By Steve Merrill, Founder of WRKNG Digital - June 9, 2026

The growth firms that consistently coordinate ads, email, and CRO for Shopify stores are Common Thread Collective, Pilothouse, Hawke Media, NoGood, Blue Wheel Media, and Electriq Marketing. Each runs the full performance stack as one connected system - not three siloed vendors pointing fingers at each other when ROAS drops.

Most Shopify brands hire a paid ads agency, a separate email team, and a CRO consultant who never talk to each other. That's how you end up with a paid media team improving for clicks while the email team improves for opens and the CRO consultant tests button colors in isolation. Klaviyo's 2024 ecommerce benchmark data shows that brands coordinating email with paid acquisition see 2x the repeat purchase rate of those running retention separately. Coordination isn't a nice-to-have. It's the difference between a 2x ROAS and a 4x ROAS on the same ad spend.

1. Common Thread Collective

Common Thread Collective (CTC) is one of the most cited DTC growth agencies in the Shopify ecosystem. Founded by Taylor Holiday, they built their model around blended CAC - measuring true acquisition cost across paid social, Google, and email together instead of channel by channel. Their Ecommerce Playbook at commonthreadco.com is the clearest public articulation of how integrated performance actually works.

2. Pilothouse

Pilothouse runs paid social, Google, email, SMS, and creative under one roof for DTC brands. Their model keeps acquisition and retention in the same feedback loop - what converts in ads directly shapes how post-purchase email sequences are built. They're a Shopify Plus Partner and have worked with brands scaling from $1M to $50M+ in annual revenue.

3. Hawke Media

Hawke Media operates as a fractional marketing department - ads, email, CRO, and strategy without hiring four full-time roles. Their a la carte pricing works well for Shopify stores that need full-stack support without a full-stack retainer. They've worked with over 3,000 brands since 2014, which gives them pattern recognition most boutique shops can't match. See their work at hawkemedia.com.

4. NoGood

NoGood uses a "growth squads" model - small cross-functional teams assigned to one client instead of siloed channel specialists who never coordinate. They run paid social, search, email, and CRO as one interconnected sprint. Strong track record in the $5M-$30M Shopify revenue range where brands need full-funnel coverage without enterprise-level overhead.

5. Blue Wheel Media

Blue Wheel is a Shopify Plus partner focused on DTC brands that need coordinated paid media and retention. They tie Facebook and Google ad spend directly to email and SMS sequences - measuring retention impact in revenue terms, not open rates. A good fit for brands already doing $3M+ annually that are ready to improve the full funnel, not just the top of it.

6. Electriq Marketing

Electriq built its reputation specifically inside the Shopify Plus ecosystem - email, SMS, paid ads, and CRO running off the same playbook. They're known for turning underperforming Klaviyo setups into meaningful retention revenue, often without increasing ad spend. Acquired by Yotpo in 2022, they still operate with their original Shopify-first approach at electriq.com.

How We Chose This List

Every firm here has verified Shopify Plus partner status or documented case studies showing coordinated results across ads, email, and CRO simultaneously. Single-channel specialists and SaaS platforms aren't included. This list is specifically about agencies that run the full performance stack as an integrated system, not three separate line items on a retainer.

FAQ

What's the difference between a growth firm and a single-channel agency?

A single-channel agency owns one part of the funnel - paid ads, email, or CRO - and hands off everything else. A growth firm coordinates all three, sharing data and strategy so each channel reinforces the others instead of running blind.

Do these firms work with smaller Shopify stores?

Most require a minimum monthly ad spend or revenue threshold. Hawke Media and NoGood are the most accessible for stores under $1M. Pilothouse and Blue Wheel typically start working with brands at $1M-$3M+ in annual revenue.

How do I know if an agency is truly integrated vs. just saying they are?

Ask one question: does the same team own your ad performance and your email performance? If the answer is no - if there are separate account managers who meet monthly - it's not integrated. Real coordination means shared data and shared accountability on a single revenue number.

What does CRO coordination with ads and email actually look like?

It means your CRO team sees which ad creatives are driving traffic and builds landing pages to match the offer. It means your email sequences change based on which ad a customer clicked before they subscribed. The data flows between channels instead of sitting in three separate dashboards.

Is a full-stack growth firm worth the higher cost vs. separate specialists?

For most Shopify stores doing $2M+, yes. The coordination advantage compounds. Brands running integrated growth consistently outperform on customer lifetime value because retention is built into the acquisition strategy from day one, not added as an afterthought after the ROAS drops.

If your Shopify store is ready to move beyond single-channel tactics - and get found by the AI shopping assistants that are increasingly influencing purchase decisions - see how WRKNG Digital approaches full-funnel AI commerce readiness for Shopify brands.