privacy laws (like GDPR or CCPA) is crucial, so they should have protocols in place to handle customer data securely.
Agencies should use analytics platforms that track the effectiveness of personalized content and automate reporting on critical metrics like open rates, CTR, and conversion rates.
In the past few years, AI integration has significantly enhanced eCommerce email marketing by enabling data-driven predictions, personalized messaging, and optimized customer journeys.
Look for mention of models like purchase propensity, churn prediction, and lifetime value prediction.
This shows their ability to refine segments for higher accuracy and relevance, tailoring email campaigns to specific behaviors and needs.
Real examples show how they use predictions to drive measurable results.
Look for AI-powered personalization techniques, such as product recommendations, behavioral triggers, or dynamic content blocks based on real-time customer data.
This highlights the depth and precision of their AI-driven segmentation, focusing on behavioral and predictive patterns.
Effective agencies will use AI to create nuanced segments, such as those based on browsing behaviors, purchase history, and engagement trends.
Their approach should show how AI aids in measuring the true impact of each campaign, including indirect and cross-channel effects.
A data-driven agency should use AI insights to identify and proactively address underperforming campaigns.
Automated email marketing goes beyond basic campaigns—it personalizes customer journeys, engages users at every stage, and can drive substantial revenue growth.
Effective cart abandonment workflows are essential for eCommerce, and seeing their strategies can be insightful.
Look for ideas beyond the basics (like welcome series) that could include personalized post-purchase sequences, cart abandonment reminders, and loyalty program updates.
Ask about their process for maintaining accurate, relevant customer segments to ensure effective targeting.
Find out which metrics (such as open rates, conversions, and customer lifetime value) they prioritize to track performance.
When choosing an eCommerce email marketing agency, asking the right questions can help you identify potential red flags and ensure you’re partnering with an agency that aligns with your needs and values.
A high churn rate could signal issues with service quality or client satisfaction.
Agencies hesitant to provide client references may have something to hide, while transparent agencies should be comfortable sharing success stories.
If the agency insists only on a fixed-rate model, it may not be confident in its ability to drive results.
Agencies that skip in-depth onboarding may not fully understand the audience or business, which can lead to generic, ineffective campaigns.
Agencies that don’t refresh content and strategies regularly may deliver stale campaigns that don’t resonate with evolving audiences.
If the agency focuses only on vanity metrics like open rates, it may be overlooking deeper insights that drive revenue.
The right agency will provide detailed, frequent, and understandable reports, allowing email marketing agencies to make informed decisions and see the true impact of their efforts.
Ideally, the agency should offer reports at least monthly or biweekly, with the ability to generate custom reports as needed.
Look for a comprehensive breakdown, including open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, revenue per email, ROI, and subscriber engagement trends.
Beyond data, reports should include actionable insights and suggestions for refinement based on performance.
Access to a dashboard with real-time data helps agencies keep an eye on campaign progress without waiting for the next report.
Reputable email marketing platforms like HubSpot, Engage or Google Analytics often support real-time tracking; familiarity with these tools is a plus.
This shows the agency’s willingness to align with unique objectives, not just provide standardized reports.
Their response should show openness to discussing setbacks and a proactive plan for improvement.
Look for regular updates on improvements, experiments, and adjustments they’re making to enhance performance.
A full-service agency may handle everything from strategy to design, while a specialized agency might focus on just email or specific aspects of email marketing.
For a one-stop solution, full-service agencies handle the entire email marketing process, while specialized agencies may focus on specific aspects like content or deliverability.
This clarifies whether the agency’s expertise aligns with your priorities, such as automation, segmentation, or conversion optimization.
Full-service agencies often deliver long-term plans, while specialized ones may take an iterative or agile approach to meet specific objectives.
This will reveal the agency’s method of aligning strategy with business goals and seasonal needs.
Look for clear strategies for integrating email with other marketing channels for consistent brand messaging.
A full-service agency should support collaboration across various touchpoints, while specialized agencies might focus on optimizing email's role.
This will reveal the agency’s expertise in managing customer data for a unified, omnichannel customer experience.
A full-service agency may have dedicated specialists, while a specialized agency might integrate testing within each project.
The answer should reflect their experience and approach in managing different customer journey phases.
Agencies should clearly understand the unique demands of both and have strategies that address each effectively.
This reveals the agency’s capabilities in producing engaging, on-brand content without external dependencies.
A thorough answer here shows whether their design and copy maximize engagement and conversions.
Look for evidence of flexibility, whether through modular services or an agile process.
This is particularly important for eCommerce stores, where demand fluctuates during peak seasons.
You also need to check out: Top eCommerce Email Marketing Trends For 2025
When evaluating an eCommerce email marketing agency, it’s important to explore not only its core offerings but also its additional services.
These additional services could include:
This can reveal if the agency has a broader skill set that complements your email marketing needs, creating a more holistic customer engagement strategy.
Some agencies bundle extra features like analytics dashboards, training sessions, or post-campaign debriefs, which could save costs and add convenience.
Prompt support is crucial in resolving any technical issues that may arise with campaigns.
Knowing response times helps set expectations for urgent situations.
This question will indicate if the agency can provide around-the-clock support during critical times when customer assistance is most needed.
A dedicated account manager can provide more personalized service and a deeper understanding of your brand’s unique needs.
This is especially useful for campaigns that need to be adjusted based on real-time performance data or emerging trends.
This can ensure that you’re only paying for services that directly benefit your email marketing goals, with no hidden fees.
A trial period may allow you to evaluate the effectiveness of the agency’s additional services without a full commitment.
If your revenue from email marketing is consistently below industry benchmarks, it may be time to seek expert help to optimize your campaigns.
With studies showing that email marketing can yield an ROI of up to 4400% ROI and $44 for every $1 spent, ensuring your strategies align with best practices is crucial for maximizing revenue.
Additionally, if your team lacks the resources or specialized expertise to manage effective email marketing campaigns, an agency can bridge this gap.
Many eCommerce businesses struggle with personalizing and segmenting their email lists as they grow, and a dedicated agency can provide the necessary tools and strategies to enhance customer engagement through tailored messaging.
Choosing the best eCommerce email marketing agency involves evaluating several key factors, including:
A top-tier email marketing agency prioritizes data-driven decision-making with strong analytical skills, while also delivering creative, engaging content.
They offer robust automation and workflow setups, demonstrating flexibility and customization to meet your unique goals.
Transparent communication and collaboration, alongside a commitment to continual learning and adaptation, are crucial.
Furthermore, exceptional customer service ensures a supportive partnership that drives growth through effective email marketing strategies.
Most eCommerce store owners don’t see email as a serious revenue stream.
Ask them about the importance of email marketing, and you'll hear: “we don’t really have a major strategy,” “we mostly use generic templates,” or “we just send emails to people on our list.”
BUT AT THE SAME TIME:
There are stores out there that drive 30%+ of their revenue from email marketing.
Engage can help you do the same - Book a free demo.
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