Online retail has entered a phase where growth isn’t just about starting a successful eCommerce store—it’s about scaling, consolidating, and optimizing portfolios of brands. For many founders, the peak of their journey isn’t just record-breaking sales but becoming part of a broader ecosystem led by professionals who understand how to scale consumer-facing businesses with speed and precision.
This is the space where e Commerce Aggregators operate—entities that acquire high-performing eCommerce brands, streamline operations, and build them into powerful, revenue-generating assets under one unified strategy.
What Aggregators Are Really Looking For
Aggregators aren’t general buyers. They’re strategic acquirers with deep playbooks. Most are backed by institutional capital and focused on Amazon FBA, Shopify, or DTC brands with consistent revenue, product-market fit, and operational efficiencies.
What makes a brand attractive to aggregators?
- Strong monthly recurring revenue (typically $1M+ annually)
- Product line with minimal SKUs and low return rates
- Positive customer reviews and brand loyalty
- Supply chain already optimized or easily scalable
- Clean financials and standard operating procedures in place
The cleaner and more predictable the brand, the more likely it will draw serious attention from an aggregator.
The Playbook Post-Acquisition
Once an aggregator acquires a brand, they don’t just sit back and watch the revenue roll in. They implement proven operational changes designed to maximize profit, cut inefficiencies, and expand reach.
Their typical strategy includes:
- Marketplace Optimization: Improving SEO, PPC, and listing strategies on platforms like Amazon and Walmart
- Cross-Selling and Bundling: Using data across multiple portfolio brands to introduce cross-promotions or bundled offers
- Supply Chain Consolidation: Centralizing sourcing and logistics to improve margins and reduce delays
- International Expansion: Launching products in new geographies using their own established infrastructure
- Tech Enablement: Applying internal tech tools for analytics, forecasting, and dynamic pricing
This structured approach allows them to extract more value from each brand than the original founder could alone.
Why Aggregators Win on Scale
The core advantage of an aggregator lies in its scale. By owning multiple brands, it can negotiate better deals with manufacturers, shipping partners, and advertising platforms. Where a single founder might be paying standard rates, aggregators secure bulk discounts, shave off operational costs, and achieve better return on ad spend.
This ability to operate at scale also means they can:
- Move inventory faster and reduce holding costs
- Test product variations or bundles more efficiently
- Centralize customer support for improved satisfaction
- Launch upsells and retargeting campaigns across all brand audiences
These benefits create a flywheel effect—improving each brand individually while strengthening the entire portfolio.
Who Are the Major Players?
The rise of aggregators has brought dozens of players into the field, each with its own niche. While some target Amazon-only businesses, others focus on DTC brands or specific verticals like health, pets, or beauty.
Examples of notable aggregators include:
- Thrasio: One of the earliest and largest, with hundreds of brands under management
- Perch: Focuses on category leadership within Amazon
- Heyday: Positions itself as a brand studio with emphasis on customer experience
- Elevate Brands: Known for post-acquisition performance improvement systems
New aggregators continue to emerge, often with specialized acquisition theses tailored to particular product categories or sales channels.
The Impact on Founders
For founders, the emergence of aggregators has changed the nature of exits. In the past, selling an eCommerce brand required finding a buyer, dealing with brokers, or taking years to court private equity. Now, aggregators are making the process faster and more accessible—especially for brands that meet strict profitability and growth criteria.
What does the process look like for a founder?
- Initial Outreach or Submission: Aggregators reach out or respond to inbound inquiries.
- Due Diligence: A deep dive into product metrics, supplier relationships, and customer data.
- Valuation and Offer: Based on EBITDA, growth potential, and risk assessment.
- Transition and Earnout: The seller usually supports the transition, with some earnout tied to future performance.
These exits are structured to de-risk the transaction while incentivizing founders to keep the brand healthy during the handoff.
Common Misconceptions About Aggregators
Despite the growth, there are misconceptions in the market that are worth clarifying:
- They buy any eCommerce business: Not true. Most aggregators have very specific criteria and reject more deals than they accept.
- They kill brand identity: In reality, many aggregators preserve the core brand because that’s what drives customer loyalty.
- Founders have no future involvement: Many deals offer advisory roles or short-term transition consulting post-sale.
Understanding these dynamics helps founders approach aggregators from a position of strength and clarity.
Preparing Your Brand for Aggregator Interest
If you’re a founder with dreams of an exit, there are strategic steps you can take to make your brand aggregator-ready:
- Streamline SOPs for marketing, operations, and fulfillment
- Clean up financial statements with clear documentation
- Reduce customer complaints and refund rates
- Build a strong, product-specific domain and review base
- Establish defensibility through branding or unique sourcing
This preparation increases valuation and shortens the acquisition timeline.
What the Future Holds
The eCommerce aggregator model is evolving. While initial focus was on Amazon brands, many are now eyeing omnichannel plays and integrating their brands into retail, wholesale, and subscription models. Others are becoming full-fledged brand incubators, with in-house innovation labs and new product development arms.
As the space matures, the role of aggregators may shift from buyers to builders—leading not only to acquisitions but the creation of entirely new brands born from shared infrastructure.
Conclusion
The rise of e Commerce Aggregators has transformed how online brands grow, exit, and scale. Their ability to streamline operations, tap into shared resources, and unlock new market potential has reshaped the ecosystem for everyone involved. For brand owners eyeing a potential exit, now is the time to ask, “Is it time to sell my ecommerce business and join a larger success story?” The answer, for many, is increasingly yes.
