Underground Ecom
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Underground Ecom does
Underground Ecom is a UK-headquartered specialist retention marketing agency that delivers email, SMS, and WhatsApp campaigns for direct-to-consumer brands. The firm operates from offices in London, Belgrade, and Cape Town, employs 150+ marketers, strategists, and creatives, and serves a roster that the company variously describes as 150+ global clients and 500+ brands across email, SMS, and WhatsApp, including Huda Beauty, AG1, Virgin, Britvic, Oh Polly, Chilly's, Future Kind, Wild, Surreal, Rose Skin Co, SeoulBox, Egard Watch, MedTerra, Re-Start CBD, and Happy Hippos.
The agency's core service stack spans CRM strategy and lifecycle planning, Klaviyo account management and optimisation, SMS marketing executed through Attentive, WhatsApp marketing, campaign creative and copywriting, and integrations with loyalty and direct mail. Klaviyo is the primary platform relationship: Underground Ecom is Klaviyo's largest Elite Partner globally and was named Klaviyo Agency Partner of the Year EMEA 2025. Its principal proprietary technology is Underground Insights, a benchmarking tool built on performance data from the 500+ brand base, used to anchor the company's CRM Impact Session diagnostic.
The company is privately held and founder-controlled, with James Matthewman as Founder & CEO and Jamie Watkins as Director & COO. It operates as part of the Supergroup agency network. Revenue is generated through multi-disciplinary retainers covering strategy, creative, and channel execution. No external funding rounds or financial disclosures have been made public, and there are no announcements of acquisitions, mergers, or significant leadership changes beyond the founders referenced above.
Underground Ecom firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Underground Ecom
- Legal name
- Underground Ecom
- Website
- https://undergroundecom.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Underground Ecom industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Digital Marketing Agency Services
- NAICS
- Direct Mail Advertising (54186)
- SIC
- Services-Management Services (8741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Marketing Automation, CRM & Lifecycle Messaging (BPAMALAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Customer Engagement & Messaging (Email, SMS, Push, In-App) (BPAFAFAI), Direct Marketing, CRM & Lifecycle (Email, SMS, Loyalty) (BPAFAAAJ)
Keywords
Where Underground Ecom is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Underground Ecom business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Email Marketing Agency Retainers: Full-service retention marketing retainers covering CRM strategy, lifecycle planning, email/SMS/WhatsApp campaigns, creative design, copywriting, automation build, segmentation, and reporting. Each brand receives a fully allocated multi-disciplinary team (CRM Director, CRM Manager, designers, copywriters, senior strategy). Retainers are structured as ongoing engagements.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Underground Ecom product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Underground Ecom is a full-service email and retention marketing agency that helps direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands build customer lifecycle revenue. The agency delivers end-to-end CRM strategy, automated flows, campaign execution, copywriting, design, segmentation, and reporting primarily through the Klaviyo platform, with multi-channel orchestration extending to SMS and WhatsApp. Services are delivered by fully allocated multi-disciplinary teams (CRM Director, CRM Manager, designers, copywriters, senior strategy) under ongoing retainer engagements.
Product overview
Underground Ecom is an email marketing agency for fast-growth DTC brands that operates as a single unified service offering centered around Klaviyo as the primary CRM and orchestration platform. The agency's core service provides end-to-end retention marketing including CRM strategy, lifecycle planning, campaign execution, automated flows, email design and copywriting, SMS, WhatsApp, and loyalty integration. The proprietary Underground Insights benchmarking tool is included with active retainers to provide advanced analytics and competitive benchmarking. Klaviyo migrations from other platforms (Mailchimp, Dotdigital, Bloomreach, HubSpot, Omnisend, Drip) and a free CRM Impact Session audit are offered as specialized onboarding services. The service is delivered by fully allocated multi-disciplinary teams rather than single account managers, combining strategy, creative, and execution across email, SMS, and WhatsApp channels.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Underground Ecom Email Marketing Agency Services Full-service email marketing agency providing end-to-end retention marketing for DTC brands, including CRM strategy, lifecycle planning, automated flows, campaign execution, email copywriting, template design, and A/B testing. Delivered under ongoing retainer engagements by fully allocated multi-disciplinary teams.
- Klaviyo Management and Optimization Klaviyo platform management service including account setup, migrations from Mailchimp, Dotdigital, Bloomreach, HubSpot, Omnisend, and Drip, deliverability auditing, segmentation frameworks, and ongoing optimization. Delivered as part of the agency's core Klaviyo-led service offering.
- SMS Marketing Services SMS marketing service including opt-in capture, lifecycle flow build, broadcast campaigns, segmentation, A/B testing, MMS/rich media, and GDPR/PECR compliance, orchestrated through Klaviyo. Targets DTC brands seeking text-based retention and revenue recovery.
- WhatsApp Marketing Services WhatsApp marketing including list growth and opt-in capture, automated lifecycle journeys, broadcast campaigns, conversational flows, customer support handoffs, and creative assets for WhatsApp templates, run inside Klaviyo-led orchestration.
Quantifiable outcome
- Clients see 10x higher return than standalone Klaviyo users
- +8 more outcomes
Companies that use Underground Ecom
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Underground Ecom technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration26 records
Feature1 record
Underground Ecom partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.
- KlaviyocoreKlaviyo is the primary marketing automation platform underpinning Underground Ecom's service delivery. As Klaviyo's largest Elite Partner globally and EMEA Agency Partner of the Year 2025, Underground Ecom provides CRM strategy, lifecycle planning, automated flows, campaigns, and reporting exclusively through Klaviyo. The partnership provides early access to Klaviyo features and senior platform support.
- AttentivecoreAttentive's SMS-first platform is used to run SMS marketing programmes for DTC clients. Underground Ecom leverages Attentive for recover lost revenue and drive customer loyalty through text marketing, integrating SMS into the wider Klaviyo-led retention orchestration.
- RechargecoreSubscription payment platform that turns one-time buyers into loyal repeat customers. Underground Ecom integrates Recharge with Klaviyo for subscription DTC brands, enabling automations for subscription management and upsell.
- SupergroupflagshipUnderground Ecom is a Supergroup company, having joined the network on their mission to form a network of the best performance marketing agencies globally. Supergroup provides strategic backing and brand amplification for Underground Ecom's global expansion.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Underground Ecom competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Email Uplers: Email marketing agency providing Klaviyo implementation, campaign management, template design, and automation services. Operates a similar full-service model to Underground Ecom for ecommerce and DTC brands globally.
- Eastside Co: Klaviyo Elite Partner and Shopify Plus agency serving DTC brands across email, SMS, and retention strategy. Direct competitor in the UK Klaviyo partner ecosystem with overlapping Shopify/DTC client base.
- Smartech: Klaviyo Elite Partner offering email, SMS, and CRM marketing services to DTC and ecommerce brands. Directly comparable to Underground Ecom in core service mix, Klaviyo-centric delivery, and DTC client focus.
- Avex Designs: Klaviyo agency partner providing email marketing, design, and retention services to DTC brands. Comparable in Klaviyo specialisation and ecommerce-only focus, though smaller in scale than Underground Ecom.
- Inbox Army: Email marketing agency and Klaviyo Elite Partner with a full-service managed offering spanning email, SMS, and lifecycle automation. Closely overlaps Underground Ecom on Klaviyo platform depth, enterprise DTC client base, and end-to-end retention delivery.
- Holistic: Klaviyo Elite Partner agency focused on retention marketing for ecommerce and DTC brands. Overlaps with Underground Ecom on multi-channel lifecycle orchestration and Klaviyo-centric delivery.
Broad incumbents
- Customer.io: Lifecycle marketing platform competing directly with Klaviyo for DTC and SaaS email/SMS automation. Indirectly comparable to Underground Ecom as the underlying technology layer a similar agency could be built around.
- Common Thread Collective: Performance marketing agency serving DTC and ecommerce brands with paid media, creative, and lifecycle. Larger and broader in scope than Underground Ecom, but competes for the same enterprise DTC retention budget and uses Klaviyo as a core platform.
- Power Digital Marketing: Full-service performance marketing agency with a dedicated retention and lifecycle practice using Klaviyo. Larger and more diversified than Underground Ecom, but overlaps in serving growth-stage and enterprise DTC clients across email, SMS, and CRM.
Emerging players
- The Cloudchaser: Boutique Klaviyo agency serving growing DTC and Shopify brands with email and SMS retention services. Smaller and earlier-stage than Underground Ecom but operates a comparable Klaviyo-centric managed services model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Underground Ecom social profiles
Digital presenceUnderground Ecom financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Underground Ecom leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Underground Ecom funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Underground Ecom M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Underground Ecom
What does Underground Ecom do?
Underground Ecom is a full-service email and retention marketing agency that helps direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands build customer lifecycle revenue. The agency delivers end-to-end CRM strategy, automated flows, campaign execution, copywriting, design, segmentation, and reporting primarily through the Klaviyo platform, with multi-channel orchestration extending to SMS and WhatsApp. Services are delivered by fully allocated multi-disciplinary teams (CRM Director, CRM Manager, designers, copywriters, senior strategy) under ongoing retainer engagements.
Is Underground Ecom a public or private company?
Underground Ecom is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Underground Ecom founded?
Underground Ecom was founded in 2017. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Underground Ecom based?
Underground Ecom is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Underground Ecom make money?
One revenue line is on record: email Marketing Agency Retainers.
Who are Underground Ecom's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Email Uplers, Eastside Co, Smartech, Avex Designs, Inbox Army and Holistic. Broad incumbents are Customer.io, Common Thread Collective and Power Digital Marketing. The Cloudchaser is listed as an emerging player.
Does Underground Ecom have an API?
No public API is recorded for Underground Ecom.
What industry is Underground Ecom in?
Underground Ecom's product category is Digital Marketing Agency Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMALAE, Marketing Automation, CRM & Lifecycle Messaging, with a secondary code of BPAFAFAI, Customer Engagement & Messaging (Email, SMS, Push, In-App). Its NAICS code is 54186 and its SIC code is 8741.