Why Smart Brands Are Ditching Agencies for Ecommerce Accelerators in 2025

Fifth Shelf
Apr 17
1 min read

In 2025, ecommerce agencies are collapsing under the weight of their own inefficiencies. Retainers. Delays. Generic strategies. Brands that actually want to grow are opting for ecommerce accelerators—partners who buy product, fund ads, and work with skin in the game.

The Agency Problem (2020–2024)

Agencies promised scale—but delivered delays, templates, and invoices. Brands paid monthly retainers for "optimization" and "strategy"... only to watch sales stall and excuses pile up.

Common agency failings:

Cookie-cutter playbooks with no brand context
High fees with zero accountability
No skin in the game — they get paid whether you grow or not

What Changed in 2025

Brand operators are savvier. They want:

Partners, not middlemen
Real outcomes, not retainers
Teams that move fast and fund growth

That’s why accelerators are rising. They:

Buy your inventory (DWP model)
Fund ads with performance incentives
Optimize listings, run creative, manage ops—all tied to results

Ecommerce Accelerators vs Agencies: Key Differences

Feature	Traditional Agency	Ecommerce Accelerator (Fifth Shelf)
Retainers	High, recurring	None (DWP)
Inventory involvement	None	Direct purchase + fulfillment
Incentive alignment	No	Yes — we only grow if you grow
Time to launch	Weeks/months	Days/weeks
Marketplace expertise	Varies	Amazon, Walmart, DTC focused
Ad execution	Often outsourced	In-house, data-driven