7 Key Criteria for Choosing the Right Amazon Agency: An Insider Guide
Why Choosing the Wrong Amazon Agency Can Cost You Tens of Thousands
You are facing a pivotal decision for your Amazon business: partnering with an Amazon agency to accelerate growth and optimize performance. But the market is flooded with providers promising golden mountains, while many sellers are left behind with frustrating experiences and burned budgets.
As Amazon performance experts with insight from hundreds of account audits, we have identified recurring patterns in failed agency partnerships. In this insider guide, we share the 7 decisive criteria you should consider when selecting a high-quality Amazon agency.
1. Up-to-Date Service Quality: Is the Agency Current?
Amazon is a constantly evolving marketplace. What worked yesterday may already be outdated today. One of the most important questions is: does the Amazon agency stay current with the latest developments in Amazon marketing?
What to look for:
Red flags: Outdated processes and strategies, no concrete examples of current optimization approaches, inability to adapt to Amazon updates.
2. Transparent and Goal-Oriented Pricing Model
A particularly critical point in agency selection is the pricing model. The widespread "industry standard" of a percentage fee on ad spend creates a fundamental conflict of interest.
If the contract is structured so that the agency makes money when you lose money, they will do exactly that over the long run.
What to look for:
Red flags: Pure percentage of ad spend with no link to performance, vague answers about cost structure, strong focus on budget maximization in the first meeting.
In hundreds of account audits, we have found that agencies charging a percentage of ad spend deliver suboptimal results in 99% of cases. The compensation model should instead be tied to shared success.
3. Relevant Questions in the First Meeting: Does the Agency Understand Your Business?
A decisive indicator of an Amazon agency's quality is the type of questions they ask in the initial conversation. This reveals whether they are genuinely interested in understanding and improving your business, or just closing the deal.
A professional Amazon agency should ask about:
Red flags: No questions about your business model or profitability, primary focus on available ad budget, superficial questions without deeper understanding of e-commerce metrics.
4. Focus on Your Results Instead of Self-Promotion
In many agency pitches, self-promotion takes center stage rather than your specific challenges and goals. This is a clear warning sign.
What to look for:
Red flags: Presentations about company structure and the "cool" office, overemphasis on awards and certifications without relevance to your goals, no critical questions about your current Amazon account performance.
A professional Amazon agency focuses from the start on your business and your goals, not on fruit bowls in the office or headcount. Ultimately, none of that matters as long as the results are right.
5. Data-Driven Decision Making
Amazon marketing requires an analytical, data-driven approach. A high-quality Amazon agency makes decisions based on solid data and transparent metrics.
What to look for:
Red flags: Vague statements about success metrics, missing tools for deeper data analysis, no examples of data-driven decision making.
6. Transparent Service Scope Without Hidden Costs
Many agencies lure with affordable base packages, then charge additional fees for essential services. This leads to unexpected extra costs and frustration.
What to look for:
Red flags: Extra fees for basic optimizations like SEO titles, high additional costs for essential services like product images or listing optimization, unclear boundaries between standard and add-on services.
7. Direct Communication and Accessibility
The quality of day-to-day collaboration is crucial for long-term success. A good Amazon agency offers direct communication channels and responds promptly to inquiries.
What to look for:
Red flags: No clear commitments on response times, communication exclusively via email, signs of outsourcing actual work to inexperienced staff.
A high-quality Amazon agency provides direct access to the experts actually working on your account, without detours through intermediaries. The best agencies use modern communication tools like Slack for fast, streamlined collaboration.
Conclusion: The Right Amazon Agency as a Long-Term Growth Partner
Selecting the right Amazon agency is one of the most important decisions for your e-commerce business. A good agency becomes a reliable partner that supports your growth and boosts your profitability. A bad choice can cost you tens of thousands of euros and valuable time.
By following the seven key criteria presented here, you can separate the wheat from the chaff and make an informed decision: up-to-date service quality, transparent and goal-oriented pricing, relevant questions in the first meeting, focus on your results instead of self-promotion, data-driven decision making, transparent service scope without hidden costs, and direct communication and accessibility.
What ultimately matters is whether the Amazon agency understands your business goals and aligns its strategy accordingly. A true partnership on equal footing, where both sides work toward and benefit from shared success, should be the goal.
Questions about your Amazon strategy?
We manage brands with over €300 million+ in sales on Amazon. Let's talk.
