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The eCommerce Consultant Who Replaces Freelancer Fatigue, Agency Chaos, & Profit Squeezes With a Marketing Operating System

While most eCommerce Consultants rent you temporary wins, I install the systems you need to own your growth—and your profit—permanently.

10+ Years Experience
Top-Rated eCommerce Consultant
The Source Approach, as featured on major media publications like: Forbes, Entrepreneur, MSNBC, The Business Journals & more.
Goodfirms - Excellent - Mobile Banner - The Source Approach

The eCommerce Consultant Who Replaces Freelancer Fatigue, Agency Chaos, & Profit Squeezes With a Marketing Operating System

While most eCommerce Consultants rent you temporary wins, I install the systems you need to own your growth—and your profit—permanently.

10+ Years Experience
Top-Rated eCommerce Consultant
The Source Approach, as featured on major media publications like: Forbes, Entrepreneur, MSNBC, The Business Journals & more.

I Lead the Strategy & Execution of Your eCommerce Channel Using a High-Performance Marketing Operating System

What Problems Does Your eCommerce Consultant Solve?

Disconnected Agencies, Freelancers, & Internal Silos

Your agencies, freelancers, and internal teams operate in silos with no central playbook. This causes conflicting strategies, wasted fees, and “random acts of marketing” that fail to generate scalable growth.

Amazon is Cannibalizing DTC Margins

Your sales channels are fighting instead of feeding each other. Amazon is stealing your high-margin direct customers, or DTC ads are leaking traffic without tracking. You lack a unified ecosystem strategy.

You Are The Owner/Operator Stuck in the Weeds

You are the owner/operator trapped in execution instead of leading the company. You struggle to delegate because the strategy lives in your head, not in a repeatable operating system your team can follow.

Ineffective & Unprofitable Traffic Acquisition

You’re struggling to attract the right customers who are ready to buy. Your traffic is either too low, too expensive, or made up of visitors who have no intention of buying.

Poor On-Site Conversion & User Experience

You’re getting people to your website, but the site is the bottleneck. A confusing layout, slow load times, or a poor user experience causes visitors to leave without buying.

Low Customer Retention & Lifetime Value

Your business is a “leaky bucket,” spending heavily on new customers but failing to generate repeat purchases with no strategy to maximize the value of the existing customers.

Fragmented Tech & Lack of Actionable Data

Your technology stack (e.g., Shopify, Klaviyo, GA4) is a patchwork of platforms that don’t work together. You’re collecting data but can’t translate it into business health or actionable insights.

Shrinking Margins & Inefficient Operations

Revenue may be growing, but profitability is stagnant or declining. High shipping costs, rising ad spend, poor inventory management, and high return rates are eating away at your bottom line.

Lack of a Cohesive & Effective Growth Strategy

Your business operates reactively. You chase fleeting trends, randomly test tactics, and lack a clear, data-informed roadmap for the next 12-18 months, leaving you vulnerable to competitors.

Why Choose The Source Approach As Your eCommerce Consultancy

Feature
Standard eCommerce Consultant
The "Standard" Option
TOP RATED
THE SOURCE APPROACH
eCommerce Consulting
What I Actually Do
They Give You a PDF Audit. They hand you a long list of "suggestions" and best practices that overwhelm your team, then they leave.
I Install a Marketing OS. I don't just "advise." I install a complete Operating System that dictates exactly how your teams work.
The Strategic Foundation
"One-Size-Fits-All" Playbook. They copy-paste the same strategy they used for their last client, ignoring what makes your brand different.
I Build Your "Source Code". I bottle your brand's DNA into a transferable "Source Code." This becomes the law for every ad and listing.
Amazon vs. DTC Approach
They Keep Them Separate. They are either "Amazon Guys" or "Shopify Guys," causing you to lose money on both.
I Connect Them. I show you how to use Amazon data to fix website conversion and rank higher on both platforms.
AI Implementation
Generic Prompting. They use generic prompts without data. The result is robot-sounding copy that hurts your brand.
Trained on Source Codes. I set up your AI to read your Source Code first. This stops hallucinations and makes AI sound like you.
Team Alignment
They Ignore The People. They look at numbers but ignore that your Email Agency and Ad Agency haven't spoken in 6 months.
I Fix The Silos. I identify where agencies are fighting and build workflows (SOPs) to make them sync.
The Result
You Rent Their Brain. The strategy lives in their head. When the contract ends, the knowledge leaves the building.
You Own The System. You walk away with a documented Operating System. Your team runs it. You don't need me forever.
Top Digital Marketing Company - The Source Approach - Fractional CMO for eCommerce

Stop Lost Sales From Agency & Freelancer Chaos or Inexperienced In-House Teams.  Start Profitable, Rapid, Growth

Why Work With The Source Approach?  You’re Getting an Asset You Own, Not Just an eCommerce Consultant

A Proven Marketing
Operating System

With a decade of growing eCommerce brands, I don’t just bring theories. I install the OS that elevates & unifies your AI, agencies & teams for maximum growth.

10+ Years Direct Operator
Experience

I’ve run eCommerce businesses for 10+ years and am the CEO of an Amazon SaaS, managing people, projects, & budgets, not a small part of a big team out on their own.

An Asset Your
Brand Owns

You don’t rent your growth. I install the “Source Code” directly into your infrastructure. You build a permanent internal asset you own forever, turning marketing spend into long-term equity instead of a monthly expense.

Senior Leadership
& Team Mentorship

I provide the C-suite direction your team needs to stop guessing. I unify your staff, freelancers, and agencies under a Single Source of Truth to transform “Random Acts of Marketing” into a high-performance, scalable growth engine.

No Long
Contracts

You don’t need to commit long-term; we start with a short pilot so you can see the value first and get a feel for what it’s like working together, then we go month to month.

Deep Amazon + eCommerce
DTC Expertise

Most focus on one or the other — I’ve scaled brands on both Amazon and DTC eCommerce, and know how to make them work together, not to mention brick and mortar.

The Source Approach Is Best For:

Funded Startups

Scaling 6 Figure Brands

7 Figure Brands

8 Figure Brands

The Strategic Setup (The Funded Launch)

You are building a Direct-to-Consumer brand and need a tech stack that scales. You don’t want to replatform later. You need an eCommerce Consultant to integrate the right tools (Shopify, Klaviyo, AI) from the start, building a foundation for frictionless, automated growth.

Scaling From 6 to 7 Figures

“Hustle” got you to 6 figures, but systems get you to 7. You’ve hit the ceiling where manual effort fails. You need an eCommerce Consultant to install a scalable “Marketing Operating System,” transforming your daily grind into a data-driven engine that breaks the $1M barrier.

The 7-Figure System Upgrade

You have the revenue, but your AI, agencies, and teams operate in silos. You need an eCommerce Consultant to install a “Marketing Operating System.” I elevate and unify your entire stack, ensuring every resource works in synchronization to drive maximum revenue.

The 8-Figure Orchestrator

You have multiple teams (internal/external) that aren’t synced. Marketing fights with Ops. You need an eCommerce Consultant to align all departments under a Single Source of Truth, ensuring the entire machine moves in the same direction to multiply ROI and speed.

Your Growth Has Become Unpredictable

Feast or famine months are killing your planning. You rely on “going viral” or luck. You need an eCommerce Consultant to install repeatable growth loops and customer retention systems, transforming your business into a predictable asset that grows month over month.

You Want to Build an Asset for Exit

You aren’t just building a job; you are building a company to sell. But right now, the business relies on you. You need an eCommerce Consultant to document and automate operations, increasing your multiple by proving the business runs successfully without you.

What To Expect From Your eCommerce Consultant

How The Source Approach To eCommerce Consulting Works

  • 1) Source Code Creation

    Together, we create the Source Codes for your Marketing Operating System (MOS) for eCommerce.  Source Codes package & explain your brand in a language that AI, sales, marketing, creative, & customer service teams can understand and use.

  • 2) Install The Marketing Operating System

    Install the Marketing Operating System, Brand Source OS, that trains your teams, teaches your AI, and eliminates brand AI hallucinations, ensuring brand consistency everywhere to prevent brand pollution and brand signal loss for category-dominating execution. 

  • 3) Tailored To You Strategy That You Own

    Whether you’re launching, overcoming plateaus, ready to scale, or fixing problems, we accomplish it together through strategies specific to your brand, priorities, timelines, and goals that you own, inside your Marketing Operating System, permanently installed into your business.  No more renting strategy from agencies & freelancers. 

  • 4) Done With You Execution

    On our calls, we execute together in a done-with-you, hand-holding fashion, from writing copy to creative briefs for visual assets, setting up ads, to keyword research, and breaking down analytics and everything in between.  

Weekly Structure

Each month, we break the weeks up into key focus areas, leaving room for attention to critical deadlines on projects that may fall outside that week’s focus area.
Week 1:  Conversion Rate Optimization
Week 2:  Advertising
Week 3:  AISEO & SEO
Week 4:  Social Media, PR, Email & SMS, Influencer Marketing, Affiliate Marketing

About: Tanner Rankin CEO, Fractional CMO, Consultant, Author, Speaker

Tanner Rankin is the Fractional CMO for eCommerce, who leads the strategy and execution of eCommerce marketing by installing the Marketing Operating System, an asset brands own that elevates and unifies AI, agencies, freelancers, and in-house teams under a Single Source of Truth (SSOT). Tanner specializes in replacing marketing operational chaos with a system built for rapid, scalable growth.

Tanner brings 10+ years of operator experience as the CEO of The Source Approach (eCommerce Consultancy) and Referazon (Amazon Influencer Search, CRM, & Shoppable Video SaaS).

Tanner builds a coherent, predictable growth engine you actually own for brands drowning in Agency & Freelancer Chaos OR frustrated by Inexperienced In-House Teams and AI hallucinations.

Seen on: Forbes, Entrepreneur, The Business Journals, Tanner is an Author, Amazon Keynote Speaker, and eCommerce Speaker, and has authored SEO For Everyone and Social Media Marketing For Everyone.

Tanner Rankin - Author Speaker CEO Founder - The Source Approach Amazon Consultant Consulting Amazon Amazon Consulting Amazon Consultants Amazon Consultancy Consultants For Amazon Amazon Selling Consultant Amazon Seller Consultant Amazon Seller Consultants Amazon Seller Consulting Amazon Selling Consultants

What I Do As Your eCommerce Consultancy

Brand Source OS - Source Approach

Create Rapid, Scalable Growth by Installing Your Marketing Operating System (Brand Source OS)

  • Train your AI
  • Teach your team.
  • Install Agentic Guardrails.

Get Recommended by AI With AI Search Optimization (AISO)

  • Get your products recommended in AI Searches
  • Positively impact how AI sees your brand
  • Boost your brand’s authority

AI Search Optimization - Source Approach
AI Implementation - Source Approach

Save Time by Integrating AI Systems Into Your Marketing

  • Automate marketing & sales-related tasks
  • Delegate administrative work to AI
  • Gain invaluable insights 

Get Found In Searches With SEO & GEO

  • Moving beyond simple indexing to Noun Phrase Optimization (NPO) for conversational shopping engines
  • Drive organic sales from product searches
  • Show up ahead of competitors

SEO - Source Approach
Advertising PPC - Source Approach

Get Sales With PPC Advertising

  • Boost Marketplace, Native & Google PPC
  • Drive Profitability
  • Skyrocket ROAS

Drive Revenue With Conversion Rate Optimization

  • Boost Conversion Rates
  • Drive Profitability
  • Get Sales

Listing Optimization - Source Approach
Reviews - Source Approach

Get Reviews With Product Review Optimization

  • Skyrocket Clicks From Search & PPC
  • Boost Social Proof
  • Drive Sales

Boost Profitability With Effective Sales Funnels

  • Boost your email marketing funnels
  • Drive your social media marketing funnels
  • Skyrocket your influencer marketing funnels

External Traffic - Source Approach
Influencer Marketing - Source Approach

Skyrocket Demand with Influencer Marketing

  • Grow Brand Equity
  • Boost Awareness
  • Drive Sales

Become Experts at eCommerce

  • Avoid costly mistakes
  • Target KPI’s & GPI’s
  • Defend your brand

Become Experts - Protect Your Brand - Source Approach
Amazon Consulting - The Source Approach
WooCommerce Consulting - The Source Approach
Shopify - eCommerce Platforms - eCommerce Consulting - The Source Approach
Walmart Consultant The Source Approach
eBay - Logo - Source Approach - eCommerce Consultant and Amazon Consultant
And More Platforms eCommerce Platforms eCommerce Consulting The Source Approach
Best Consulting Company - Source Approach eCommerce Consultant eCommerce Consulting eCommerce Consultancy eCommerce Consultants eCommerce Consulting Services eCommerce Consulting Companies eCommerce Consulting Firms eCommerce Marketing Consultant eCommerce Strategy Consulting eCommerce Business Consultant

Don’t Just Get an eCommerce Consultant: Get an Operator & OS That Delivers Rapid Profitable Growth

How Your Marketing Operating System (MOS) Gives You An Unfair Advantage

Teach Your Team

Get a Single Source of Truth (SSOT) for your team, agencies, & freelancers.

Train Your AI

Your Single Source of Truth (SSOT) trains AI & eliminates brand hallucinations.

Dominate Your Category

Unify your team & AI to achieve peak performance and efficiency.
Brand Intelligence Operating System Competitive Advantage - Fractional CMO for eCommerce

Most consultants give you a ‘To-Do’ list. I give you a System of Record.

The Brand Source OS is architected to transform your brand into a high-margin, self-operating asset by doing three things simultaneously:

01

Increase
Certainty

Remove the Human Error

By installing a Marketing Operating System, I replace ‘hope’ with a predictable execution framework. You stop relying on a “good month” and start relying on a calibrated machine.

02

Decrease
Effort

Remove the Founder Bottleneck

The system is designed to run without you needing to approve every subject line or keyword change. You move from the “Engine Room” to the “Cockpit,” focusing on high-level strategy while the OS handles the heavy lifting.

03

Decrease
Time Delay

Accelerate Market Velocity

I eliminate the “Agency & Freelancer Lag.” The MOS moves your brand at the speed of the algorithm, collapsing the distance between spotting an opportunity and capturing the profit. While your competitors wait for their agency’s monthly report, you are already executing on yesterday’s data.

Case Studies

eCommerce Consultant Reviews

reminderbandlogo02-570

testimonial-stars

“Our company has dealt with quite a few consultants over the years, and Tanner is at the top. We meet for an hour each week, and he never seems rushed or annoyed at our questions. On the contrary, he excels at explaining concepts in such a way that we understand and can execute on his suggestions. The real challenge is finding the resources to implement all the amazing ideas he has. Because of his breadth of experience across industries and with multiple companies, he is well versed in about any area we address. Tanner is worth his weight in gold. We never second-guess our investment with Tanner.”

Steve Larsen, Reminderband

Frontier Therapeutics - Testimonial - Logo - The Source Approach

testimonial-stars

“The Source Approach completely turned around our Amazon and E-Commerce performance fast. When we began with Tanner, our listings were at a standstill. As soon as we implemented his frameworks and followed his guidelines, our sales and entire brand presence skyrocketed. I have no doubt that this system is rock-solid and can be applied to any market segment. We’ve since been experiencing explosive YOY growth.  Tanner at The Source Approach got our online sales on the right track, and set us up with the skills to maintain and improve our E-Commerce performance in perpetuity.”

– William Zelany, Frontier Therapeutics

Skate Anytime - Testimonial - Source Approach - Amazon Consultant and eCommerce Consultant

testimonial-stars

“I ‘ve been working with Source Approach for only a few months and we’ve already seen excellent results. Everything they do is discussed through one-on-one consulting, where thoughtful strategic decisions are made. In this short period of time, they have completely overhauled the product copy using SEO data as the guideline, developed and implemented PPC ad, and conversion rate optimization campaigns as well as developing affiliate marketing strategies. We’ve already seen a major increase in our sales and are gaining traction in many market segments. We’re extremely pleased and excited to continue our marketing partnership with Source Approach. Five Stars for sure!!!!!!”

 – Mike Pace, CEO Skate Anytime

How You’ll Work With Your eCommerce Consultant

Google Meeting Calls - The Source Approach

Weekly Video Calls

We meet 1,2, or 3 hours a week on video calls via Google Meet.

Slack Team Chat - The Source Approach

Daily Slack Communication

I join your teams Slack channel for daily chat communication.

Trello For Project Management - The Source Approach

Trello Project Management

I project manage and collaborate on our projects in Trello.

The eCommerce Consultancy Trusted by Great Brands

Frontier Therapeutics - Logo
Ware2Go - Logo
QFS - Logo
Healthbear - Logo
Nature's Lawn - Logo
GERMOZAP - Logo
Reminderband - Client Logos - Source Approach - eCommerce Consultant - Amazon Consultant
Drexel Industries - Client Logos - Source Approach - eCommerce Consultant - Amazon Consultant
Lavari - Client Logos - Source Approach - eCommerce Consultant - Amazon Consultant
Biowave - Client Logos - Source Approach - eCommerce Consultant - Amazon Consultant
Skate Anytime - Client Logos - Source Approach - eCommerce Consultant - Amazon Consultant
Big Joe Coffee - Client Logos - Source Approach - eCommerce Consultant - Amazon Consultant
Metro Jewelry - Client Logos - Source Approach - eCommerce Consultant - Amazon Consultant
BIG Jewelry - Client Logos - Source Approach - eCommerce Consultant - Amazon Consultant
La Joya Jewelry - Client Logos - Source Approach - eCommerce Consultant - Amazon Consultant
Go2 Socks - Client Logos - Source Approach - eCommerce Consultant - Amazon Consultant
Repose - Client Logos - Source Approach - eCommerce Consultant - Amazon Consultant
Reeds Jenss - Client Logos - Source Approach - eCommerce Consultant - Amazon Consultant

Award Winning eCommerce Consulting

Clutch - Deliver - Proven Results - Amazon Consultant - eCommerce Consultant - Fractional CMO - The Source Approach Amazon Consultant Consulting Amazon Amazon Consulting Amazon Consultants Amazon Consultancy Amazon Selling Consultant Amazon Seller Consultant Amazon Seller Consultants Amazon Seller Consulting Amazon Selling Consultants
SEOblog - Top - Proven Results - Amazon Consultant - eCommerce Consultant - Fractional CMO - The Source Approach Amazon Consultant Consulting Amazon Amazon Consulting Amazon Consultants Amazon Consultancy Amazon Selling Consultant Amazon Seller Consultant Amazon Seller Consultants Amazon Seller Consulting Amazon Selling Consultants
GoodFirms- Top Business Services - Proven Results - Amazon Consultant - eCommerce Consultant - Fractional CMO - The Source Approach Amazon Consultant Consulting Amazon Amazon Consulting Amazon Consultants Amazon Consultancy Amazon Selling Consultant Amazon Seller Consultant Amazon Seller Consultants Amazon Seller Consulting Amazon Selling Consultants
GoodFirms- Top Digital Marketing - Proven Results - Amazon Consultant - eCommerce Consultant - Fractional CMO - The Source Approach Amazon Consultant Consulting Amazon Amazon Consulting Amazon Consultants Amazon Consultancy Amazon Selling Consultant Amazon Seller Consultant Amazon Seller Consultants Amazon Seller Consulting Amazon Selling Consultants
Clutch - Top Business Consultants - Proven Results - Amazon Consultant - eCommerce Consultant - Fractional CMO - The Source Approach Amazon Consultant Consulting Amazon Amazon Consulting Amazon Consultants Amazon Consultancy Amazon Selling Consultant Amazon Seller Consultant Amazon Seller Consultants Amazon Seller Consulting Amazon Selling Consultants
Clutch - Top B2B Companies - Proven Results - Amazon Consultant - eCommerce Consultant - Fractional CMO - The Source Approach Amazon Consultant Consulting Amazon Amazon Consulting Amazon Consultants Amazon Consultancy Amazon Selling Consultant Amazon Seller Consultant Amazon Seller Consultants Amazon Seller Consulting Amazon Selling Consultants

eCommerce Consultancy Services For Brands

Woocommerce
& Shopify

eCommerce
Marketplaces

Conversion
Rates

Content &
Sales Copy

Influencer
Marketing

Sales
Funnels

(AEO) Agentic Engine Optimization

UGC & Creator Governance

RAG-Ready
Content & Copy

Agent-Ready Data Stacks (SSOT)

Attribute Completion & Merchandising

Community & Sentiment Analytics

(AI) Artificial
Intelligence

(AISO) AI
Search
Optimization

PPC
Advertising

Search Engine
Optimization

Affiliate
Programs

Social
Media

Omnichannel
eCommerce

Email
Marketing

Flywheels

Analytics

Automations

CRM

What is The Source Approach

What’s the Source Approach?

Over a decade ago, I stepped in as a new CMO for a rapidly scaling brand. On paper, we had it all: high-budget agencies, brilliant freelancers, and a great product. But the results were inconsistent, and the churn was expensive. We were burning through cash and talent, yet we felt stuck.

The turning point came during a tense meeting with the CEO. He slammed his hand on the table and said something I will never forget:

“Everyone we hire tells a different story. The ads don’t match the emails. The SEO doesn’t match the brand. None of this sounds like us.”

The Lightbulb Moment He was right. We didn’t have a talent problem; we had a translation problem.

We had distinct “silos”—Amazon, Social, Email, PPC, SEO—all operating in isolation. Each agency was improvising, guessing at the brand’s voice and strategy. We were fragmented, and the customer could feel it.

The Invention: The First “Source Code” I realized we couldn’t just “manage” these teams; we had to align them at the DNA level.

I built the first iteration of The Source Approach: a centralized “Source Code” that bottled the founder’s vision, the product truth, and the customer psychology into a Single Source of Truth (SSOT). Suddenly, every freelancer and agency was singing from the same sheet music. Chaos turned into clarity. Revenue followed.

The Evolution: Enter the AI Era Then, the AI revolution hit. I saw brands making the same mistake again—feeding generic prompts into powerful AI tools, resulting in hallucinations and generic copy.

I realized that the Source Code I built for humans was actually the missing link for AI.

The Solution Today: Brand Source OS Today, I don’t just manage marketing. I install the Brand Source OS.

This is the Operating System that houses your brand’s intelligence. It is the central brain that teaches your human teams and trains your AI.

As your Fractional CMO, I act as the architect and the operator. I ensure that every agency, every freelancer, every in-house team member, and every AI prompt draws from the same Source. No more fragmentation. No more hallucinations. Just one unified, dominant brand, scaling profitably.

eCommerce Consultancy FAQ

You See a Sales Problem. I See the Missing Operating System That Solves It.