Model Guidance: 1P vs 3P vs Accelerator — Choosing the Right Model for Connected Growth

Not all Amazon models are built for the same journey. Some prioritize control. Others maximize scale. But in today’s non-linear, connected commerce landscape, choosing the right model means building a system where every lever works together toward one goal: sustainable, connected growth.

At Front Row, we help brands determine the how behind their Amazon strategy, whether that means running enterprise-grade 1P programs, agile 3P partnerships, or hybrid Accelerator models that blend the best of both. The key is not the model itself, but how it integrates into the larger commerce loop; connecting brand, demand, and marketplace performance.

The Modern Marketplace Equation

Amazon is the central growth engine that influences every other part of a brand’s ecosystem. A shopper might discover your product on TikTok, validate it through Amazon reviews, and purchase through your D2C site or retail partner. That’s why the most successful brands don’t treat Amazon as a silo; they treat it as the connective tissue between channels.

This was proven in a recent case study with a fast-growing beauty brand. The brand feared Amazon would cannibalize its D2C business, but the data told a different story. Through an Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) study, we discovered less than 0.01% overlap between Amazon purchasers and D2C customers. In fact, Amazon drove 2.75x more customer acquisition, largely among new-to-brand audiences.

The takeaway: when Amazon is built into a connected growth strategy, it doesn’t compete with D2C, but rather accelerates and complements it.

Model One: 1P — Enterprise Power, Retail Discipline

For global brands with mature operations and deep retail infrastructure, 1P offers the scale and stability needed to move with precision. Managing vendor relationships, navigating program negotiations, and orchestrating retail media investments require an expert hand,  and that’s where Front Row’s enterprise 1P practice leads the industry.

We’ve spent years guiding clients like Wella, SharkNinja, and Essity through the complexity of 1P, turning Amazon from a cost center into a conversion engine. With Catapult as our foundation, we connect retail signals to content, pricing, and media execution, ensuring every retail decision ladders up to growth.

Where most agencies silo their 1P teams, we connect them into a unified commerce system,  bridging brand storytelling, operational discipline, and retail media performance.

→ Explore how enterprise brands scale smarter withFront Row’s 1P expertise.

Model Two: 3P — Flexibility, Agility, and Ownership

For brands that want more control — over pricing, customer relationships, and brand presence — the 3P model offers speed and flexibility without sacrificing structure.

Front Row operates two 3P pathways:

• 3P Distribution (Distro): We purchase inventory directly and take on the risk, reinvesting a portion of our sales into marketing. It’s a buy-sell partnership where your growth is literally our growth.
• 3P Management: For brands already proficient in Seller Central, we bring operational excellence, advertising strategy, and performance discipline to accelerate what’s already working.

Both models are grounded in our “boutique at scale” philosophy; human-led, data-enabled, and operationally disciplined.

It’s how we’ve delivered rapid transformation for brands like FlavCity, Moon Juice, Microbiome Labs, and Seed Health, often within the first 7 days of partnership.

→ Learn how our 3P partnerships unlock scalable growth with precision.

Model Three: Accelerator — The Best of Both Worlds

The Accelerator model combines the scale of 1P with the control of 3P, ideal for brands ready to grow faster without losing governance.

Our partnership with Scrub Daddy exemplifies this approach. The brand already had massive retail success but needed an Amazon-first strategy that wouldn’t disrupt other channels. Together, we reimagined its Amazon assortment, developing exclusive bundles and optimizing logistics to support container-level sourcing from overseas. The results: +24% increase in Amazon sales and +23% lift in average order value, all while strengthening retail partnerships.

Accelerator isn’t a single framework — it’s an adaptive model that evolves with the brand. It blends content, commerce, and operational intelligence to create a loop where Amazon drives growth everywhere else.

→ Discover how our Accelerator partnerships bridge creativity and commerce.

Choosing the Right Model for Connected Growth

Selecting a model isn’t a binary decision but a strategic one.
The right choice depends on your operational readiness, control needs, and long-term channel goals.

Ask yourself:

• How much ownership do we need over pricing, content, and customer experience?
• Are we optimizing for speed, scale, or protection?
• How does Amazon fit into our broader brand and retail ecosystem?

At Front Row, we’ve been meticulous about buildings models around brands. That’s why
That’s why 90% of our partnerships span five years or more, a rarity in the agency world. Each engagement is designed to evolve, from Distro to Accelerator to enterprise 1P, as your business matures.

The Connected Commerce Advantage

No matter the model, success on Amazon depends on how well your brand connects its systems, brand, demand, and retail into a single loop.

Today’s consumer doesn’t shop in lines. They shop in loops. They discover on social, validate on Amazon, and purchase wherever trust meets convenience. That’s the future of growth, and it’s already here.

→ Ready to find your model for connected growth?Let’s talk.