{"id":1793020142,"date":"2026-11-06T09:12:38","date_gmt":"2026-11-06T08:12:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/btop.pl\/?p=1793020142"},"modified":"2026-11-06T09:42:51","modified_gmt":"2026-11-06T08:42:51","slug":"working-with-a-marketplace-agency-how-to-set-it-up-so-that-it-delivers-results","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/btop.pl\/en\/working-with-a-marketplace-agency-how-to-set-it-up-so-that-it-delivers-results\/","title":{"rendered":"Working with a marketplace agency: how to structure the partnership so that it delivers results"},"content":{"rendered":"

And why might the previous agency have let you down, even though it wasn\u2019t necessarily your fault?.<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

We have conversations like this at bTOP every few weeks. A shop owner operating on Allegro, Amazon or Kaufland calls and explains why working with their previous agency \u2013 and sometimes with two or three \u2013 did not deliver the expected results. The story usually follows a similar pattern, involving expenditure that isn\u2019t matched by sales, contact limited to a monthly report, activities tailored to all clients at once, and a feeling that nobody on the other end is really looking after the account. The same themes recur in conversations with clients who have been selling on marketplaces for several years.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This doesn\u2019t necessarily mean that the previous agency was bad. Rather, it means that the partnership was set up incorrectly from day one \u2013 whether on the agency\u2019s side, the client\u2019s side, or, most commonly, on both sides. The good news is that this can be put right. This article sets out specific points worth considering before you sign a contract with a new marketplace agency, as well as measures you should implement within your own organisation, even if you decide to stick with your current agency. We\u2019ve written it from the perspective of a marketplace agency which, through its work with shops on Allegro, Amazon and other channels, sees these mechanisms from the inside \u2013 that is, at the level of campaigns, offer and listing management, and handling dozens of sellers simultaneously.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

1. Why are clients sometimes dissatisfied with their previous agencies?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

In our experience, the five reasons for dissatisfaction almost always recur in the same order. The order is not random, as the first three usually stem from mistakes on both sides, whilst the last two result from a poor match between the agency and the client \u2013 a situation that will continue to recur until the way the agency is selected changes.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The campaigns are not living up to expectations.<\/span><\/b> Allegro Ads campaigns are not achieving their target ROAS, Amazon PPC campaigns are exceeding their target ACoS, and listings are stagnating. Before blaming the agency, it is worth asking yourself two questions. The first is whether the KPIs have been properly defined, as ROAS, when viewed in isolation from profit margins, measures revenue rather than profit. The second is whether the agency had a genuine impact on the result for which it is being held accountable. If the campaign failed to deliver results because the product page features three amateurish photos without any infographics, the price is 15% higher than that of the top three competitors, and the stock consists mainly of colour variants that customers aren\u2019t looking for, then the agency is held responsible for a result over which it has no control.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Non-recoverable expenditure. The budget is running out, and sales are not growing at the rate that was anticipated<\/span><\/b>. This is almost always the result of a discussion focused solely on ROAS, without any mention of profitability. A campaign with a ROAS of 1200% can result in a loss, whilst a campaign with a ROAS of 500% can generate a real profit, as this is determined by the product margin, logistics costs, returns and marketplace commissions \u2013 factors which the advertising dashboard does not show. On Allegro, commissions and fees for featured listings alone can eat up the entire profit from a campaign that looks great on paper.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A contact that isn\u2019t working.<\/span><\/b> This problem can take two extreme forms. The first is a failure to reply to emails, with a report only being provided at the end of the month instead of ongoing communication. The second is a flood of unstructured messages, in which important information gets lost in the operational noise. Both scenarios result in the client not knowing what is going on and assuming the worst.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Activities that are unrelated to the specific nature of the shop.<\/span><\/b> The agency offers a \u201estandard package\u201d, which is the same set of services for a dog food shop as for an upholstered furniture shop, for 8,000 zlotys. These two businesses have different purchasing cycles, different profit margins, different customer decision-making processes and different logistics models. On marketplaces, the specific nature of the channel adds to this complexity, as you build your position differently on Allegro using the Allegro Smart! programme, differently on Amazon with fulfilment handled by FBA, and yet differently at Kaufland. A single approach will not work across all channels.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Service according to the template.<\/span><\/b> The client gets the impression that their account is being managed according to a fixed pattern, as they receive the same recommendations every month, whilst the agency shows no initiative, does not suggest new products for campaigns and does not respond to changes introduced by the platforms. This is usually a sign that, from the agency\u2019s perspective, the account has slipped down the list of priorities, either because the client pays little, is difficult to work with, or both.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The most important takeaway from this list isn\u2019t that \u201eyou need to find a better agency\u201d. Rather, it is that before you start looking for a new one, it is worth taking an honest look at these five points and considering which of them apply to us as well. If three of them recur in subsequent collaborations, changing providers will not solve the problem.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

2. Agency or in-house: a question which, if asked the wrong way, becomes a trap<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This is a question that almost every shop owner who has reached a certain level of sales on marketplaces asks themselves. Usually, however, they frame it incorrectly, as if there were a single answer that would apply once and for all. In reality, there is no single answer, because the model that suits a business today may be completely different from the one that will suit it a year from now. That is why at bTOP, rather than weighing up the pros and cons \u2013 which gives a false sense of certainty \u2013 we suggest looking at three factors which, taken together, point to the right model of collaboration.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The first point is <\/span>sales maturity<\/span><\/b>, that is, how far your business has already come on marketplaces. A shop that is only just joining Allegro or trying its hand at Amazon.de for the first time, without established processes, without its own analytics and without experience in managing listings on the platform, needs something different from a seller with its own marketplace team who is looking for a third channel to scale sales. A company that is only just testing whether its product will find buyers will not benefit from working with an agency costing X thousand zlotys a month. Conversely, a shop with an annual turnover on Allegro of around 8 million zlotys should not rely on a single intern.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The second point is <\/span>available options<\/span><\/b>, namely the people in the team, the time of the decision-makers, and the money you actually have at your disposal. It\u2019s not just a question of whether you can afford a particular option. What also matters is the time of the business owner or e-commerce manager, who would have to recruit, train, manage and supervise an in-house team \u2013 and who, for the next six months, would be unable to focus on strategy, pricing or new products. A lack of time very often determines the choice of an agency, even in companies that can afford their own in-house team.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The third point is <\/span>goal for the coming months<\/span><\/b>, that is, what is set to happen in sales over the next six months. A fresh perspective and new ideas are different from the efficient implementation of tried-and-tested measures, and both differ from a major strategic change, such as entering three new European markets within 12 months. An agency that excels at running campaigns on Allegro may prove to be a poor partner when it comes to launching on Amazon.de. Specialisation in marketplaces is exactly what the shop needs here.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It is only when the answers to these three questions are set side by side that a model of collaboration emerges which stands a chance of working. It could be an agency managing all marketplaces. It could be a single in-house specialist whom we support on a project basis during expansion. It could be two in-house staff members and an agency responsible solely for strategy. Finally, it could be a manager hired on a temporary basis for the first six months. The question \u201eagency or in-house\u201d is therefore misguided, as it assumes a binary choice that does not exist in practice.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

3. The strengths of each model<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you compare them fairly, the two models turn out to be complementary, and that is, in fact, the most important conclusion to be drawn from this comparison.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The strength of an in-house team: first-hand knowledge.<\/span><\/b> He works at the company every day, knows the product inside out, is aware of the actual margin on individual SKUs, remembers the seasonal trends from previous years, understands the warehouse processes, and knows why Supplier X delivers goods on time whilst Supplier Y does not. He\u2019s on the spot when customer service flags a new wave of complaints about a particular product, and he knows about it before it appears in the reports. Decisions are made quickly, often during a chat in the kitchen, without having to wait several days for a scheduled meeting.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The agency\u2019s strength: a view of the entire market.<\/span><\/b> She sees what\u2019s working outside your category, what other shops that are currently scaling up are testing, what advertising formats Allegro and Amazon have recently introduced, which of the competition\u2019s listings are securing the top positions, and what changes to the ranking algorithms the platforms are preparing. She has carried out dozens of similar implementations, knows the typical pitfalls and knows how to avoid them, because she has seen others fall into them. At bTOP, we view the market from precisely this perspective, as dozens of online shops simultaneously show us what works and what stops working in any given week.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

An agency is the better choice when a company needs an outside perspective and insight into what other sellers are doing. It also works well when you need several specialist skills at once, such as an Allegro Ads media buyer, an Amazon PPC specialist, a graphic designer to create product infographics and a feed analyst \u2013 whilst hiring four specialists would take half a year and cost more than a subscription. An agency also has the advantage when projects involve periods of peak workload, such as Black Friday, Prime Day, a product launch or entering a new market, and you need to flexibly scale resources up or down. It\u2019s also worth choosing an agency if you want ready-made processes, reports and benchmarks that don\u2019t need to be built from scratch.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

An in-house team excels in highly specialised sectors requiring a lengthy implementation process, such as the medical sector or technical B2B, as well as when dealing with large product catalogues full of nuances that cannot be mastered in four weeks. It also works well where the role requires daily, close communication with other departments, namely product, logistics and customer service. It has an advantage too when the scale of operations and a stable budget allow a company to maintain its own full-time team. Finally, it is the better choice where expertise in marketplace sales forms part of a competitive advantage that the company does not wish to outsource.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In practice, hybrid models work best. They combine an in-house representative who knows the business inside out and manages the relationship with the agency, with an agency that delivers the activities, provides specialists and offers a market perspective. At bTOP, this is precisely how we usually work \u2013 not as a replacement for the client\u2019s team, but as an extension of it within the marketplaces where we operate on a daily basis. Arguing about which model is better in general is like arguing over whether a hammer is better than a screwdriver.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

4. The brief as a starting point, not a ready-made plan<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A brief that tries to predict everything either never gets written \u2013 because the project gets bogged down at the \u201eI\u2019ll fine-tune it later\u201d stage \u2013 or takes the form of a document intended to replace a conversation. Both approaches are detrimental. A good brief opens up a conversation, rather than trying to replace it.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A good brief gives the agency <\/span>as much information as you need to get off to a good start<\/span><\/b>, and the agency will get to know the rest during the first few weeks of the collaboration. In practice, it should cover five areas. It should describe who you are \u2013 that is, your product, category, business model, approximate scale and presence on marketplaces. It should specify what you want to achieve, and this must be a specific business objective. It\u2019s not about \u201eincreasing ROAS\u201d, but rather, for example, \u201eincreasing sales on Allegro in category X by Y% whilst maintaining a margin of Z%\u201d or \u201elaunching sales on Amazon.de in category Y and reaching break-even point in the sixth month\u201d. It should outline what you have already tried, what worked, what didn\u2019t, and why, in your opinion, that happened. It should list your constraints, such as budget, deadlines, sensitive categories, brand guidelines and minimum prices. Finally, it should specify who on your side approves the budget, creative assets and strategy.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Brief <\/span>not<\/span><\/i> It must include a full campaign plan, as that is precisely why you are hiring an agency. It does not need to include detailed financial information about the company; this can be provided later, once a confidentiality agreement has been signed. Nor does it need to specify quantified campaign targets, as these will be agreed jointly once the agency has analysed the sales data and the advertising panel.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The amount of information the agency needs about the company increases in line with the scope of the tasks entrusted to it. For Allegro Ads campaigns alone, knowledge of the product, KPIs and advertising activities is sufficient. When managing the entire product range on marketplaces, we delve into prices, margins, logistics, commissions, returns policies, product range structure and variant strategy, and sometimes even supplier contracts. However, an agency should always know more than just the figures visible in the advertising dashboard.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It is worth adding one more thing. A brief drawn up in isolation from the agency is usually inferior to one prepared through joint discussion. That is why, after the first round, it is worth giving one or two agencies the opportunity to ask for further details, as the one that asks the best questions usually turns out to be the best partner. At bTOP, we treat the first two hours with a new client precisely as a collaborative process of creating the brief, rather than simply accepting it.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

5. Communication is the responsibility of both parties<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It sounds obvious, of course, but in practice this is where things most often go wrong. The agency\u2019s role is to ask questions, analyse data and put forward proposals. The client\u2019s role is to keep the agency informed of changes within the company and to deliver what has been agreed upon in a timely manner. When one of the parties neglects their role, the collaboration slows down, and the problem is later attributed to a lack of commitment or poor communication.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The agency should ask questions, particularly at the start of the collaboration and especially about matters that aren\u2019t apparent from the figures. It should ask why you\u2019re suddenly introducing free delivery, why a product that\u2019s selling extremely well has had its rating dropped to 4.2, or why a competitor in the top three has dropped to the second page of search results, and whether this is an opportunity for you or a warning sign. The agency should analyse, not just report. It should work with the data, compare it and challenge established assumptions. It should also make recommendations \u2013 in other words, not wait for instructions, but propose a direction and defend it with arguments.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The client, in turn, must keep us informed. It is not a question of informing us about everything, but about matters that may affect our work. The client should mention a price increase by a supplier that will reduce the margin, a planned campaign with an influencer that will generate a surge in traffic, a delivery issue that will necessitate the cancellation of 300 orders on Allegro, about a budget cut, and also about the fact that the board expects results after three months rather than six. An agency that only finds out about such matters after the fact \u2013 from the client\u2019s social media or from a sudden drop in sales in the dashboard \u2013 has no chance of doing a good job.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Put simply, a good agency does not expect to know everything about the company, but knows which issues to ask about. Conversely, a good client does not report on everything, but recognises which changes can have an impact on campaigns and sales.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

6. The agency is backed by a team, not just one person<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This is one of the strongest arguments in favour of using an agency, one that clients often fail to recognise at first. As part of your subscription, you don\u2019t get a single person who knows everything, because such a person simply doesn\u2019t exist in marketplace marketing. You get an account manager backed by a team and tried-and-tested processes.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Account Manager<\/span><\/b> is your main point of contact. It is to them that you report changes, with them that you set priorities, and it is they who coordinate your needs with the work of the specialists who carry them out. Each of them works with several clients, which means you not only benefit from their time but also gain a point of reference, as they know what has recently worked for another shop in a similar category.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The experience of the entire company<\/span><\/b> It\u2019s a resource that clients usually don\u2019t appreciate until they need it. If a tricky case comes up, someone on the team has most likely already encountered it and will advise you where to start. If a new Amazon update messes up the feed, the information is quickly passed on to the whole team and we know how to respond. If you\u2019re entering the German market for the first time, there are people on the team who have already carried out similar roll-outs.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Team leaders<\/span><\/b> They check the quality of the work, consult on more difficult decisions and take charge when a matter requires intervention at a higher level. They are not visible on a day-to-day basis, but they step in exactly when they are needed.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As a result, each person has a clearly defined scope of responsibilities and knows to whom to refer a matter that falls outside their remit. A single in-house role simply cannot offer this division of labour, as even the best specialist cannot be a media buyer, graphic designer, analyst and strategist all at once.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

7. How much control, and how much trust?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This is a topic we address directly when speaking to new clients, as it is rarely brought up by them, yet it determines the success of our collaboration more than the quality of the campaign.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In practice, we encounter three types of customer behaviour. The first is <\/span>excessive control<\/span><\/b>, when the client wants to know every detail and personally approve every change. The result is that the agency waits for approval instead of taking action; weeks go by; campaigns miss their window of opportunity; and you find yourself reading the tenth email asking whether the agency can spend 300 z\u0142 on a new advert format. The second approach is <\/span>leaving everything in the hands of the agency<\/span><\/b>, without taking any interest in what is going on. The result is that, after three months, the client is in the dark about the situation; the monthly report shows that money has been spent on a campaign that has long since ceased to make sense, whilst the listings that were due to be corrected two months ago are still awaiting changes. The third, and healthiest, approach is that <\/span>The client is aware of the objective, knows what tests are being carried out, and understands the reasons behind the decisions<\/span><\/b>, and the agency operates independently within the agreed framework.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It is therefore worth monitoring the progress of the collaboration, whilst allowing the agency the freedom to make day-to-day decisions. The client sets the direction, and the agency chooses the means. In practice, this is based on four elements.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A shared goal.<\/span><\/b> The objective should be specific, measurable and time-bound. A slogan such as \u201emore sales\u201d is not enough; the objective should, for example, read as follows: \u201e+40% turnover on Allegro in category X by the end of the second quarter, with an ACoS below 15%\u201d. If both parties interpret the objective differently, the collaboration is off to a bad start from the outset.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A fixed maintenance schedule.<\/span><\/b> We review progress at pre-agreed intervals. We suggest a brief weekly update, which lasts around 15 minutes and covers a few key figures with commentary. Once a month, we hold an hour-long review of results, covering full data and decisions. Once a quarter, we hold a two-hour strategic discussion to set the direction for the next three months.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A clear explanation.<\/span><\/b> The client should be familiar not only with the plan, but also with the reasons why that particular solution was chosen. This means that after three months, they will know what to say to the board, and changing the plan will not be seen as a failure, but as a logical response to the data.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A swift response.<\/span><\/b> It\u2019s worth raising any concerns before the problem escalates. One honest comment in the second week of working together is worth more than ten comments in the twelfth week. If something is bothering you, speak up straight away. If you see the agency doing something you don\u2019t understand, ask. If you have reservations about the chosen course of action, raise them before they become entrenched.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

8. Who is responsible for what?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This is the question that resolves most disputes of the \u201eit was the agency\u2019s fault\u201d and \u201eyour shop isn\u2019t delivering\u201d variety. Responsibility in the partnership between the client and the marketplace agency is divided into three areas.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The agency\u2019s remit.<\/span><\/b> The agency is responsible for what happens in campaigns and on product pages. It runs Allegro Ads and Amazon PPC campaigns, sets bid prices, selects keywords, prepares and reviews new ad creatives, and regularly assesses the effectiveness of its activities. It also manages product listings \u2013 including titles, descriptions, infographics and visibility in the marketplace\u2019s search engine \u2013 and, based on this, suggests the next steps to the client.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Communal area.<\/span><\/b> Together, we set out what we\u2019re aiming for and how we\u2019ll know when we\u2019ve succeeded, and we update these agreements as and when necessary. We also decide together on the size of the budget and how it is allocated, what we prioritise, and when to expand our activities into new markets and categories, and when to scale them back.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The shop\u2019s range.<\/span><\/b> Everything that happens outside of the campaigns remains the client\u2019s responsibility \u2013 namely, decisions regarding product range, prices and margins, stock management, running their own online shop, as well as dispatch, packaging, customer contact and handling returns. The agency can offer advice here, but the decisions rest with the client; and without stock available, even the best campaign will not generate sales.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Both sides work on sales, but each has its own clearly defined remit. When sales fall, before anyone starts looking for someone to blame, it is worth referring to this division of responsibilities and checking in which area the problem has arisen. An agency with a ROAS of 500% won\u2019t be able to help if the shop has stopped operating, if margins have been eroded by discounts introduced without consultation, or if key products have been out of stock for three weeks. If this division of responsibilities is set out at the start of the collaboration and discussed openly during every quarterly review, the agency and the client will be on the same page, rather than blaming one another.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

9. What to do when something goes wrong<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

An error is bound to happen sooner or later, so the question is not \u201eif\u201d, but \u201ewhat then\u201d. It could be an unspecified campaign budget limit, resulting in expenditure twice as high as agreed in the contract. It could be a mistake in the product variant description, causing 400 customers to order the product in the wrong colour. It could be a missed deadline for submitting an offer for a promotional campaign, which the agency was supposed to monitor. There are two possible ways to respond, and it is these \u2013 rather than the mistake itself \u2013 that determine the fate of the partnership.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The first scenario is <\/span>the spiral of conflict<\/span><\/b>. First come the frantic phone calls and emails written in the heat of the moment. Then each side starts defending its own version of events, and instead of repairing the damage, everyone gets caught up in determining whose fault it is. Such a dispute usually ends in the termination of the contract, a loss of trust, and sometimes a court case. A fault that could have been rectified in a single day ruins a two-year partnership and leaves both parties convinced that \u201eit just won\u2019t work\u201d.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The second scenario is <\/span>collaborative problem-solving<\/span><\/b>. We start by calmly reconstructing the sequence of events. Then we look for the cause in the way we work, rather than in any one person. Next, we minimise the damage and rectify what we can, and finally we record the changes we\u2019re making to ensure the situation doesn\u2019t happen again. Such a note may be brief or take up a whole page, but it\u2019s always put in writing.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A mistake in itself rarely spells the end of a working relationship, as the way in which both parties deal with it is far more important. At bTOP, we have a written rule stating that a mistake which we fail to report to the client within 24 hours is a bigger problem than the mistake itself. The reverse is also true, as a client who is made aware of issues early on almost always reacts more calmly than a client who only sees them in a report two weeks later.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

10. Before you thank the agency, ask yourself a few questions<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If, despite everything, you feel that you need to end the working relationship, do so fairly. First, however, go through the four questions you should ask yourself before sending a notice of termination. These aren\u2019t questions directed against the agency, but questions that help you distinguish between a genuine problem on the supplier\u2019s side and a problem arising from the working relationship itself \u2013 one that would look exactly the same under a new logo.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Does the current arrangement still suit the company?<\/span><\/b> Over the past year, the shop may have grown, changed its product range or taken on new staff. A model that worked well in the past may not be suitable today. This isn\u2019t the agency\u2019s fault, but a natural change on your part that the agency may not have spotted in time.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Does the agency have a full picture of the situation?<\/span><\/b> If a company\u2019s priorities, categories, budget or objectives have changed, and the agency is not aware of this, it will continue to work in a direction that is no longer appropriate.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Have my expectations been made clear?<\/span><\/b> Nowadays, it is very common for a client to expect something different from what was set out in the contract six months ago, but nobody asked them about it directly because everyone was busy with their day-to-day work.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How do we cope with difficulties?<\/span><\/b> If you emerge stronger from successive difficult situations, stick with this partnership. If every crisis ends with yet another bridge being burnt, even the best agency on the market won\u2019t be able to save you, because the problem is one of relationships, not competence.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Changing agencies won\u2019t make any difference if the way we work together remains the same. In that case, the new agency will face exactly the same complaints next year as the current one.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

11. How we want to work: the principles and rules we propose at the start of our collaboration<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s now look at it from a different angle. Everything we\u2019ve written so far has focused on how a client can work effectively with an agency. It\u2019s just as important to consider how we at bTOP want to conduct this collaboration. If the rules are set out straight away, in the first week, we\u2019ll avoid most situations where someone says, \u201eI thought it would be different\u201d. Below, we outline the rules we propose to clients at the outset, which we regard as the foundation for a partnership that stands a chance of lasting longer than a single quarter.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One decision-maker on the client\u2019s side.<\/span><\/b> We would ask that there be one person on your side responsible for operational, budgetary and strategic decisions, who, following internal consultations, provides us with a single, binding response. If one person approves something, another rejects it, and a third adds further comments a week later, collaboration gets bogged down in the approval process and campaigns miss their window of opportunity. Having a single decision-maker does not mean that other people cannot be copied into correspondence. It does, however, mean that one person ultimately says \u201eyes\u201d or \u201eno\u201d.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A steady rhythm of meetings and reports.<\/span><\/b> We propose a regular communication schedule: a brief update once a week, a review of results once a month, and a strategic discussion once a quarter. This schedule applies to both parties. If you are unable to attend the weekly meeting, we will arrange a new time within the same week. If we are unable to attend, we will let you know at least 24 hours in advance. Meetings that are cancelled without a new date being set are the first sign that the partnership is starting to break down.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A response time binding on both parties.<\/span><\/b> We undertake to respond to operational enquiries within 24 working hours, and to strategic enquiries requiring analysis within 48 working hours. We ask the same of you, as a campaign awaiting approval loses out just as much as a client waiting for our reply. If something requires more time, we\u2019ll say so straight away, rather than keeping quiet.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Full access from day one.<\/span><\/b> From the very start of our collaboration, please provide us with access to your marketplace account, your listing management system and any other analytical tools you use. An agency that relies on screenshots sent by email is working in the dark, which is detrimental to both you and the agency. Access to these tools is a necessary part of the job, not a sign of mistrust.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Transparency of data in both directions.<\/span><\/b> We don\u2019t hide poor results, as you\u2019ll see them in the dashboard the very next day anyway. We ask the same of you. If the margin on a key product is falling, if you\u2019re changing your returns policy or planning a stock clearance, please let the agency know before we notice for ourselves in the dashboard that something unusual is happening with sales. Data transparency is the foundation for discussing profitability, not just ROAS.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Providing advance notice of business changes.<\/span><\/b> Please do let us know in advance about any decisions that affect campaigns and sales. This applies to price changes, discount promotions, new products in the range, planned product discontinuations, changes to logistics, collaborations with influencers, and any external events that may cause an increase in traffic or a drop in conversion rates. If we only find out about a promotion on the day it starts, the adverts will run according to an outdated strategy for the following week.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Written statement of responsibilities.<\/span><\/b> At the start of our collaboration, we work together to draw up the division of responsibilities described in section eight; in other words, we divide the areas into those managed by the agency, those managed by the client, and those for which we are jointly responsible. We review this during every quarterly review. If something has changed on your side, this may require changes on our side as well, and vice versa.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Clear acceptance criteria.<\/span><\/b> At the outset, we establish what requires the client\u2019s approval and what remains at the agency\u2019s discretion. Typically, the client approves new strategies, budget changes above an agreed threshold, new campaigns and creative content. The agency independently makes optimisation decisions within campaigns, such as the selection of bid rates and keywords, creative variations within the approved brief, and daily adjustments to settings. Setting these rules out once saves hundreds of \u201ecan we do X?\u201d questions over the course of the next year.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Regular updates.<\/span><\/b> Please do let us know straight away if something is worrying you, if there\u2019s something you don\u2019t understand, or if things are taking longer than you expected. A problem reported after three months is much harder to fix than one reported in the second week. It works the same way for us too. If we\u2019re missing materials, information or decisions, we\u2019ll say so openly and won\u2019t pretend we can work without them.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Error response procedure.<\/span><\/b> A fault that we do not report to the customer within 24 hours is a bigger problem than the fault itself. We are committed to following the procedure outlined in section nine, which involves calmly reconstructing the sequence of events, identifying the cause, rectifying the damage and documenting the changes we make. Please apply the same principle when something goes wrong on your end, as this also happens and is entirely natural.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Clarity regarding other contractors.<\/span><\/b> If you are working with other agencies in the same channels as us, please let us know. This isn\u2019t about causing problems, but rather that having two agencies optimising the same Allegro Ads campaign without being aware of each other is a sure-fire way to end up competing on bid prices, cancelling out each other\u2019s optimisation efforts and shifting the blame for results.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Payments on time.<\/span><\/b> Payment by the deadline specified in the contract is just as important a part of the partnership as the execution of the campaign. If the agency has to wait three months for a bank transfer, your account will sooner or later slip down its list of priorities, which is entirely to be expected. If you are experiencing cash flow difficulties, please be straightforward about it, and together we will find a solution that will allow us to continue working.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A place for experiments.<\/span><\/b> We would like your approval to allocate a fixed portion of the advertising budget \u2013 typically between 10 and 20% \u2013 to testing new formats, channels or strategies. Tests sometimes fail, and this is an inherent part of the cost of gaining knowledge. An agency that has no scope for experimentation can only maintain the status quo, rather than seeking ways to achieve better results.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This article is based on the bTOP team\u2019s experience of working with sellers on Allegro, Amazon and other marketplaces. If you\u2019d like to discuss working together on marketplace sales, please email sales@btop.pl.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Blog author: Ee-commerce expert \u2013 <\/span>Adrian \u015amigiel (CEO)<\/em>
\nDate of publication: 6 November 2026.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

And why your previous agency might have let you down, though not necessarily through any fault of your own. We have conversations like this at bTOP every few weeks. A shop owner operating on Allegro, Amazon or Kaufland calls and explains why working with their previous agency \u2013 and sometimes two or three \u2013 didn\u2019t deliver the expected results. The story usually follows a similar pattern, as it involves expenditure that isn\u2019t matched by sales, contact limited to a monthly report, activities tailored to all clients at once, and a sense that, Read more <\/a><\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1793020155,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,76,42,44,43,66,62,45,64,63,47,83,65,82,72,77,46,69,73,71,70,88,87,81,78,80,79,67,84,74,89,75],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1793020142","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aktualnosci","category-aliexpress","category-allegro","category-amazon","category-base","category-black-red-white","category-castorama","category-cdiscount","category-decathlon","category-ebay","category-emag","category-empikplace","category-homeyou","category-home24","category-inpost","category-joom","category-kaufland","category-leroy-merlin","category-manomano","category-mediaexpert","category-mediamarkt","category-obi-de","category-otto","category-pigu","category-shein","category-skroutz","category-super-pharm","category-temu","category-tiktok-shop","category-trendyol","category-vente-unique","category-xxxlutz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/btop.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1793020142","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/btop.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/btop.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btop.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btop.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1793020142"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/btop.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1793020142\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1793020152,"href":"https:\/\/btop.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1793020142\/revisions\/1793020152"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btop.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1793020155"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/btop.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1793020142"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btop.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1793020142"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/btop.pl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1793020142"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}