“Strategic” is not a word. It is a capability.
By Simon Ellicott · September 25, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
“Strategic” is not a word. It is a capability.
Almost every Amazon agency describes itself as strategic.
Fewer can clearly explain what that means in practice.
Strategy is not:
• Producing a more polished monthly report
• Mentioning long-term growth on a client call
• Recommending more advertising
• Adding “strategic” to the service page
• Replacing a list of tasks with a list of initiatives
Strategy is the ability to understand the commercial problem, make the trade-offs explicit and decide what should happen next.
That means asking better questions.
Is the priority revenue, contribution margin, cash generation, market share or defending the brand’s position?
Which ASINs deserve investment, and which are distracting the team?
Can the brand afford the advertising plan once stock, fees, promotions and Net PPM are considered?
Should the agency push for growth, protect profitability, address availability or challenge the client’s assumptions?
A tactical agency reports that ACoS improved.
A strategic agency asks whether the improvement created a better commercial outcome.
A tactical agency sees a declining Buy Box percentage.
A strategic agency investigates price, availability, retail readiness, inventory, competitors and the client’s broader relationship with Amazon before prescribing a fix.
A tactical agency completes the brief.
A strategic agency is prepared to challenge the brief.
That requires more than platform knowledge. It requires judgement, prioritisation, commercial literacy and the confidence to explain uncomfortable conclusions.
It also requires a repeatable method.
If strategy only exists in the founder’s head, or with one senior operator, it is not yet an agency capability. It is individual expertise wearing an agency logo.
A genuine strategic capability should be:
• Clearly defined
• Evidenced through client outcomes
• Repeatable across the team
• Connected to a commercial methodology
• Easy for the client to understand and value
This matters because the market is becoming increasingly efficient at delivering execution.
Tools can automate more tasks.
Amazon can expose more data.
AI can generate more recommendations.
The value will increasingly sit in knowing which recommendation matters, when to act, what to ignore and how the decision affects the whole business.
“Strategic” is not a positioning statement.
It is what remains when the tactics are stripped away.
#AmazonAgency #AmazonConsulting #AgencyStrategy #StrategicGrowth #VendorCentral #SellerCentral #EcommerceStrategy #AgencyLeadership
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