Analysis of 717 agencies shows top performers grow revenue for their clients by using SMS, testing, and automation to make every subscriber more valuable
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Top 10% of ecommerce agencies generate an average of $170,000 in revenue per client’s brand annually
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They achieve this by making each subscriber more valuable – generating $16.70 per subscriber
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Agencies that use SMS and A/B testing see 202% and 192% higher revenue on average, respectively
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Automation helps sustain these results, generating 9x more revenue per send and driving 45% of total email revenue
A new report from Omnisend analyzed campaigns on its email and SMS platform run by 717 agencies managing nearly 3,000 SMB ecommerce brands. It found that top-performing agencies focus not just on growing audiences, but on making existing customers more valuable.
The top 10% of agencies – measured by subscriber revenue – generated $170,000 in annual revenue per client, or $16.70 per subscriber.
The report suggests these results are not driven by a single tactic, but by how agencies combine and apply multiple practices.
- Agencies that use SMS marketing are linked to 202% higher revenue per client on average
- Those that run regular A/B tests are linked to 192% higher revenue.
- Audience segmentation is linked to a smaller but consistent uplift of 8% on average.
Together, these patterns show that top agencies focus on improving how they use the audiences they already have.
“When you combine channels, test what actually works, and tailor messages to different customers, every decision becomes more informed,” said Marty Bauer, Ecommerce Expert at Omnisend. “Over time, that builds a level of understanding that’s hard to replicate, because it’s based on how customers actually behave, not just what marketers assume.”
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Automation turns these practices into consistent revenue
The report also found that top agencies reinforce these gains by putting systems in place that keep generating revenue over time.
Among the top 10% of agencies, automated messages generate $5.96 on average, compared with $0.67 per campaign message – nearly nine times more revenue per send. As a result, automation accounts for 45% of total email revenue for these agencies.
Top agencies set this up early and build on it over time. On average, they run 5.3 automations per client and launch their first automation within eight days of starting with a brand, helping revenue build sooner.
“Many brands still treat email like a megaphone – something you turn on when you have something to say. The best agencies build something that’s always working in the background, where each message connects and responds to what customers actually do. That’s why automation drives more revenue – it shows up at the right moment. And once that foundation is in place, it keeps building, so every new customer becomes more valuable over time without needing to send more,” says Bauer.
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What agencies can learn from the top 10%
Bauer says the biggest difference is not just what top agencies do, but how they approach their work day-to-day.
“Best performing agencies treat email and SMS as systems to improve over time, not tasks to complete,” Bauer said. “That changes how they prioritize, how they work with clients, and how they measure success.”
He recommends agencies focus on a few key shifts:
- Start early and capture revenue sooner. The biggest missed opportunity is delay. Getting welcome, browse, and cart flows live early means revenue starts compounding immediately instead of weeks later.
- Use campaigns to learn, not just send. Test subject lines, timing, and offers – then apply what works to future campaigns and automations.
- Focus on customer behavior, not just the calendar. Combine scheduled campaigns with messages triggered by what customers actually do — signup, browse, purchase, churn.
- Build step by step. Growth doesn’t come from one big change. Add SMS, start testing, refine flows and let those improvements stack.