Choose on whether they will validate before they scale. A launch agency that orders full
inventory and spends aggressively from day one is following the industry default, which is how
most first launches fail. The right partner starts at 200 units and treats the launch as a
test.
The short version
- Ask whether they validate first. Two phases, not one push.
- 200 units, $5,000 to $10,000 in Phase 1.
- Sourcing capability decides launch outcomes more than ad management.
- Ask what would make them stop mid-launch.
- A full launch runs about seven months, not weeks.
What a launch engagement should include
I run Flapen with 50 operators managing about 70 brands, and a full brand launch with
us runs about seven months.
| Phase | Work | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Market and product selection | Sizing, growth, return rate, rating gap | Weeks |
| Sourcing | Multiple suppliers, samples, negotiation, inspection | 6 to 10 weeks |
| Brand basics | Trademark, Brand Registry, packaging | Parallel |
| Creative | Photography, video, A+ content | 3 to 5 weeks |
| Listing | Keyword research, copy, backend terms | Parallel |
| Phase 1 launch | 200 units, controlled ad spend | 6 to 12 weeks |
| Decision | Scale, fix, or kill | End of Phase 1 |
Notice how much precedes any advertising. An agency whose launch service is essentially a
campaign plan is covering the last row and calling it a launch.
The validation question
The single most important thing to ask: do you validate before scaling, and what does that
look like.
The industry default is to launch aggressively with full inventory, on the reasoning that
going out of stock kills ranking. That is true and it is the smaller risk. Committing $30,000
to an unvalidated market is the larger one, and it is the more common failure.
Our approach is two phases. Phase 1 validates with 200 units and $5,000 to $10,000, testing up
to four products at once. Phase 2 scales, and only once rating, conversion rate, and cost of
customer acquisition are proven.
An agency that cannot describe a validation phase is planning to spend your capital before
knowing whether the market responds.
Sourcing decides more than advertising
For a launch specifically, sourcing capability outweighs campaign skill.
A supplier shipping inconsistent quality generates returns and negative reviews that no
listing or ad work repairs. A landed cost higher than quoted destroys a margin that looked
viable. A compliance failure in the destination market stops the listing entirely.
Ask who inspects the goods and whether they are physically present. Ours runs through a
Guangzhou studio with frameworks built across 500 plus brands. Remote sourcing without
inspection is the single most expensive shortcut available to a new brand.
Your involvement
More than most sellers expect, and that is correct.
A full launch needs 4 to 6 hours a week from you across about seven months. You approve
product selections, creative direction, and key decisions while the team handles factory
communication, design rounds, campaign structure, and account setup.
An agency promising a hands-off launch is either overstating or planning to make the decisions
that should be yours. Which product, which market, and when to stop are founder decisions.
What to ask before hiring a launch agency
- Do you validate before scaling, and with how many units?
- Who inspects the goods, and are they physically there?
- What would make you recommend stopping mid-launch?
- What is my time commitment, weekly?
- What is not included in the fee?
Question three is the one most launch agencies have no answer to, because a launch engagement
is priced as a project and stopping mid-project is commercially awkward. Ask anyway.
What most agencies will not tell you
Launch services are usually priced as a project, which creates a quiet incentive to complete
the project. Validation phases and kill decisions cut against that, because a launch stopped
at Phase 1 is a smaller engagement than one carried through to full inventory.
I kept pouring money into a failing product for three months hoping the ads would turn around.
They did not, and that is where our kill criteria came from: rating trend, return rate,
conversion rate, and cost of customer acquisition trajectory, with a defined window.
The other thing: the most valuable input in a launch happens before it starts. A market
analysis that concludes you should choose a different product saves the entire budget, and it
is the least commercially attractive thing an agency can deliver.
Related answers
- Best Amazon agency for brand launches
- How to launch first product on Amazon
- Amazon FBA agency for beginners
- New seller audit checklist from an agency
- Hiring an Amazon agency: the complete guide
Ask what would make us stop mid-launch. There are named criteria at Flapen.
