Why Go Virtual
How we compare to the other ways of running ecommerce.
Brands have five main options: build in-house, hire specialist agencies, use a growth marketing agency, use a 3PL-led commerce platform, or sell to a marketplace reseller. Each works for someone. Whether you are just getting started or doing $50M+ and aiming for $100M+, here is where Go Virtual fits.
| Criteria | Go Virtual | In-house team | Specialist agencies | Growth marketing agency | 3PL-led platform | Marketplace reseller |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scope | Full division or modules | Whatever you hire | One function each | Marketing, sometimes site | Logistics first, services added | Marketplaces |
| Owns the full P&L | Yes | Yes | No | No | Partly | Their own P&L |
| Customer service included | Yes, AI + human | If staffed | Separate BPO | Rarely | Often | Marketplace only |
| Merchandising & promo planning | Yes | If staffed | Rarely | Rarely | Rarely | Pricing on their channel |
| TikTok Live production | Yes | Hard to staff | Niche agencies | Some | Rarely | Rarely |
| Who holds inventory | You | You | You | You | Their warehouse | They buy it |
| How they get paid | Base + share of margin growth | Salaries | Retainers each | Retainer or % of spend | Custom contracts | Retail margin |
| Incentive | Profitable growth | Varies | Their channel metric | Spend and ROAS | Volume through warehouse | Their margin |
| Typical annual cost, $10M brand | From $216K + Growth Share | $400K to $650K+ | $250K to $500K+ | $60K to $180K, marketing only | Quote-based | Margin on every unit |
Cost ranges are market estimates for a brand around $10M online revenue and vary widely. In-house estimate includes a Head of Ecommerce, managers, analysts, creative and support staff, before tools and recruiting.
Six principles we work by.
Optimize for margin
Our Growth Share is gated on your contribution margin rate. We gain nothing from revenue bought at a loss.
Keep you in control
You own accounts, data, customers, creative and code, and you approve anything that changes price, policy or spend.
Pass costs through
Media, software, 3PL and carrier costs billed at cost. No hidden markups or referral margins.
Never take your inventory
We do not buy your goods or resell them. Your brand, your pricing, your customer relationship.
Write it down
Runbooks, metric definitions, SLAs and the baseline are documented and shared from day one.
Make leaving easy
Month-to-month after 90 days, with a full handover if you go. We would rather earn the renewal.
Compare us on your own numbers.
The diagnostic is designed to show what your current setup costs and where we see room to grow.