The partnership your brand actually needs

The ecommerce industry cycles the same buzzwords: trust, value, delivery, transparency. But what does it take for a brand to truly earn them? And at what cost? 

It’s an environment constantly in flux, where "finished" is a concept that rarely lasts long. Consumer behaviours shift, competition intensifies, regulations evolve, and unforeseen challenges emerge. There’s always a need to adapt. It becomes exhausting. 

So, the mindset shouldn’t be "How do we build a great customer experience on Shopify?" but rather, "How do we keep it great?" The most successful brands don’t cling to a static idea of excellence, they invest in long-term partnerships that  license change, innovation, and growth, without interruption. 

In the eyes of ecommerce, buzzwords hold weight only when backed by action. The brands that thrive aren’t the ones chasing trust and transparency, but those actively building them through strategic investment in progression. 

Imagine this...

You want to launch a new CX strategy, but your existing tech stack doesn't fit today’s ambitions. An inflexible CMS crushes your dreams - that new leasing model idea, discount system for loyal customers, landing page you needed yesterday, custom configurator for bundles - whatever the dream, you’re left feeling full of potential but stuck by a stubborn platform. With a tech partner on your side, you don't have to scramble for freelancers, beg your web developer to pull an all-nighter, or try to figure out some clunky solution yourself. The partner already knows the brand inside out. The idea to execution timeline is within the month, and quality is assured from previous collaborations. 

Many of our clients don’t have to imagine this. They’re all real stories.

"I've gathered feedback from each division, and the response is very positive. The teams appreciate the smooth collaboration and your flexibility when urgent projects arise" — Wouter Graatsma, Ecommerce Director at North Action Sports Group

The three non-negotiables for sustainable ecommerce

If our 9+ years of partnership experience has taught us anything, other than we’re the unofficial tech team members of our clients, it’s that change waits for no one. As much as we’d like to constantly be on the receiving end of consumer hype, it simply isn’t possible when the next idea is about to steal your hard earned market share. Yes brands require ideas, innovation, a point of difference but businesses, those rely on proactivity and forecasting. 

Revolving around three core pillars: agility, scalability, and innovation - these principles guide our partnerships and keep growth on track. We help brands stabilise amidst challenges and grow at the right moments.

Agility: adapting in real time

The pace of change in the ecommerce world is relentless. Algorithm shifts, new technologies, and evolving consumer expectations mean that last quarter's strategy may no longer be relevant. As Paul Barnes highlights in his Marketing Relationships Survey, there is an essential element of "risk resilience" that businesses need to survive and thrive in this post-pandemic world.

North Sails Retainer Wishlist:

Our longterm partner, North Sails is a clear illustrator of agility in ecommerce. The brand’s aptitude for expansion and desire to pioneer is what makes the partnership fruitful - it’s a revolving door of innovation. 

A key result came just before Black Friday sales period. North Sails needed to implement a new discounting system for their partner network, one that automatically applied fixed discounts to specific products without requiring pre-distributed codes. The challenge? They had no prior access to their partners’ email addresses, so the default ‘use North10 at checkout’ just wouldn’t work.

A few conversations later we identified an opportunity. Partners all had one thing in common. Accounts. Within a tight timeline we designed a system that would notify customers within the account context - partners could apply the discount and instantly unlock the new prices across the site. Crucially, this system had to integrate with existing pricing structures, ensuring that public discounts, loyalty programs, and regional pricing strategies weren’t disrupted. The result? A frictionless, automated experience that was live just in time for the holiday rush - without North Sails needing to pause, delay, or compromise their promotional strategy.

Our partnership today

Since our first collaboration with North Sails we have grown with the brand, launching their Apparel store on Shopify and this year expanding our partnership to North Actionsports Group.

Scalability: what is business without growth?

Scalability is where many businesses stumble. As brands expand, they often face bottlenecks, teams become overwhelmed, development cycles stretch, and growth initiatives slow. In the absence of a reliable partner, many companies are left scrambling for support when they need it most. 

Tony's Chocolonely Retainer Wishlist:

As Tony’s Chocolonely began to span B2C, B2B, and Business to Resellers (B2R) channels across the globe, so did their need for ecommerce. Through ongoing partnership we can scale systems and ideas to cater Tony’s fresh tech needs. 

Ladder pricing for multiple segments: Ask Phill’s custom ladder pricing feature enables Tony’s Chocolonely to offer the same product at different price tiers across customer segments. Managed within the Chocoportal - a custom backend application built by Ask Phill - this functionality allows Tony’s Chocolonely to apply volume discounts and flexible pricing for each segment, providing B2B clients with competitive, tailored pricing based on customer type and order size.

Multi-market Klaviyo setup: We implemented Klaviyo across key markets, enabling Tony’s Chocolonely to send targeted, mission-driven messaging tailored to local audiences. This setup supports multi-country and multi-language outreach, ensuring communications resonate with regional needs and preferences.

Wrapper creator integration: Collaborating with Bitfactory, we seamlessly integrated the Wrapper Creator, a fan-favorite feature for personalization. Now, high-volume custom orders for corporate gifting flow smoothly, allowing chocofans and companies alike to create unique, branded chocolate wrappers tailored to their own messages and occasions.

Innovation: staying ahead in a Shopify optimised world

Commerce moves at an unforgiving pace. While Shopify continues to enhance its features and capability, inward innovation is what sets brands apart in the inbetween. Businesses that fail to push boundaries risk falling into complacency, while those that keep evolving create richer, more dynamic customer experiences.

Pink Gellac's Retainer Wishlist:

A brand that treats innovation as a continuous process rather than case by case projects. Through their retainer partnership, Pink Gellac had room to strategically introduce features while growing and designing more conversion magnets through an out of the box customer experience. 

A custom configurator for starter sets: customers can build their ideal starter kit. They can choose lamp colors, select add-ons like a peel base, and pick their favorite gel polish shades. Designed for flexibility, this feature is built to support future product expansions, including gel stickers and press-on nails.

My colour collection feature: a highly personalised alternative to the traditional wishlist, this feature enables customers to track, manage, and export their nail polish collection. Whether they’re building their perfect set or ensuring they don’t repurchase the same shades, the ability to save and download a PDF of their selected colours adds convenience and strengthens customer loyalty.

Seamless omnichannel loyalty program integration: Pink Gellac’s loyalty program is embedded across their online store and retail ecosystem, ensuring a unified experience. With strategic placement on account pages and key website sections, it encourages customers to engage with the program, fostering long-term retention.

The retainer edge: more than just maintenance

A tech retainer, it doesn’t sound sexy. Often assumed a maintenance service or a bug-fixing tool, a retainer partnership at Ask Phill is a vehicle for ecommerce advancement. Maintenance makes up only 25% of the value, the remaining 75% is dedicated to new ideas, strategic insights, and positioning your brand to thrive in a competitive market. 

Here’s how this plays out in practice:

• Roadmaps: regular strategy sessions that ensure development priorities align with your business goals.
• Flexible resource allocation: with a rollover model, unused hours carry over month-to-month, ensuring no time is wasted.
• Direct access to a dedicated team: long-term relationships with lead developers and project managers ensure continuity and deep understanding of your brand.
• Predictable costs: unlike project-based work, a retainer offers stability, with no surprise costs or last-minute overages.
• Benchmarking: we live and breathe ecommerce, we’re in front of technology at all times.
• Tech emergencies: Our emergency policy promises direct response if sites crash, giving peace of minds to clients around the clock.
• Stability: unlike employees, we aren’t going anywhere. The knowledge within the four walls of our agency is for the taking. 

As highlighted in the Marketing Relationship Survey, “clients rank Chemistry as #1 - the most important thing when they are selecting a new agency partner." It's why we value ongoing relationships, built over time, designed to grow business.

Ready to explore how a retainer partnership could propel your brand forward? Let’s chat.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an e-commerce retainer partnership?

An e-commerce retainer is an ongoing partnership where an agency acts as an extension of your team, continuously improving your store. At Ask Phill, maintenance is only about 25 percent of the value; the remaining 75 percent goes to new features, strategic insight, and competitive positioning.

What should you look for in an e-commerce partner?

Look for agility to adapt quickly, scalability to support growth, and continuous innovation. Practical signals include strategic roadmaps, a dedicated team, predictable costs, rollover of unused hours, and emergency response. Research shows brands rank chemistry as the most important factor when choosing a partner.

What is the difference between a retainer and project-based work?

Project work is one-off and can leave you scrambling for support afterward. A retainer offers continuity, predictable costs with no surprise overages, a dedicated team that knows your brand, and the ability to move from idea to execution quickly because the partner already understands your setup.

How does a retainer help brands scale on Shopify?

A retainer gives brands ongoing capacity to add features as they grow, avoiding bottlenecks when internal teams are stretched. Examples include custom ladder pricing for B2B segments, multi-market Klaviyo setups, and bespoke configurators, delivered without pausing or delaying promotional and growth plans.

What does an e-commerce retainer typically include?

Beyond maintenance, a strong retainer includes regular strategy sessions and roadmaps, flexible resource allocation with rollover hours, direct access to dedicated developers and project managers, predictable pricing, industry benchmarking, and emergency response if the site goes down.