Retailers have many disparate tasks to complete in a day. From restocking store shelves to fulfilling orders to inventory management, retail entrepreneurs have plenty to keep them busy.
One item that tops many retail to-do lists is marketing their products, but unless you have a background in the discipline, digital marketing can be an intimidating task for merchants whose time is already overextended.
Digital marketing is a wide umbrella encompassing a number of subcategories, including content marketing, social media marketing, video marketing, email marketing, and paid advertising (among many others). Many business owners already have too much on their plate, so it’s difficult to master all these functions and expertly execute them on a regular basis.
Key Takeaways
- Choose an agency based on proof of results, measurement approach, and fit—not just price.
- Ask how the agency handles GA4 reporting, consent/privacy, and attribution limits in 2026.
- Request clear deliverables, timelines, and a testing plan (creative + landing pages), not vague promises.
- Confirm who will do the work day-to-day and how often you’ll review performance together.
Based on HubSpot’s B2B marketing statistics (updated regularly), generating traffic and leads remains a common challenge for marketing teams—one reason many businesses look for specialized support in areas like paid media, SEO, and lifecycle email.
Rather than struggling to do everything yourself, it may be time to consider bringing in a pro. Hiring a digital marketing expert can make the job easier and can provide a strong return on investment when goals, tracking, and budgets are aligned.
The Benefits of Hiring a Digital Marketer or Agency
An agency or freelancer can help retailers with a range of services, from redesigning a complicated ecommerce site to running a national campaign.
Instead of relying on older, hard-to-verify performance claims, ask any agency you’re considering for a recent (2023–2026) case study you can review end-to-end, including the measurement approach and what changed in the account over time. If they can’t share client names, they should still be able to share anonymized screenshots, a clear testing plan, and a breakdown of what drove results.
While the potential ROI is high, vetting and hiring a pro marketer or agency can be daunting. To help you find a marketer or agency that’s the right fit for your retail business, here are some tips to guide you through the process.
Assess Your Needs and Budget
Before you outsource your digital marketing, establish your objectives and decide what role a digital agency will play in helping you achieve your goals: Are you launching a new product or trying to reach a new market? Are you rebranding in the hopes of growing your business? Are you ready to invest in paid social ads or Google Shopping Ads to increase your direct-to-consumer revenue?
Other questions to ask yourself before speaking with a digital marketing agency include:
- What is your budget for digital marketing efforts?
- How much time do you have to invest in working with a digital marketing agency?
- If you have an in-house marketing team, what is your team good at, and what areas do you need help with?
Understanding your own needs will allow you to give potential marketing partners a concise idea of your objectives and budget.
Do Your Research
Look for an agency with case studies of work with past clients it’s willing to share. Choose a partner that has worked with companies like yours before. That could include agencies who have worked with retailers or even other merchants in your specific niche.
Also, ensure their marketing specialization aligns with your goals. For example, if you want to ramp up your company blog, look for a digital marketing agency that offers content writing, blogging, and SEO services — not one whose primary focus is paid social ads. An agency can have an impressive track record and still not be the best fit for your specific business.
Be sure to choose an agency that keeps up to date with the latest digital marketing trends. Experience is valuable, but the digital landscape changes every day, and it's important your future partner knows how to keep up.
2026 evaluation checklist: measurement, privacy, and AI
In 2026, “good marketing” is inseparable from measurement and data governance. Ask how the agency reports in GA4 (including how they define conversions, handle cross-domain tracking, and validate numbers against Shopify analytics), and what they do when attribution is incomplete due to privacy changes and platform limitations.
You should also ask how they handle first-party data and consent: what tools they use for consent management, how they approach email/SMS list growth, and how they keep targeting compliant with evolving privacy expectations. Finally, ask for the agency’s AI usage policy—what they use AI for (e.g., draft copy, creative variations, analysis), what data is allowed in prompts, and how human review and brand safety are enforced.
Be Sure the Agency is Transparent
Lack of transparency should be a red flag. When you look at an agency's website, look for its address, client list, and an in-depth about page. If basic business information (address, leadership, client references) is hard to find, ask direct questions before proceeding.
If you ask them for case study examples and they don't have anything to share with you, they might be hiding the fact that they haven't successfully delivered the results they claim they can achieve.
A digital marketing agency with proven success should also have no problem providing you with a few references. Companies that have had a positive experience with the agency will be happy to speak with you and recommend their services.
If you see testimonials on the agency's website, that's also great social proof. It's still a good idea to speak with past and present clients to better understand the marketing results the agency was able to deliver and how working with the agency can help your business grow.
Don’t Rush Decision Making and Think About the Long Haul
It’s important to view your work with a digital marketing agency as a strategic partnership that can help you grow your business long-term. Finding the right partner can take time, but it’s better than making an impulsive decision and hiring an agency that doesn’t understand your business or whom you don’t enjoy working with.
An agency relationship can range from six months to spanning several years, depending on your needs.
"For clients that are more stable, the relationship is longer. We have some clients that we've worked with for over three years. For clients that are starting out, it can be up to six months. Some clients need help with a specific project that takes only six to eight weeks," says Jamie Lund, founder of Poly & Co
"It really comes down to the client's needs. We scale with the client based on their needs,” Lund said. “Sometimes they are looking for initial data sets to determine if they have product-market fit to prove to their investors. Other times we work with clients that are looking to scale significantly in securing their [Series] A [funding] round. I’d say, within four months, you should have ample data to decide if the fit is there (this works on both the agency and the client side). You'll also have a better understanding of the core key performance indicators (KPIs) after working together for four months."
Choose The Best Value, Not The Best Price
Picking a digital marketing agency just because it offers the cheapest rate could hurt you in the long run. Take time to compare price versus the services offered, then choose a pro or agency that’s the best fit for your business.
Moving Forward with Finding the Right Digital Marketing Agency For Your Business
In the end, the most important questions to ask yourself about a potential digital marketing partner are: Can they get the job done? Can I afford their fees? Will I like working with them? If you can answer yes to these three points, it will be easier to build a long-term relationship with your agency and partner in scaling your business.
