What D2C Founders Should Check Before Hiring an Agency

Most D2C founders have been burned by digital marketing agencies. They promise ₹10Cr scale, but hand you generic reports, recycle old ads, and assign your brand to junior interns.

Red Flags to Watch For - **They only report on Ad Manager ROAS**: They ignore Shopify-level metrics (MER, net profits) and blame platform updates when sales drop. - **They don't ask about your inventory or margins**: If an agency doesn't understand your unit economics, they cannot scale your brand sustainably. - **They assign you a Junior Account Manager**: The senior strategist who pitched you vanishes, leaving your budget in the hands of an intern.

5 Hard Questions to Ask in Your Next Meeting 1. *'Will my account be managed by a junior, or will a senior strategist work on it directly?'* 2. *'How do you handle creative fatigue? Do you script and direct creatives, or do you expect me to supply them?'* 3. *'How will you coordinate Google search demand capture with our Meta spend?'* 4. *'What website CRO recommendations will you make to support our scaling budget?'* 5. *'Do you understand Shopify data, and can you set up WhatsApp/email flows to capture repeat buyers?'*