28 Ecommerce Marketing Agency Success Stories [2024]
Ecommerce agencies help online sellers achieve their eCommerce business goals through creative, technology, and marketing skills.
Hiring an eCommerce agency enables online sellers to start an eCommerce business or grow an existing one without employing full-time staff.
The eCommerce industry is often changing, and online sellers must match the current trends or risk being paced out by the competition. Balancing between production, launching creative services, and working on growing their eCommerce brands can be extremely difficult. Thus, the brands have no other option than hire eCommerce agencies.
Starting an eCommerce agency can be a profitable and fulfilling business opportunity. If you plan to state your eCommerce agency, educate yourself on the current trends and focus on building digital skills. You may focus on a particular niche or offer end-to-end services to your customers.
In this list, you'll find real-world ecommerce marketing agency success stories and very profitable examples of starting a ecommerce marketing agency that makes money.
1. Boundless Labs ($99.6M/year)
Chase Dimond, the co-founder of Boundless Labs, came up with the idea for his email marketing agency after realizing the potential of email marketing for eCommerce brands. With impressive figures, such as driving over $25 million in email attributable revenue and working with clients who generate ~30% of their total revenue from email, Boundless Labs quickly became a successful and sought-after agency in just 18 months.
How much money it makes: $99.6M/year
How many people on the team: 2
Boundless Labs is an email marketing agency for eCommerce brands that has generated over $25 million in email attributable revenue for their clients since launching 18 months ago and currently makes around $90K per month, with plans to reach $100K per month by the end of January 2020 through client referrals, strong relationships, and hard work.
2. Retention ($21.4M/year)
Adam Robinson, the founder of Retention, found inspiration for his business while grappling with challenges from his previous startup. He initially struggled to compete in the highly saturated email marketing space, dominated by giants like MailChimp and Klaviyo, which left him searching for a unique angle. One day, he learned about the possibility of identifying email addresses of website visitors who hadn't filled out a form, sparking an idea that set him on a year-and-a-half journey to figure out how to implement this technology effectively.
Adam conducted extensive research and development to create a feature that could capture these anonymous email addresses through a method that combined AdTech and MarTech. When users of the initial feature in his email app gave positive feedback despite the cumbersome process, he recognized a strong product-market fit and decided to spin out the feature into its own product. This product eventually evolved into Retention.com, a tool designed to help businesses retain customers by capturing unidentified potential leads.
Throughout the ideation phase, Adam faced numerous challenges, including technical barriers and market apprehension about data privacy. However, through continuous experimentation, customer feedback, and refining his concept, he found a scalable solution that addressed a significant pain point for his target audience. His key lesson was the importance of identifying a unique and valuable proposition within a competitive space by listening closely to early user feedback and being willing to pivot based on those insights.
How much money it makes: $21.4M/year
How much did it cost to start: $2M
How many people on the team: 120
Retention.com converted anonymous website visitors into $20 million ARR by leveraging $5,000 in Facebook ads to generate $10,000 MRR in the first month, scaling with cold emails, LinkedIn thought leadership, and personalized events for high-value clients.
3. Visiture ($10.8M/year)
Brian Cohen, the founder of Visiture, came up with the idea for his eCommerce marketing agency after selling his previous businesses and gaining experience in online marketing. Fueled by his passion for eCommerce, Cohen and his partner decided to focus on working with eCommerce brands and began marketing through PPC ads and content marketing, ultimately leading to the growth and success of Visiture.
How much money it makes: $10.8M/year
How many people on the team: 100
eCommerce marketing agency Visiture has achieved impressive growth, with revenues up 84% YoY, exceeding $1m monthly recurring revenue, representing more than 140 merchants including Spanx and BarkBox, and landing at #753 on the 2019 Inc. 5000 list; CEO Brian Cohen advises startups to concentrate on one core service line, work with well-known brands and to use content marketing to establish expertise.
4. The Crowdfunding Formula ($3.6M/year)
Narek Vardanyan, the founder of The Crowdfunding Formula (TCF), came up with the idea for his business after experiencing the collapse of the Soviet Union in Armenia. He started a project with a friend but struggled to raise funds on Kickstarter. Determined to learn how to run successful campaigns, he conducted interviews with successful creators, published a bestselling book, and eventually started managing crowdfunding campaigns. TCF quickly became the biggest agency on the market, raising millions of dollars for creators and expanding into an ecosystem of companies and products that support consumer hardware innovation.
How much money it makes: $3.6M/year
How much did it cost to start: $10K
How many people on the team: 87
Co-founder and CEO of The Crowdfunding Formula, Narek Vardanyan, has grown his startup from a crowdfunding marketing agency to a full ecosystem of companies and products supporting consumer hardware innovation, generating over $4M in annual revenue and helping creators overcome barriers to entry.
5. Flying V Group ($3M/year)
Flying V Group was founded by Robb Fahrion and his brother based on an opportunity they identified in the market. After helping a mentor with his website and seeing the demand for digital help, they decided to start a marketing services firm. They focused on serving professional service industries and used SEO and content marketing to establish their clients as industry experts online. The company has since grown to employ 12 people, worked with over 300 clients, and is on track to double its revenue for the second year in a row.
How much money it makes: $3M/year
How much did it cost to start: $10K
How many people on the team: 16
Flying V Group, a digital marketing agency co-founded by Robb and Tyler Fahrion, has experienced explosive growth and profitability through their focus on SEO and content marketing, generating 540% more traffic in 2020 compared to the previous year, and increasing revenue YoY, all while operating debt-free and cash-positive.
6. Hustler Marketing ($2.4M/year)
After trying various jobs and experiencing financial struggles, Bostjan decided to go all-in and start the "Hustle House" in Barcelona with three other entrepreneurs. While working on his craft as a copywriter, Bostjan started offering email marketing services and quickly learned the technical aspects. Through hard work and dedication, his agency, Hustler Marketing, grew rapidly and now manages retention marketing for 70 eCommerce stores worldwide, generating impressive revenue figures.
How much money it makes: $2.4M/year
How much did it cost to start: $1K
How many people on the team: 68
Hustler Marketing, a remote email and SMS marketing agency, manages retention marketing for about 70 eCommerce stores worldwide, closed its 4th year at about $2.2M, and will aim to do $3-4M in 2022, with a net profit of around 30%.
7. STRYDE ($2.16M/year)
Founder Greg Shuey got his start in affiliate marketing and became interested in search engine optimization (SEO) after seeing affiliates boost their website traffic and revenue. After working at multiple agencies, he decided to start Stryde to offer custom digital marketing strategies, focusing on SEO, paid search, paid social, email marketing, and conversion rate optimization. Stryde has been in business for almost 9 years and has generated over $2 million in revenue.
How much money it makes: $2.16M/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
How many people on the team: 13
Stryde is a women-owned eCommerce digital marketing agency that has been in business for almost 9 years, focusing on creating custom digital marketing strategies that generated just over $2 million in revenue, with a growth strategy of bringing on the right clients and specializing early.
8. UPQODE ($1.8M/year)
Nick, the founder of Qoders Family, traces his entrepreneurial journey back to his childhood experiences selling tomatoes with his grandparents. Armed with lessons in hard work, resilience, and the importance of having the best product in the market, Nick created his first profitable project, NRGthemes, generating over $20k a month in revenue. Today, Qoders Family boasts over 2,000 active customers and has generated over $3M in revenue, with plans to launch new products, increase sales, and win more design awards in the future.
How much money it makes: $1.8M/year
How much did it cost to start: $25K
How many people on the team: 25
This case study follows the success story of Nick, founder of Qoders Family, who has generated over $3M in revenue through his various website building services including an award-winning development design agency, custom-designed WordPress theme templates, free WordPress plugins, and a Shopify app.
9. Grow Your Agency ($1.44M/year)
Iman Gadzhi, founder of IAG Media and Grow Your Agency, came up with the idea for his social media marketing agency (SMMA) and online course after mastering Facebook ads and personal branding. With over $1.2 million in profit in just two years and multiple successful students, Gadzhi has become a leader in the SMMA industry.
How much money it makes: $1.44M/year
How many people on the team: 2
Iman Gadzhi made over $1.2M in profit within two years with his social media marketing agency and education company, where he teaches entrepreneurs how to start and scale a profitable SMMA, with over 45 of his students making over six figures with their SMMA, and over 300 students having quit their regular jobs.
10. Growave ($1.32M/year)
Eldar, the founder of Growave, started the business after realizing the limitations of his successful previous venture, ThinkLab. With a desire to expand into a dynamic market, Eldar and his team researched and developed a product for the growing e-commerce industry. Despite facing challenges and delays, Growave eventually launched as a free app and gained traction through forums and the Shopify App Store, steadily growing its customer base and revenue to over 12,000 merchants and $110,000 per month.
How much money it makes: $1.32M/year
How much did it cost to start: $100K
How many people on the team: 70
Growave, an all-in-one marketing tool for Shopify brands, went from struggling to be profitable to earning over $110,000 monthly with over 12,000 merchants using the app worldwide, thanks to an improved marketing and retention strategy implemented after the launch.
11. Scalenut ($1.2M/year)
Mayank Jain, along with his co-founders Gaurav Goyal and Saurabh Wadhawan, came up with the idea for Scalenut after spending a decade each in the digital startup industry. They noticed the challenges that brands face in scaling their content marketing efforts and saw an opportunity to create a platform that helps businesses drive organic traffic and scale their content production. With their MVP product launched in September 2021, Scalenut has experienced rapid growth, with over 100k users and $100,000 in monthly recurring revenue.
How much money it makes: $1.2M/year
How much did it cost to start: $100K
How many people on the team: 30
Scalenut is an AI-powered SEO and content marketing platform that aims to help businesses scale their efforts to nail the entire content life cycle, from planning to creation, which has led to the company turning over $100,000 in MRR within 6 months of launching.
12. Sidekick ($1.19M/year)
Zac and Brendan, co-founders of Sidekick, initially started a failed education platform called Secret Sauce. However, after receiving guidance from mentors at Grid 110, they pivoted to web design for startups and launched Sidekick. They attracted clients by offering month-to-month marketing services in addition to web design, and have since focused on serving the eCommerce space with their expertise in design and marketing. After a year in business, they have grown their revenue to $12,000/month and are aiming to reach $20,000/month by summer.
How much money it makes: $1.19M/year
How many people on the team: 8
Sidekick, a data-driven web design and digital marketing agency for eCommerce businesses co-founded by Brendan and Zac, grew from $0 to $12,000/month in revenue within a year, specializing in Shopify and Squarespace development, email marketing, PPC campaigns, and more.
13. Trusted CMO ($900K/year)
Burnt out from her full-time CMO roles, Alison Murdock founded Trusted CMO in 2020 to provide fractional marketing services for B2B startups. With minimal investment, the consultancy has scaled by 50% annually and hit a million in revenue by 2023.
How much money it makes: $900K/year
How much did it cost to start: $5K
How many people on the team: 4
Trusted CMO founder built a marketing consulting firm from scratch, growing 50% yearly, attracting clients via word of mouth from investors, founders, and marketing leaders, with plans to expand educational offerings and managed services based on client needs.
14. Ultra Growth Marketing ($720K/year)
Matthew Larsen, the founder of Ultra Growth Marketing, came up with the idea for his business after realizing the need for a comprehensive eCommerce marketing book specifically tailored to eCommerce store owners. He decided to write a step-by-step guide with over 75,000 words, offering actionable advice to help business owners create multi-million dollar eCommerce stores. Through Facebook lead generation ads, Larsen was able to give away over 17,000 free copies of his book and capture valuable leads, resulting in over $60,000 per month in recurring revenue.
How much money it makes: $720K/year
How much did it cost to start: $100
How many people on the team: 3
Matthew Larsen's Ultra Growth Marketing earns over $60,000/month in recurring revenue by giving away his eCommerce Marketing Book for free and then capturing leads using Facebook's Lead Generation ads, resulting in over 19,000 downloads in the first month since its launch.
15. Lead Cookie ($660K/year)
Jake Jorgovan, a serial entrepreneur and business advisor, came up with the idea for Lead Cookie, a LinkedIn lead generation and appointment setting company, after brainstorming various business ideas and realizing the untapped potential in the market. Within the first two weeks of launching, Jorgovan closed $12k of monthly recurring revenue by selling to individuals within his existing network, providing rapid validation for his concept. Lead Cookie is now a thriving company, generating between $45k-$70k in monthly revenue and boasting a team of 20 full-time members.
How much money it makes: $660K/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
How many people on the team: 24
Serial entrepreneur Jake Jorgovan explains how he started and grew his LinkedIn lead generation company, Lead Cookie, which now averages between $45k-70k every month with only 4-8 hours of his own time per week, and shares insights on building and scaling a successful business.
16. Add Value | Growth Marketing Agency ($600K/year)
24-year-old Joachim Brouckaert founded Add Value, a growth marketing agency, after noticing that many marketing agencies prioritized money over delivering value to their customers. With a background in digital marketing and experience freelancing as a digital marketer, Joachim decided to start his own agency focused on full-funnel marketing services. After a year in business, Add Value generates an average monthly turnover of 30k and works with 18 active clients.
How much money it makes: $600K/year
How much did it cost to start: $1K
How many people on the team: 5
A 24-year-old founder shares how his growth marketing agency generated €360,000 in its first year, with a team of 5 people working for 18 active clients per month, using SEO, Facebook and Google ads, organic content on LinkedIn, and a hybrid agency model with a focus on client retention.
17. Black Goat Media ($600K/year)
After a failed startup idea, Tudor and his friends decided to offer web development and marketing services to support their growth. Over time, they focused on e-commerce brands and now average around $15,000/month, with plans to reach $50,000/month in the next year.
How much money it makes: $600K/year
How many people on the team: 12
Black Goat Media is a paid marketing agency that helps e-commerce brands grow through Facebook Ads, Google Ads, and email marketing, averaging around $15,000/month and aiming to reach $50,000/month in the near future.
18. Cartology ($516K/year)
Michael Maher, a musician turned business owner, came up with the idea for his Amazon service agency after facing difficulties with his own product-based business on the platform. Realizing the need for Amazon-specific work, he pivoted into freelance and consulting work, eventually growing his agency to a remote team of 12 people serving clients worldwide. Through LinkedIn, Maher was able to attract and retain customers by creating content and videos that showcased his expertise and helped grow his agency's presence.
How much money it makes: $516K/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
How many people on the team: 7
A service agency that helps brands grow their business on Amazon saw a 300% YoY growth, averaging $25k a month in revenue and profits of approx. 30-40%, after restructuring pricing and realizing that their service was more valuable than they gave it credit.
19. Straight Up Search ($360K/year)
ears, and it's an exciting time for Straight Up Search. We have a solid client base and have been able to consistently generate revenue month after month. Moving forward, we plan to continue providing exceptional SEO services to our clients while expanding our team and client portfolio. With our strong foundation and track record of success, the future looks bright for Straight Up Search.
How much money it makes: $360K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
How many people on the team: 4
Straight Up Search is a leading full-service bespoke SEO agency with a portfolio of 35 clients generating an average monthly revenue of $30,000, successfully securing PR mentions and high authority backlinks from big publications such as The Independent and Shopify.
20. Friction Studio ($240K/year)
health/wellness industry, as well as fitness and lifestyle brands. By specializing in these niches, we are able to understand the unique needs and goals of our clients and provide them with tailored solutions that lead to higher customer retention and satisfaction. Additionally, we have built a strong reputation for our conversion-focused Shopify stores and functional user experience, which has helped us attract new customers through word-of-mouth referrals and positive reviews.
How much money it makes: $240K/year
How much did it cost to start: $100
How many people on the team: 12
Friction Studio, a Shopify agency founded by Vishal Goswami, now makes an average of $10k/month after starting with just $100, creating optimized design solutions for brands of various niches and helping D2C brands in their journey by removing eCommerce design, development and strategy friction.
21. LV8 ($240K/year)
George Chatzicharalampous and George Margaritis, founders of lv8 - Consulting, came up with the idea for their digital marketing and consulting agency after realizing that other agencies they worked with were slow and difficult to communicate with. They decided to start an agency that genuinely cared about their clients and focused on delivering top-quality work. Since launching in December 2020, they have grown rapidly and are currently generating $12,000 per month, helping some of the largest companies in their area.
How much money it makes: $240K/year
How much did it cost to start: $5K
How many people on the team: 4
LV8 Consulting generated $12,000 per month helping some of the biggest companies in Lamia, central Greece, achieving a 2680% increase in revenue in one month for one of their clients and now offering services in video production, social media management, web development, SEO, and PPC management.
22. Ignore No More ($156K/year)
Sophia O’Neal’s relentless desire to avoid mundane employment led her to launch Ignore No More, a SaaS-focused marketing agency. Inspired by Warby Parker's innovative branding, Sophia built a $21K/month business through savvy positioning and strategic no-code solutions, employing a globally diverse team.
How much money it makes: $156K/year
How much did it cost to start: $5K
How many people on the team: 2
Case study about how Sophia O'Neal built Ignore No More, a profitable marketing agency for SaaS companies, working with 2-5 clients/mo and bringing in $13K-$21K/month, with a team of 10 employees speaking 12+ languages, showing how she went from freelancing to agency success despite financial struggles and setbacks.
23. Yes To Brand ($132K/year)
Veronica Baljak, the co-owner of Yes to Brand, started her online business journey by building dropshipping stores for herself, family, and friends. Through networking, sharing her knowledge in blogs and on social media, and becoming a motivational dropshipping influencer, Veronica gained a dedicated following and decided to create Yes to Brand, an agency that helps people start and improve their online businesses. With sales averaging $11,000 per month, Veronica's positive mindset and passion for manifesting success have led to rapid growth and opportunities for collaboration.
How much money it makes: $132K/year
How much did it cost to start: $7K
How many people on the team: 3
Dropshipping entrepreneur Veronica Baljak shares how her agency, Yes to Brand, helps people start and grow their online businesses, averaging $11,000 in monthly sales just three months after launching by focusing on positive mindset, collaboration, and transparency with customers.
24. Maverick Media Lab ($120K/year)
Gilberto, the founder of Maverick Media Lab, grew up in an immigrant family in the US with a desire for financial independence. After working for a marketing agency and refining his skills, he ventured out on his own to create a service that would help businesses generate more referrals. By focusing on using LinkedIn and email to expand clients' networks of referral partners, Maverick Media Lab has grown rapidly and is projected to double its current revenue of $10k/month in the next six months.
How much money it makes: $120K/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
How many people on the team: 0
Gilberto, founder of Maverick Media Lab, shares his success story of generating $10k/month through his productized Referral Connector System, which helps businesses enter the online marketing space without large advertising costs.
25. Thrivette ($120K/year)
Stacey Haynes, the founder of Thrivette, came up with the idea for her business after realizing that many people settle for an unfulfilling Monday-Friday work week and put off their dreams due to a lack of motivation and money. She and her husband, Jason, used their skills in design and customer experience to start small businesses and fund their bigger dreams, eventually earning over $165,000 through Kickstarter. Thrivette now offers consulting and free resources to help others achieve their goals and make their dreams a reality.
How much money it makes: $120K/year
How much did it cost to start: $10K
How many people on the team: 2
This case study follows the story of Stacey Haynes, founder of Thrivette, a business consulting and resource community that helps people start and grow their businesses, and how she and her husband have made over $10k per month through consulting and merchandise sales on platforms like Amazon, Etsy, and Shopify.
26. Avci socso ($120K/year)
Mahsun Avci, the founder of Avci ApS, came up with the idea for his online marketing agency at the age of 15. After trying various online businesses and failing, he stumbled across the concept of SMMA and convinced his dad to let him run Facebook ads for his restaurant. Seeing successful results, Avci knew he had found the right business for him and dedicated himself to learning and mastering Facebook ads and personal branding.
How much money it makes: $120K/year
How much did it cost to start: $350
How many people on the team: 0
A 15-year-old entrepreneur started Avci ApS, an online marketing agency, that has now grown to $10k/mo and aims to hit $175k in profit in 2021 through Facebook ads, content marketing, and social media client outreach.
27. SupplyDrop ($96K/year)
Danavir Sarria, an eCommerce marketing consultant, came up with the idea for SupplyDrop after his own luxury sportswear brand failed to be profitable. He realized that his skills in email marketing could be valuable to other eCommerce businesses and pivoted his focus to offering full-service email marketing services. Today, SupplyDrop is his flagship business, making an average of $8,000 per month and attracting clients such as Kettle & Fire and Lensabl.
How much money it makes: $96K/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
How many people on the team: 0
Danavir Sarria shares how he built SupplyDrop, an eCommerce email marketing agency that helps scale 6, 7, and 8 figure businesses, and currently makes $8,000/month on average, through trial and error and thoughtful pivots, while utilizing content marketing and focusing on building trust with potential clients.
28. Electric Sauce ($90K/year)
The founders initially started as Shopify developers but quickly realized the need for email marketing strategies in the eCommerce space. They used Upwork as a platform to find clients and focused on providing valuable services at reasonable prices. Their dedication to simplicity and accountability helped them attract and retain customers, with their main client being acquired through Upwork.
How much money it makes: $90K/year
How much did it cost to start: $2K
How many people on the team: 0
Electric Sauce, a data-driven, retention-focused, email marketing micro-agency founded by two Seans, generates $12,500 a month through pricing their services from $3,500 to $5,000 for established brands, and $1,500 to $2,500 for startups through patient learning, frugality, simplicity, extensive outreach on Upwork, and utmost accountability while using tools like ClickUp, and exposure to thought leaders on YouTube and courses like Klaviyo and Smart Marketer.
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Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
