the deal, for e-com
Commission-Only Email Marketing for E-Commerce Brands
We run your store's promotional email calendar and get paid a percentage of the revenue those campaigns generate, typically 15% to 30%, with no monthly retainer and no minimum contract.
A retainer agency bills an e-commerce brand $3,000–$10,000 a month whether the promos convert or not. This model bills nothing until tracked revenue lands in your store. It suits e-commerce better than almost any other category, for one reason: online stores have clean, order-level revenue attribution. There is no guesswork about what an email produced.
15 minutes. No pitch. $0 to start.
why this model and e-com go together
Commission pricing only works where the numbers can't be fudged.
Every order in a store carries a timestamp, a value and a source. Your email platform already ties campaigns to orders, so both sides are looking at the same number, there's nothing to argue about.
Compare that to a service business where a promo starts a conversation that closes six weeks later on a call. Attribution there is a negotiation. In a store, it's a row in a database.
Order-level tracking
Revenue per campaign is reported natively by Klaviyo and every comparable platform. You don't take our word for anything.
Discount codes are unambiguous
A campaign-specific code either got used or it didn't. There's no modelling, no assumed view-through, no fuzzy window.
Refunds are visible
Returns and chargebacks are recorded, so commission is charged on revenue that actually stuck, not on gross sales that reversed a fortnight later.
Short feedback loops
Most promotional revenue lands within 72 hours of a send. Nobody is negotiating over a 90-day attribution window.
Want to know what your store's list would actually produce?We'll tell you on a 15-minute call. Free.
scope, stated before you book
What we run, and what we don't.
✓ We run your promo calendar
- ✓ Product launches and new drops
- ✓ Seasonal and holiday promotions, including peak season
- ✓ Restock and back-in-stock announcements
- ✓ Clearance, end-of-line and overstock pushes
- ✓ Winback campaigns to lapsed buyers
- ✓ Bundle, upsell and cross-sell offers to existing customers
✗ Not part of this engagement
- ✗ Automated flows, abandoned cart, welcome, browse abandonment, post-purchase
- ✗ List growth and paid acquisition
- ✗ SMS marketing
- ✗ Site design, CRO or product photography
Most brands assume flows are included when they hear "email agency." They're not, and it's cheaper for both of us if you know that now rather than on the call.
Sound like the right scope for your store?15 minutes, no pitch, and we'll say if it isn't a fit.
a store we ran promos for
The receipt.
E-commerce store: 6 months
$877,593
1,410
orders
5,430
leads
0.5%
conversion
27 September 2022 – 27 March 2023. This is a whole-store figure and $626,036 of it is recurring revenue, so it is not an email-only number. More dashboards, with scope stated, on the homepage.
Curious what this would look like for your store?Book the call. It costs nothing and takes 15 minutes.
the same year, priced both ways
What it costs, next to a retainer.
Worked example for a store with a 25,000-subscriber list and a $99 average order value, sending two promotions a month and generating $178,200 over twelve months.
| Over 12 months | Retainer agency | Commission-only |
|---|---|---|
| Paid upfront | $5,000/mo × 12 = $60,000 | $0 |
| Paid on results | Nothing extra | 20% of $178,200 = $35,640 |
| You keep | $118,200 | $142,560 |
| If the promos flop | You're out $60,000 | You're out $0 |
Illustrative figures. $5,000/mo is mid-range for a retainer email agency; 20% is mid-range for our commission. Your rate is quoted on the call and fixed before work starts.
Get your actual number, not the illustrative one.We quote your exact commission on the call, and it's fixed before we start.
let's qualify each other
Is your store a fit?
✓ Yes, if you…
- ✓ Run a store with an email list of 5,000+ subscribers
- ✓ Have products already selling, we amplify demand, not invent it
- ✓ Use Klaviyo or another platform with campaign revenue reporting
- ✓ Are under-mailing your list, or sending promos whenever someone has a spare afternoon
- ✓ Would rather pay out of revenue than out of cashflow
✗ No, if you…
- ✗ Need flows built, that's not this engagement
- ✗ Have a list under 5,000, or no list at all
- ✗ Are pre-launch with no sales history
- ✗ Need SMS, paid ads or acquisition
- ✗ Want to approve every subject line before it goes out
Read the left column and recognised your store?That's the whole qualifier. Book the call.
the stuff e-com brands ask
Questions, answered.
Do you manage automated flows like abandoned cart and welcome sequences?
No. We run your promotional campaign calendar, launches, seasonal promotions, restocks, clearance and winbacks. Automated flows stay with you or your existing team. We're upfront about it because most e-commerce brands assume flows are included, and they aren't.
Which platforms do you work with?
Klaviyo, the most common platform for e-commerce stores, along with Mailchimp, ConvertKit, ActiveCampaign and most other major providers. We work inside your existing account rather than migrating you, so reporting stays in a dashboard you already own and can check without asking us.
How is email revenue attributed?
Through your platform's own campaign attribution, supported by unique tracking links and campaign-specific discount codes. Refunds, chargebacks and cancelled orders are deducted before we invoice, so commission is charged on revenue that actually stuck, not on gross sales that later reversed.
Won't more promos burn out our list?
It would if the calendar were built badly, and it's our risk if it is, a burnt list stops producing revenue, and our income stops with it. That incentive is the whole point of the model. Send frequency is set against your list's engagement, not against a quota.
How big does our list need to be?
Around 5,000 subscribers, with products already selling. Below that, a single promotion usually can't generate enough for a commission split to be worth either side's time.
Still got a question we haven't answered?Ask it on the call, that's what the 15 minutes are for.
your list is sitting on this
Find out what your store's list is actually worth.
A free 15-minute call. We look at your list, your offer and your last few campaigns. We'll tell you what we'd send and what commission we'd take. If we don't think we can move the needle, we'll say so.
Only 3 new client spots open this month.