Quick answer: which ecommerce marketing agency should you hire?
The best ecommerce marketing agency for most DTC brands is one that runs both creative and media buying for paid social and search, and can show case studies with real numbers.
For creator-led Meta and TikTok ads, start with inBeat or MHI Media; for full-funnel growth, look at Pilothouse or Common Thread Collective; for large multichannel budgets, Tinuiti or Power Digital.
All eight agencies below publish their own ecommerce case studies.
Six of them, inBeat, MHI Media, Pilothouse, Common Thread Collective, Power Digital and Hawke Media, also have results in our archive.
How we picked these ecommerce ads agencies
We picked agencies that focus on ecommerce and DTC paid ads and publish case studies on their own sites.
We read those sites and case studies, and checked the results in our own database.
We have not hired any of these agencies, and the case study numbers are agency-reported unless we say otherwise.
Comparison table
| Agency | Based in | Best for | Known for | Tests in our archive |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| inBeat | New York, Montreal, Toronto and more | Creator and UGC-led paid social | Influencer, UGC and paid media together | Yes: Hurom, −65% CPA |
| MHI Media | Not stated on its site | Fashion, beauty and wellness DTC on Meta | Performance creative plus media buying | Yes: founder video, −62% CPA |
| Pilothouse | Victoria, BC, Canada | Established Shopify brands that want one team | Media, creative, email/SMS and CRO | Yes: RUX, ROAS 1.45x → 3.06x |
| Common Thread Collective | Costa Mesa, California | Brands that manage to profit, not ROAS | Forecasting and profit-led growth | Yes: Quay, +40% ROAS |
| Darkroom | New York | $10M–$500M consumer brands | Creative, Amazon and retention | No |
| Tinuiti | New York (28 offices) | Large brands with retail media budgets | Amazon, retail media, search and social at scale | No |
| Power Digital | San Diego, California | Brands that want incrementality testing | Integrated growth marketing and measurement | Yes: YoungLA, iROAS +220% |
| Hawke Media | Los Angeles, New York, Chicago | Brands that want à la carte services | Outsourced-CMO model across channels | Yes: K-Swiss, 485% ROAS |
The 8 best ecommerce and DTC paid ads agencies
We lead with the two creator-led agencies, inBeat and MHI Media.
To compare their numbers with what in-house teams and freelancers get, browse our ecommerce Meta results.
1. inBeat
Based in: Lists New York, Los Angeles, Montreal, Toronto, Miami, Chicago, London, Paris and Singapore on its locations page.
What they do: Creator marketing (influencers, UGC, TikTok Shop), paid media on Meta, TikTok, Snapchat and Google, and performance creative production, according to its site.
Known for: For the juicer brand Hurom, inBeat swapped discount-led ads for creator videos about health benefits.
It reports a 65% lower CPA, 300% higher ROAS and month-over-month profit margin growth (agency case study).
Tests in our archive: Health-benefit creator videos replaced discount messaging: −65% CPA, +300% ROAS (agency-reported).
Best for: Brands whose growth depends on a steady supply of creator content.
Not for brands that only need a search or Shopping specialist.
2. MHI Media
Based in: Not stated on its site. It works with both US and UK DTC brands.
What they do: A performance creative agency that works only with DTC ecommerce brands in fashion, beauty, wellness and supplements, according to its site.
On some accounts it runs the media buying as well as the creative.
Known for: For MilkyMama, MHI Media briefed 72 ads in three months and then took over the account.
It reports monthly purchases growing from 1,962 to 4,794 while Meta spend went from $41,711 to $201,443 (agency case study).
Tests in our archive: Kamal Razzak of MHI Media reports a founder selfie video shot in a car beat polished UGC and studio ads, cutting CPA by 62% on Meta (self-reported).
Best for: Fashion, beauty and wellness brands where Meta creative is the main constraint.
Not for brands that need Google, Amazon or retail media handled too.
3. Pilothouse
Based in: Victoria, BC, Canada, working with North American and international brands (site).
What they do: Full-funnel DTC growth: media buying on Meta, Google, TikTok and Amazon, plus creative, email/SMS and conversion rate optimization.
Known for: For the outdoor gear brand RUX, Pilothouse reports ROAS going from 1.45x to 3.06x and CPA from $148 to $111 in three months on Meta and Google (case study). It publishes more than 30 case studies.
Tests in our archive: For RUX, pilot tests and weekly creative batches took ROAS from 1.45 to 3.06 and CPA from $148 to $111 (agency-reported).
Best for: Established Shopify brands that want ads, email and site work under one roof.
Not for very early brands testing product-market fit.
4. Common Thread Collective (CTC)
Based in: Costa Mesa, California (site).
What they do: Calls itself an "ecommerce profit partner."
It pairs forecasting software and a dedicated strategist with Meta and Google ad buying, TikTok Shop, creative and incrementality testing.
Known for: For Love Wellness, CTC reports 1,290% growth driven by creative testing.
One test found that switching an ad background from blue to white doubled ROAS (case study).
Tests in our archive: For Quay, Snapchat Dynamic Product Ads returned 40% higher ROAS than non-dynamic campaigns (agency-reported).
Best for: Brands that want growth planned around contribution margin.
Not for brands that only want someone to run ads without touching forecasts.
5. Darkroom
Based in: New York (site).
What they do: Paid media, performance creative, retention, Amazon management, measurement and media mix modeling for consumer brands doing $10M to $500M in revenue.
Known for: Darkroom made Olipop's first national campaign, with video for CTV, YouTube and paid social.
It reports 3x revenue growth and a 28% increase in reach among new audiences (case study).
Tests in our archive: None yet.
Best for: Mid-market brands selling across DTC, Amazon and retail.
Not for brands under its stated $10M revenue range.
6. Tinuiti
Based in: New York, with 28 offices (Built In NYC).
What they do: Amazon and retail media, paid search, Meta and TikTok, streaming TV, affiliate and more.
It runs "Foundation," a smaller offering for midsize brands (site).
Known for: On its homepage, Tinuiti reports +23% omni purchases and −29% incremental CPA for DSW on Meta.
Tests in our archive: None yet.
Best for: Large brands where Amazon and retail media matter as much as DTC.
Not for small brands that want a senior buyer on the account every day.
7. Power Digital
Based in: San Diego, with offices in New York, Atlanta and Medellín (site).
What they do: Paid social, paid search, Amazon and TikTok advertising, email/SMS, SEO and CRO, backed by an in-house data platform.
Known for: For the apparel brand YoungLA, Power Digital moved spend from launch spikes to always-on media and ran matched-market tests.
It reports iROAS up 220% and CAC down 32% (case study).
Tests in our archive: The YoungLA always-on shift is in our database: incremental ROAS +220%, CAC −32% (agency-reported).
Best for: Brands that want incrementality measured, not just platform ROAS.
Not for brands with small budgets, since matched-market testing needs spend to read.
8. Hawke Media
Based in: Los Angeles, New York and Chicago (site).
What they do: A full-service agency that works as an outsourced CMO, with paid search, paid social, Amazon, lifecycle and creative sold à la carte.
Known for: For K-Swiss, Hawke reports a 485% ROAS on paid social and hitting a 90-day ROAS goal in 40 days (case study).
Tests in our archive: The K-Swiss casual-shopper shift is in our database: 485% ROAS, with the 90-day goal met in 40 days (agency-reported).
Best for: Brands that want to pick a few services rather than hand over the whole funnel.
Not for brands that want a narrow DTC paid social specialist.
How to choose an ecommerce ads agency
Start with where your next dollar of growth comes from.
If it's creative volume on Meta and TikTok, a creative-led shop beats a big multichannel agency.
If it's Amazon and retail, the reverse is true.
Compare these with all paid ads agencies and our guide on how to choose a paid ads agency.
Which one is right for you
Smaller Meta-first brand: MHI Media or inBeat. Creative is usually the limit at this stage.
Shopify brand that wants one team for ads, email and site: Pilothouse.
Founder-led brand focused on profit: Common Thread Collective.
$10M+ brand selling on Amazon and in retail: Darkroom or Tinuiti.
Brand that doubts its platform ROAS: Power Digital.
If search and Shopping are your main channel, see our Google Ads agencies list instead.
What to look for
- Case studies with before and after numbers, the channel and the time frame, not just "300% growth."
- Who actually works on your account, and how many other accounts they handle.
- Whether creative is included, since new angles often matter more than settings. @SamPiliero cut CPA from $101.29 to $60.50 by launching 20 new angles on a tired account.
- Whether they look at offers and pricing, not just ads. @SamPiliero saw cost per purchase fall 45% after cutting a product price by €10 with the same ads and budget.
- How they measure. @runtraffic ran a brand search incrementality test that found an incremental ROAS of 8.17 but a new-customer ROAS of 1.17.
- Contract terms: notice period, who owns the ad accounts and creative, and what happens to your data if you leave.
- A clear plan for the first 90 days, including what they will test first.
Real results from ecommerce accounts
These are results from our database. Some came from agencies taking over accounts: @runtraffic reports November sales up 63% year over year after a takeover.
What an ecommerce agency costs
None of the eight agencies above publish prices.
All of them ask you to book a call.
Most ecommerce agencies charge one of these ways:
- Flat monthly retainer: predictable, but it doesn't grow with your spend.
- Percentage of ad spend: common for media buying, and it scales with budget. The downside is that it rewards spending more.
- Retainer plus performance bonus: ties part of the fee to revenue or profit targets. Agree on how results are measured before signing.
- Per-asset creative fees: common at creative-led shops, often on top of a media fee.
Ask for setup fees, minimum terms and creative costs in writing.
See our agency pricing guide for more on how fee models compare.
Get matched with an ecommerce ads agency
Not sure which of these fits your budget and channels?
Tell us about your brand and you can get matched with ecommerce media buyers and agencies who have results in our archive.