The questions to ask an ecommerce agency before you sign fall into five groups: your problem, their proof, their process, the money, and how you leave. Ask every agency the same list. The answers will show you who diagnosed your store and who is reciting a pitch.
Most lists of questions to ask a marketing agency are written for any business. This one is written for Shopify brands, where the work touches your store, your offers and your margins, not just your ads. Disclosure: we're Skuology, a Shopify growth agency, so you may well be asking us these questions. We think you should.
What should you ask about your problem?
The first questions should test whether the agency understands your store before it proposes anything. An agency that diagnoses first will ask for your numbers and talk about them. One that leads with packages is selling a solution before it knows the problem.
1. What do you think our biggest constraint is, and why?
This is the most revealing question on the list. A good answer refers to your conversion rate, average order value, traffic or margins, and explains the reasoning. A weak answer lists services. If they haven't seen your data yet, ask what they'd need to see to answer.
2. What would you not work on first?
Prioritizing means saying no to things. A good agency will name work it would deliberately delay, and why. If everything is urgent, nothing is being prioritized.
3. Are we a good fit for you, honestly?
Ask directly whether your stage, traffic and budget suit their way of working. A good agency will tell you when another type of help would serve you better, even if it costs them the deal.
How do you check an agency's proof?
Check proof by asking for results on problems that look like yours, with the starting point, the change and the measured result. A case study only helps if the store resembles yours. Named brands and specific numbers are easier to trust than percentages without context.
4. Can you show work on a store like ours?
Similar category, similar price point, similar stage. Results on a much larger store tell you little about what will happen on yours.
5. What did that store look like before, and what changed?
Good proof names the starting problem, the specific changes and the measured result. For example, one we can point to: Spacegoods saw add-to-cart rise 66% and conversion rate rise 69% after a Baseline redesign. A good agency will happily explain how a claim like that was measured.
6. Tell us about a test or idea that didn't work.
Every experienced team has losses. A good agency will share one and say what it learned. An agency with no losses on record is either not testing or not telling you. Bonus question: when did a client overrule you, and were they right?
What should you ask about their process?
Process questions show how the work will actually run week to week, and who will do it. Ask about the people, the measurement and the way decisions get made. These answers predict your day-to-day experience far better than the pitch deck.
7. Who exactly will work on our account?
Ask for names and roles. The people who pitch aren't always the people who deliver. Ask whether any work is subcontracted.
8. How will we measure success, and when?
Agree the primary metric before work starts. Revenue per visitor and contribution margin usually tell you more than raw sales. Also agree the window, and who owns tracking. If the agency won't define success up front, that's a signal.
9. How do you decide what to change?
Listen for a process: data, customer research, prioritization, then design. Be wary of "we'll copy what the big brands do." A competitor's choice comes with context you can't see.
10. What do you need from us?
Every engagement needs access, approvals, product knowledge and someone's time. A good agency will tell you exactly what, so you can judge whether your team can supply it.
What should you ask about money and contracts?
Money questions should make the full cost and the commitment clear before you sign. Ask how the agency prices, what's included, what isn't, and how long you're committed. Surprises here are the most common reason agency relationships end badly.
11. Which pricing model is this, and what's excluded?
Project, retainer, hourly, performance-based or productized: each shifts risk differently. Read the exclusions as carefully as the scope. Our guide to Shopify agency cost explains each model.
12. Is there a smaller way to start?
A paid diagnostic or a defined project lets both sides test the relationship. If the only option is a long retainer, ask why. Whether to begin with a project or a retainer is a decision in itself, covered in growth retainer or one-off project.
13. Will you guarantee results?
This question is a test. The honest answer is no. Results depend on traffic quality, offer, price, product demand and implementation. An agency that guarantees a specific lift is either measuring loosely or planning to explain the miss later.
What should you ask about ownership and leaving?
Ownership and exit questions protect you if the relationship ends. You should own your store, your code, your designs, your ad accounts and your data. Clear exit terms cost a good agency nothing and save you a great deal if things go wrong.
14. Who owns the work and the accounts?
The answer should be "you," for everything: theme code, design files, analytics, ad accounts, customer data and any apps built for you.
15. What happens when we stop working together?
Ask about notice periods, handover and documentation. A good agency leaves behind a record of what was changed, what was tested and what was learned, so your next team doesn't start from zero.
Which answers should worry you?
The answers that should worry you are the ones that avoid specifics. Vague proof, guaranteed outcomes, unclear ownership and a refusal to define success are all reasons to slow down. One weak answer may be fine. A pattern of them usually isn't.
Watch for:
- Every question answered with a service list
- Results with no starting point or no named store
- No losses, ever
- Pressure to sign a long term before any proof
- Junior staff appearing only after signing
- Your accounts set up under their name
If the answers suggest you need one specialist rather than a team, our comparison of Shopify consultants, freelancers and agencies can help you choose the right shape of help.
The short version
Ask every agency the same questions about your problem, their proof, their process, the money and how you leave. Compare the answers side by side. The right agency will answer from your numbers, show proof that matches your situation, and make it easy to start small.
For the bigger picture on agency types and how to choose between them, read our ecommerce agency guide. If you'd like to test these questions on us, you can look through our work first and judge the proof for yourself.