CPG & Consumer Product Brands
CPG Marketing Agency for Retail, Amazon & DTC Consumer Brands
Consumer packaged goods and outdoor brands rarely grow in a single channel anymore. We connect your Shopify storefront, Amazon marketplace, and retail shelf programs under one coordinated operating plan.
The short answer
Front Row is a CPG marketing agency and national retail sales organization that grows consumer product and outdoor brands across DTC Shopify stores, Amazon, and brick-and-mortar retail. Unlike digital-only shops, we pair paid media, Klaviyo lifecycle automation, and custom storefronts with headquarter buyer representation and field execution across more than 18,000 retail stores.
Why do consumer product brands need a specialized CPG marketing agency?
A pure-play ecommerce shop treats your website as the whole business. For consumer packaged goods, hardware, and outdoor brands, that creates channel conflict. Deep promo codes on Shopify can undercut your minimum advertised price (MAP), hurt your Amazon Buy Box, and frustrate retail buyers. Inside our digital agency practice, we plan campaigns around your full distribution footprint.
Founded in 1973, Front Row combines digital execution with a national retail sales agency covering 18,000+ stores each year. We are a Shopify Plus Partner, Google Partner, Meta Business Partner, and Klaviyo Partner, and we were Searchspring New Partner of the Year in 2023.
Whether you sell consumables that reorder often or seasonal outdoor gear bought ahead of spring resets, we protect channel margins. For a consumer electronics accessories brand (~$2.5M DTC), we ran about $1M a year in media across three launches while email grew to 22% of revenue.
+216%
Amazon store traffic (+52% Amazon revenue)
My Custom Golf Ball full-suite program (+106% paid ad conversion value, +73% email revenue)
+91% YoY
email revenue growth across 3 launches
A consumer electronics accessories brand (~$2.5M DTC) with a ~$1M/yr media program (email is 22% of revenue)
+52%
online orders (+25% top-line revenue)
Mountain High Outfitters outdoor retailer migration from Magento to Shopify (+4.5% cart conversion)
What We Deliver as a Retail and CPG Marketing Agency
We run the digital channels that move physical products off your website, out of Amazon fulfillment centers, and off retail shelves.
DTC Storefronts
Custom Shopify and Shopify Plus themes and migrations · Bundle builders, price breaks, and subscriptions · Where-to-buy locators and Searchspring site search
Amazon Growth
Seller and Vendor Central catalog management · Sponsored Products, Brands, and new-to-brand bidding · Brand Registry, A+ Content, and pack differentiation
Paid Search & Co-Op Social
Google Shopping, Performance Max, and Microsoft feeds · Meta Advantage+ for DTC and retailer co-op programs · MAP-safe creative controls and catalog exclusions
Klaviyo Email & SMS
Consumable replenishment flows timed to usage · Welcome, browse, cart recovery, and winback flows · Segmented launch campaigns and SMS alerts
Outdoor Brand Marketing
Campaigns timed to spring, summer, and fall resets · Technical spec SEO for hunting, fishing, and camp gear · Regional ads supporting farm and specialty stores
Price & Stock Intelligence
Automated MAP tracking and violation evidence · Per-store stock checks at home improvement and farm chains · GA4, Google Ads, Shopify, Klaviyo, and NetSuite data sync
Who Our CPG Digital Marketing Agency Built This Practice For
- CPG manufacturers selling across retail stores, Amazon, and a DTC Shopify store.
- Outdoor and lifestyle brands aligning campaigns with farm, hardware, and specialty retail calendars.
- Emerging DTC brands preparing pricing and demand proof for national retail line reviews.
- Established retail brands launching DTC bundles without undercutting wholesale accounts.
- Marketing leaders replacing disconnected ad, Amazon, and email vendors with one team.
Omnichannel Execution
DTC, Amazon, and Retail Shelves Working Together
A shopper who sees your product on Instagram might buy on Shopify today, reorder on Amazon next month, or pick it up at Ace Hardware or Runnings on Saturday.
As a hybrid ecommerce marketing agency and retail sales organization, we align assortments, feeds, and calendars across every channel.
- Pack architecture: Sell multipacks and bundles on DTC while keeping single units profitable for shelves.
- Coordinated promos: Align email drops, Shopping promos, and Amazon coupons with retailer circular dates.
- Spillover capture: Run branded search and Amazon Sponsored Brands defense to capture store-driven demand.
Category Focus
Outdoor Brand Marketing Built for Real Buying Seasons
Effective outdoor brand marketing follows the calendar of the field, lake, and yard. Launching a camping campaign in May is late if buyers committed budgets in winter.
Our digital team works beside our outdoor recreation sales practice and our lifestyle and trending products team to connect online discovery with specialty and farm store sell-through.
- Weather-paced bidding: Shift search and social spend from south to north as spring thaw and fall openers progress.
- Technical product copy: Build spec tables and sizing guides that answer outdoor buyers' exact questions.
Retailer Co-Op & Paid Media
Co-Op Campaigns That Protect Brand and MAP Standards
Manufacturers often fund co-op digital ads with retailers, and loose settings can display unauthorized discounts. Our Meta ads agency team builds co-op and acquisition programs that protect your pricing policy.
For a national power-tool brand at a Midwest farm-and-fleet retailer, we built a six-campaign Meta Advantage+ program with catalog exclusions, clean UTMs, and MAP-safe rules disabling auto-overlays.
- Automated feeds publishing clean data to Google Merchant Center, Microsoft, and Meta.
- Peak social bursts: in our air conditioner case study, summer ads delivered 443,300 displays, 11,000 clicks, and +362% sales (+356% units).
Lifecycle & LTV
Turning One-Time Buyers Into Repeat Subscribers
Acquisition costs rarely pencil out on one $35 order. Profit comes from repeat orders driven by lifecycle automation. As a Klaviyo Partner, our Klaviyo email and SMS team designs flows around real consumption timelines.
- For a consumer electronics accessories brand, email grew 91% year over year and reached 22% of revenue across three launches.
- For an ecommerce client, a flow rebuild lifted revenue 40% year over year, with +32% on replenishment and +347% on SMS welcome.
- For a $10M ecommerce brand, automated flows produced about 75% of attributed revenue and +353% winback growth.
Operational Visibility
Connecting Digital Demand to Store Stock and MAP Compliance
Driving ad traffic to out-of-stock or price-eroded items wastes budget. We build MAP and retail price monitoring tools alongside per-store stock trackers so media and sales teams work from live shelf reality.
- MAP monitoring: Our monitoring platform checks public product pages on schedule, captures evidence, and opens MAP cases.
- Per-store stock checks: Stock checkers we built for Home Depot, Lowe's, and Tractor Supply listings.
- Retail restock lift: After a smart thermostat manufacturer went from 2 to 8 of its products in the first 10 organic results, retailer restocking orders rose 33%.
What does a CPG marketing agency do for retail and DTC brands?
A CPG marketing agency helps consumer packaged goods, hard goods, and outdoor brands grow across digital channels (DTC ecommerce, Amazon, paid social) and retail stores. A retail and CPG marketing agency also manages how online campaigns affect wholesale buyers, marketplace pricing, and repeat customer value.
A shopper might watch a Meta ad, read reviews on Amazon, and buy at a hardware or farm store on Saturday. Manufacturers that also sell commercial lines pair this playbook with our digital marketing for manufacturers programs.
| Area | DTC Agency | Retail Broker | Front Row (Hybrid) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goal | Site ROAS via discounts | Shelf placement only | Total DTC, Amazon, and retail growth |
| MAP Policy | Heavy promo codes | No digital monitoring | MAP-safe ads and automated tracking |
| Amazon | Separate silo | Rarely manages ads | Integrated PPC, A+ Content, and packs |
| Co-Op Ads | Unfamiliar with rules | Outsources digital ads | In-house Meta and Google co-op builds |
| Retention | Batch promo blasts | No DTC email/SMS | Usage-timed Klaviyo replenishment |
How do we build an omnichannel growth engine for consumer brands?
We build an omnichannel CPG marketing program in six sequential steps, starting with unit economics and MAP guardrails before scaling paid acquisition and lifecycle automation. This sequence prevents wasted spend and keeps DTC, Amazon, and retail accounts aligned.
- Audit unit economics, pack architecture, and MAP guardrails We review SKUs by margin and channel, separating single-unit retail items from DTC multipacks or custom bundles so ads respect MAP.
- Upgrade the Shopify storefront and product feeds As a Shopify Plus Partner, we refine product pages, bundles, and speed, then connect automated feeds to Google, Microsoft, and Meta.
- Align Amazon Brand Store, A+ Content, and Sponsored Ads We upgrade Amazon detail pages, Brand Registry assets, and A+ Content before scaling Sponsored Products and Brands.
- Launch Klaviyo replenishment, welcome, and recovery flows As a Klaviyo Partner, we build welcome, abandonment, cross-sell, and usage-timed replenishment flows that turn clicks into repeat buyers.
- Scale paid search, Google Shopping, and Meta creative We run Google Shopping, Performance Max, and Meta Advantage+ alongside geo-targeted retailer co-op campaigns with strict controls.
- Monitor retail stock, MAP compliance, and attribution Monthly reporting joins GA4, Google Ads, Shopify, and Klaviyo data with MAP checks and store stock tracking.
How does outdoor brand marketing work across farm, specialty, and DTC channels?
Successful outdoor brands marketing pairs field storytelling and technical specs with seasonal pacing that matches when specialty, hardware, and farm stores stock shelves. Hunters, anglers, and rural homeowners research gear months ahead.
An outdoor brand marketing agency works across two calendars: wholesale buying reviews (months ahead at chains like Runnings, Theisen's, Murdoch's, Cal Ranch, and Tractor Supply) and regional weather windows when search spikes.
- Spring fishing and yard prep (Feb to May): Ramp Shopping and SEO for tackle, footwear, and outdoor power equipment from south to north.
- Summer camping and patio (May to Jul): Scale Meta video, bundles, and Amazon ads around Memorial Day and Father's Day.
- Fall hunting and workwear (Aug to Nov): Shift spend to trail cameras, blinds, scents, and outerwear timed to state openers.
- Q4 gifting and dealer shows (Nov to Jan): Capture holiday buyers on DTC and Amazon with drinkware, coolers, and knives while preparing sell-through decks.
When outdoor retailer Mountain High Outfitters migrated off Magento, our Shopify development team rebuilt the store with 301 redirects to protect search rankings. Orders rose 52%, cart conversion 4.5%, and revenue 25%. For My Custom Golf Ball, we delivered +216% Amazon traffic, +52% Amazon revenue, +106% paid ad conversion value, and +73% email revenue.
How much does a CPG marketing agency cost?
CPG marketing agency pricing depends on how many channels we run, your media budget, SKU complexity, and how much creative you need. Our projects start at $5,000. Billing is hybrid and quoted case by case after we audit your accounts.
| Model | Scope | Main cost driver | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-channel retainer | Google Ads, Amazon PPC, or Klaviyo | Ad spend and catalog size | Emerging brands focused on one channel |
| Omnichannel retainer | Search, Meta, Amazon, Klaviyo, reporting | Number of channels and creative volume | Growing brands selling DTC, Amazon, and retail |
| Percent-of-spend component | Bidding, feeds, testing, creative rotation | Monthly media budget | High-spend brands with steady campaigns |
| Project | Shopify builds, migrations, A+ Content | Pages, integrations, and SKU count | Store builds or retail launches |
How do consumer brands grow DTC and Amazon without undercutting retail partners?
Consumer brands prevent channel conflict by holding single-unit prices at or above minimum advertised price (MAP) online, selling multipacks or custom bundles on DTC, excluding restricted SKUs from ad feeds, and monitoring marketplace prices on a schedule. Protecting retail margin turns online demand into proof for line reviews.
- Differentiate DTC with bundles: Keep single units at retail price and promote three-packs or custom imprinting through Shopify bundle tools and a product customizer we built for My Custom Golf Ball.
- Disable automated ad overlays: In a six-campaign Meta Advantage+ co-op build for a national power-tool brand at a Midwest farm-and-fleet retailer, we turned off auto-generated overlays and used catalog exclusions to keep creative MAP-safe.
- Align Amazon PPC with Buy Box health: Our Amazon advertising team focuses spend on ASINs where you hold the Buy Box and healthy stock.
- Automate MAP and stock tracking: Our monitoring platform checks product pages on schedule and opens MAP cases, while stock checkers we built track per-store availability at major home and farm chains.
How do you measure marketing attribution across DTC, Amazon, and retail stores?
You measure omnichannel CPG marketing by tracking blended Marketing Efficiency Ratio (MER) and Total Advertising Cost of Sales (TACoS) alongside channel ROAS, repeat cohort value, and retail restock velocity. Relying only on in-platform ad numbers misleads budget decisions because Meta, Google, and Amazon claim the same buyer.
- Blended MER: Total Shopify and Amazon revenue divided by total media spend, capturing social-to-search spillover.
- Amazon TACoS: Total ad spend against total Amazon revenue shows whether ads grow organic rank and new-to-brand buyers.
- Restock velocity: For a smart thermostat manufacturer, 8 products reached the first 10 organic results (up from 2) and retailer restocking orders rose 33%.
We pull GA4, Google Ads, Shopify, and Klaviyo data into one monthly report with month-over-month and year-over-year commentary.
What mistakes stall CPG and consumer product brands online and on the shelf?
The costliest mistake CPG and outdoor brands make is running digital marketing in a vacuum, disconnected from inventory depth, wholesale pricing rules, and repeat-purchase economics. Avoiding five traps protects media efficiency and retail relationships.
- Site-wide promo codes during line reviews: Retail buyers check your website and Amazon listings before committing to a program.
- Double-counting Google Ads conversions: When we audited a 102-campaign account spending $1,900 a day for a premium storage brand and an outdoor-living brand, we found conversion double-counting. A restructure restored ROAS.
- Neglecting Amazon during social pushes: Shoppers seeing Meta ads often search your brand on Amazon. Thin A+ Content or unguarded brand terms hand sales to competitors.
- Batch newsletters instead of replenishment flows: Consumable brands relying on promo blasts train buyers to wait for coupons.
- Advertising SKUs with drifting ERP stock: Syncing NetSuite or warehouse stock with Shopify and feeds stops wasted clicks on out-of-stock variants.
How do you choose the right CPG marketing agency for your brand?
Choose a CPG marketing agency that proves revenue growth across Shopify, Amazon, and paid media while understanding retail distribution, MAP policies, and seasonal buying cycles. When comparing cpg marketing agencies, evaluate how they manage feeds, attribution, and channel conflict.
- How do you keep Shopping and Meta ads MAP-compliant? Ask about feed rules, exclusions, and disabling automated discount overlays.
- How do you coordinate DTC social with Amazon search defense? Ask how they capture branded search spillover on Amazon.
- What credentials and technical skills are in-house? Verify Shopify Plus Partner, Klaviyo Partner, and Google Partner status.
- Can you share case studies with consumer and outdoor brands? Look for verified percentage gains in orders, traffic, and email revenue.
- What happens when we expand into hardware, farm, or mass retail? A national retail sales force turns digital traction into store placement.
To review your channels with a team that runs both digital growth and retail sales, start a conversation with Front Row.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a CPG marketing agency do?
A CPG marketing agency grows consumer packaged goods and physical product brands across direct-to-consumer stores, marketplaces like Amazon, and brick-and-mortar retail. Core services include Shopify development, Google Shopping and Meta ads, Amazon Sponsored Ads and A+ Content, Klaviyo retention flows, and retailer co-op campaigns.
How is Front Row different from other CPG marketing agencies?
Most CPG marketing agencies only handle digital ads or creative. Front Row pairs a full-service digital agency (Shopify Plus Partner, Google Partner, Klaviyo Partner, Searchspring New Partner of the Year 2023) with a national retail sales agency founded in 1973 covering 18,000+ stores annually.
Do you work with outdoor, sporting goods, and lifestyle brands?
Yes. Outdoor brand marketing is a core strength across our digital and retail teams. We migrated outdoor retailer Mountain High Outfitters to Shopify (+52% orders, +25% revenue), grew My Custom Golf Ball on Amazon (+216% traffic, +52% revenue), and represent outdoor lines into farm, hardware, and specialty stores.
How much does it cost to hire a CPG digital marketing agency?
Pricing depends on channel count, media budget, SKU complexity, and creative volume. Our projects start at $5,000, billing is hybrid and quoted case by case, and we scope it after we audit your ad accounts, Shopify store, and Amazon catalog.
Can you manage both our Shopify store and our Amazon advertising?
Yes. Managing Shopify and Amazon under one roof stops your teams from bidding against each other or creating pricing conflicts. We build custom Shopify themes and apps, manage Seller and Vendor Central catalogs, design Amazon A+ Content, and run Sponsored Products and Brands.
How do you run digital ads without violating our MAP policy?
We enforce MAP guardrails at the feed and campaign level. That includes promoting multipacks or bundles on DTC, excluding MAP-sensitive single units from discount campaigns, disabling automated price overlays in Meta Advantage+, and using our monitoring platform to catch unauthorized price drops.
Do you manage retailer co-op digital advertising campaigns?
Yes. We build and manage co-op paid media programs that drive traffic to retail partners while meeting strict compliance rules. For a national power-tool brand at a Midwest farm-and-fleet retailer, we built a six-campaign Meta Advantage+ co-op program with custom UTMs, exclusions, and MAP-safe creative.
How do you increase repeat purchases for consumable CPG products?
We use Klaviyo email and SMS automation timed to your product's consumption cycle, including welcome, cart recovery, replenishment, and winback flows. For a consumer electronics accessories brand (~$2.5M DTC), our lifecycle program grew email revenue 91% year over year to reach 22% of revenue.
Can Front Row also help get our consumer product into retail stores?
Yes. When your brand is ready to expand beyond DTC and Amazon, our retail sales division represents manufacturers into hardware co-ops (Ace Hardware, Do it Best, True Value, Orgill), Menards, Fleet Farm, Target, farm chains (Runnings, Murdoch's, Tractor Supply), specialty stores, and mass retail.
How do you track whether digital marketing helps retail sell-through?
We track blended Marketing Efficiency Ratio (MER), Amazon TACoS, regional search lift, retailer restocking velocity, and per-store stock status. We also built stock checkers for Home Depot, Lowe's, and Tractor Supply listings so you see where products are available.
Where is Front Row located and how do we start?
Front Row is headquartered at 4451 W 76th St, Edina, MN 55435, and serves consumer product, outdoor, and manufacturing brands nationwide. Call us at (952) 697-6015 or use the contact form below to schedule a discovery review of your channels, ad accounts, and goals.
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