Agencies are not the problem. The question is whether the thing constraining your growth is expertise or throughput.
At 1,000 or more SKUs, it is almost always throughput.
What a retainer actually buys
A retainer buys hours, attention, and judgment. That is valuable when your constraint is knowing what to do. It strains when the problem is producing and checking work across thousands of units.
What software has to do to be worth it
The chain that matters runs through catalog data, creative production, Meta and Google campaigns, the destination page, and reporting. Break the chain anywhere and a human carries the output across the gap manually.
Cost clarity, which is really about control
Keep ad spend on your own accounts. Understand what the subscription includes. Decide whether the absence of an account manager is the point or a missing feature for your team.
The fit test
- Is your constraint knowing what to do, or getting it done?
- How many products receive real marketing attention?
- Who is accountable when numbers dip?
- What happens if you switch providers next year?
If your constraint is expertise, hire it. If your constraint is catalog-scale throughput, buy throughput.