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Ecommerce agency vs operations team: who does what
If your agency reports clicks and ROAS but stockouts keep happening, the gap is operations
A marketplace agency usually owns advertising, creative and growth, and is often paid partly on ad spend or revenue. An operations team owns the daily work: inventory and purchase orders, listings, order exceptions, tier-one support, returns, the 3PL and account health, usually for a fixed fee. In the ecommerce agency vs operations team question, many brands need both, with clear lanes.
Who does what?
The table below is the page. It shows who usually owns each task in a typical setup. Your agency or provider may differ, so use it as a checklist: ask each one to mark the same 24 rows in writing.
| Task | Typical marketplace agency | Typical operations team | You |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sponsored ads (Amazon Ads, Walmart Connect) | Usually | Sometimes, as an extra | Approve budget |
| Creative and brand content | Usually | Rarely | Approve |
| A+ content | Usually | Sometimes, as an extra | Approve |
| Keyword research | Usually | Sometimes, for listings | Review |
| Listings upkeep (prices, attributes, images in place) | Sometimes | Usually | Approve price changes |
| Catalog errors and suppressed listings | Sometimes, as an extra | Usually | Informed |
| Inventory levels and reorder points | Rarely | Usually | Approve reorder quantities |
| Purchase orders to suppliers | Rarely | Usually drafts them | Approve and pay |
| Inbound shipments and FNSKU labels | Rarely | Usually | Informed |
| 3PL coordination | Rarely | Usually | Informed |
| 3PL invoice checks | Rarely | Usually | Approve disputes |
| Order exceptions (late, lost, wrong address) | Rarely | Usually | Informed |
| "Where is my order?" tickets | Rarely | Usually | Informed |
| Returns and chargeback evidence | Rarely | Usually | Approve refunds above a set amount |
| Daily account health checks | Sometimes | Usually | Informed of anything at risk |
| Appeals and plans of action | Sometimes, as an extra | Sometimes, as an extra | Approve and sign |
| Reimbursement claims | Sometimes, often for a commission | Usually | Informed |
| Pricing rules and repricer settings | Sometimes | Usually | Set the limits |
| Margin by SKU and channel | Rarely | Usually | Review weekly |
| Cash forecast | Rarely | Sometimes | Owns it |
| SOPs | Rarely | Usually, written in your workspace | Approve |
| Automations | Rarely | Usually | Approve |
| Weekly KPI review | Usually, on ad metrics | Usually, on operating metrics | Attends |
| Supplier relationships | Rarely | Rarely; coordination only | Owns them |
Two rows deserve a second look. Reimbursement claims are often sold as a separate service for a share of what is recovered, and since Oct 23, 2024 most claims for units lost or damaged in Amazon fulfillment centers must be filed within 60 days (eComEngine, updated Mar 7, 2025, vendor), so someone has to check every month. And supplier relationships stay with you in either model. A good operations team drafts purchase orders and chases shipments; it does not replace your judgment about who you buy from.
How is each paid?
Agencies are often paid partly on a percentage. Operations teams are usually paid a fixed monthly fee. The model shapes the incentives, so it is worth understanding before you compare prices.
| Model | How it is charged | Published 2026 range | What it rewards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agency retainer | A fixed monthly fee for a scope | $1,500 to $3,000 a month under $250K revenue; $7,500 to $15,000 for $2M to $10M; $15,000 to $25,000+ above $10M | Delivering the scope |
| Agency share of ad spend | A percentage of the ad budget, on top of a retainer | 10% to 20% | Spending more on ads |
| Agency share of revenue | A percentage of gross sales | 3% to 10% | Higher sales, whether or not the work grows |
| Operations team, fixed fee (Ecom Relays) | A published monthly fee for a written scope | Ops Desk $1,499, $2,499 or from $4,499 a month for brands at $1M+; Store Care from $399 a month for new stores | Doing the agreed work well, to written standards |
Sources: SupplyKick (updated Sep 14, 2026) and AMZDUDES (Jul 29, 2026), vendor estimates; Ecom Relays price list (Oct 2026). Contracts at agencies commonly run 6 or 12 months, often with exit fees of 1 to 3 months' retainer (same sources).
A percentage is not wrong in itself. It does mean the fee follows your ad budget or your sales rather than the work. If you are weighing an in-house hire instead, the comparison changes again: an ecommerce operations manager averages $63,456 in salary (ZipRecruiter, Sep 16, 2026), about $90,650 a year once benefits are counted (BLS, June 2026 data: benefits are 30.0% of total compensation), and a senior lead sits nearer the BLS median of $105,770 (May 2025).
Our Store Care and Ops Desk fees are never a percentage of your sales or ad spend. Reimbursement claims are included in every monthly plan with no commission. Our ad management is a flat add-on: $299 a month up to $5,000 of spend, $599 up to $20,000. Full prices and terms are on pricing.
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Read the transcript Captions are on screen Characters are fictional. Voices are AI-generated.
How does each report?
Agencies report clicks and ROAS. We report margin, stockouts and response times, with the period and source on every number. Both reports are useful. They answer different questions.
Illustrative · sample figures. Two monthly report outlines for the same brand.
| Typical agency report | Typical operations report |
|---|---|
| Ad spend: $18,400 | Contribution margin by channel after every fee: Amazon 21%, Shopify 27% |
| ROAS: 4.1 | Stockout days on the top 20 SKUs: 3 (last month 9) |
| ACoS: 24% | Days of supply at FBA for top sellers: 41 |
| Impressions and click-through rate by campaign | Order defect rate 0.4%; late shipment rate 1.8% |
| New keywords added: 36 | First reply to customers: 92% within 4 business hours |
| Top campaigns by sales | Reimbursement claims filed: 14; resolved: 11 |
| Next month: test budget shifts | Next month: reorder SKU-2041 by the 12th; dispute two 3PL invoice lines |
The left column tells you whether ads are working. The right column tells you whether the business underneath them is healthy. If you only see the left column, nobody is looking at the right one.
Signs the gap is operations, not ads
These are the sentences we hear most from brands whose agency is doing its job well and something is still wrong.
- "Revenue is up, but margin is not."
- "We keep running out of our top sellers."
- "Our inbox is full of 'where is my order?'"
- "We find account health problems when it is already too late."
- "Our agency runs ads, but nobody runs operations."
None of these is an advertising problem. More ad spend on a SKU that is about to run out burns money and can hurt its rank, so fix stock before you scale ads.
How do an ecommerce agency and operations team work together?
-
Lanes:
the agency owns campaigns, bids, creative and A+ copy. The operations team owns stock, listings accuracy, orders, support, the 3PL and account health.
-
One dashboard:
both teams read the same numbers for stock, margin and account health.
-
A weekly 30-minute sync:
stock levels, upcoming promotions, listing changes, anything at risk.
-
Approvals:
you approve price changes. Neither team changes price outside the limits you set.
-
Stock feeds ads:
no ad spend on SKUs below their reorder point until stock is inbound. The operations team flags them each week.
The two work well side by side when the lanes are written down in week one. This is how we set it up when a brand keeps its ad agency.
Do you need both?
-
Under $1M, one channel:
usually neither full-time. Founder plus a small amount of help; new stores can look at Store Care.
-
$1M to $3M, one channel, ads already working:
an operations team first. The agency can stay if its results are good.
-
$1M to $3M, operations already solid:
an agency alone may be enough.
-
$3M to $15M, two or three channels:
usually both, with written lanes, or an operations team with flat-fee ad management.
-
Above $15M:
often an in-house team, with outside help for specific systems such as Relay Modules.
Use this as a rough guide by size and channels. The real answer depends on where your problems sit, which a free Profit Leak Scan shows on your own data if you sell $1M or more a year.
When an agency alone is enough
Plenty of brands do not need an operations team.
If you sell on one channel, your stock rarely runs out, tickets are answered on time, account health is clean and your 3PL bills are checked every month, then operations already work. Your gap is growth, and a good ads agency is the right hire. Keep an eye on the second column of the report table above, and come back to this page if those numbers start to slip.
How much does an ecommerce agency cost compared with an operations team?
Published 2026 agency retainers run $1,500 to $25,000+ a month by revenue band, often plus 10% to 20% of ad spend or 3% to 10% of revenue (SupplyKick and AMZDUDES, vendor estimates). Our operations plans are fixed: Store Care from $399 a month for new stores and Ops Desk from $1,499 a month for brands at $1M+.
Do you do PPC?
Yes, as a flat-fee add-on: $299 a month for up to $5,000 of ad spend and $599 for up to $20,000, never a percentage of spend. It is not our core service, and you can keep your ads agency. See Amazon PPC management and Walmart advertising.
Will an operations team step on our agency's work?
It should not, and with us it does not. In week one we write the lanes down: who owns campaigns, who owns listings, who approves price changes and how stock levels feed ad decisions. After that, a short weekly sync keeps both teams working from the same numbers.
What does an ecommerce operations team do each day?
Checks stock and inbound shipments, works order exceptions, answers tier-one tickets including "where is my order?", checks account health on every channel, keeps listings accurate and coordinates with the 3PL. Weekly, it reviews margin by SKU, files reimbursement claims and reports on the same scorecard.
Who owns the listings?
You do. Every listing stays in your accounts and your name. The operations team keeps listings accurate and compliant: prices, attributes, images in place, suppressed items fixed. Your agency may own the copy and creative, and the written lanes say who changes what.
Can one company do both ads and operations?
Some do. Ask which daily tasks are in the written scope, mark them against the 24 rows above and check how each part is priced. A company that is strong at ads may treat operations as an extra, and the other way around. We lead with operations and offer ads as a flat add-on.
How do we measure an operations team?
On the operating numbers: contribution margin by SKU and channel after every fee, stockout days on top sellers, first-reply times, account health metrics, reimbursements filed and resolved and the hours you spend managing. Those numbers sit on Ops Desk's weekly scorecard, reviewed on a fixed day.
Is an operations team the same as a 3PL?
No. A 3PL stores and ships your products. An operations team runs the work around it, including the 3PL: inbound shipments, stock levels, order exceptions, invoice checks and disputes. Many of the problems brands blame on their 3PL are really missing operations work on their side.
More reading: the full VA vs agency vs operations team comparison, what outsourcing operations costs in 2026, how we handle FBA reimbursements with no commission and all comparisons.
Sources6 sources
- 01supplykick.comretainers, 10% to 20% of ad spend, 3% to 10% of revenue, contract terms; updated Sep 14, 2026; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 02amzdudes.comsame ranges; published Jul 29, 2026; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 03ziprecruiter.comas of Sep 16, 2026; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 04bls.govMay 2025; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 05bls.govJune 2026 data; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
- 06ecomengine.com60-day claim window; updated Mar 7, 2025; checked Oct 20, 2026Primary
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