Why This Ecommerce Veteran Left Corporate to Start His Own Agency Powered by Polar Analytics
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About Lee Bissonette
With 25 years in ecommerce leadership across brands like Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, FAO Schwarz, and most recently VP at Marc Fisher, Lee Bissonnette brings deep firsthand experience in what actually drives growth. From DTC to wholesale, luxury to mass market, he’s seen how surface-level metrics and siloed agency models consistently hold brands back. His new venture, Brand X Commerce, is built to solve those problems, giving ecommerce brands clearer insights, tighter strategies, and a path to true profitability.
Lessons from Scaling Six Brands at Marc Fisher
Before launching Brand X Commerce, Lee spent eight years at Marc Fisher, a leading footwear company, absorbing and scaling six brands into one centralized ecommerce infrastructure.
“It was gradual but very fast-paced. We absorbed a brand every 18 months—sometimes one a year, sometimes two a year. Everything had to be scalable.”
That journey took Lee deep into the operational and data challenges that come with multi-brand ecommerce:
“You would absorb these brands that were already running. You’d interface with a whole different group—different email teams, different analytics teams, and all the stacks were heavy.”
The shift to Shopify Plus during COVID set Marc Fisher down a path of rapid digital transformation that required Lee Bissonette to master Shopify’s ecosystem from the ground up.
“We made the move to Shopify Plus right at the onset of COVID—with the benefit of hindsight, this was unfortunate timing, but it forced me to become incredibly hands-on. I had to learn Liquid, test every app, and stitch everything together because development resources dried up overnight.”
That’s where Lee first encountered Polar Analytics, a tool that would change how he saw marketing performance.
A Profit-First Mindset Powered by Polar Analytics
Across those six brands, Lee saw the same story play out: agencies focused almost entirely on ROAS, often inflating performance by over-investing in discount campaigns or chasing remarketing wins. The problem? That approach masked the true cost of acquiring profitable new customers.
“ROAS isn’t bad—it’s just incomplete. I only saw one brand (out of six!) use margin on ad spend (MOAS). When I saw that, I realized we were looking at the wrong scoreboard the entire time.”
That realization sparked a deeper search for tools that could tie profitability directly to campaign-level and even product-level decisions. That search led to Polar Analytics.
“When I started using Polar, I could finally see campaign-level MOAS, product profitability, and even keyword-level data in one place. It was a lightbulb moment—I realized sale campaigns got all the ROAS, but full-price campaigns generated all the profit.”
This insight allowed Lee to shift strategy entirely, reallocating spend toward acquiring full-price customers and curating campaigns not just for clicks, but for contribution margin, a shift that would ultimately help grow online sales from $1.7 million to over $150 million across six sites.
“With Polar, we could actually see that 15% off discount might drive a higher ROAS, but a full-price campaign—when you factor in the margin—could be way more profitable. You don’t see that in-platform (ad platforms).”
By integrating Polar directly into his acquisition, retention, and activation strategy, Lee built a system that allowed him to manage a $20 million advertising budget with clear profitability targets. This data-driven approach also supported the launch of third-party drop-ship marketplaces for key licensors, while helping reduce non-variable, non-payroll expenses to below 3% of revenue.
Across every brand, Polar’s reporting helped increase revenue, improve margins, and boost profitability compared to prior tenancy, proof that shifting focus from vanity metrics to contribution margin was a winning formula.
Polar Becomes the Centerpiece of a New Agency Model
When Lee decided to launch his own agency, Brand X Commerce, building on top of Polar was a natural choice. Unlike traditional agencies that lean on platform-reported ROAS and surface-level optimization, Brand X Commerce’s entire approach revolves around profitability-first decision-making.
At the core of the offering is a “Powered by Polar” approach, using Polar’s data not just for reporting, but for actively optimizing every touchpoint, from first click to repeat purchase.
“We see Polar as central to what we do. If you work with us, you’re working with Polar—and you’re committing to looking at your business this way.”
From Funnel Gaps to Full Funnel Profitability
One of Brand X Commerce’s core differentiators is bridging the gap between acquisition, retention, and merchandising. Most ecommerce brands work with two agencies, one for development and one for marketing, but those teams rarely collaborate. This disconnect leaves critical gaps in the funnel, especially when converting first-time visitors into loyal customers.
“The website should be a collector of data that feeds into smarter campaigns and more profitable retention strategies. That’s why the lower funnel is so weak for most brands—they treat the site like a store, not a data engine.”
By integrating Klaviyo and other tools directly into Polar Analytics, Brand X Commerce creates a closed-loop system that optimizes both acquisition and retention based on true profitability.
What’s Next for Brand X Commerce
When asked what advice he has for ecommerce leaders evaluating agencies, Lee is clear:
“This is the year of profitability. If you’re still chasing revenue without understanding profit at the product and campaign level, you’re already behind. An agency that relies on platform-reported ROAS as the source of truth is a red flag. If they’re not asking about your true new customer acquisition cost and lifetime profit, that’s another. Your agency’s job isn’t just to report results—it’s to improve them.”
Instead, Lee recommends looking for partners who understand full funnel profitability, from initial click to post-purchase retention, and who work across both marketing and site experience to improve every touchpoint.
As Brand X Commerce grows, Lee is focusing on delivering transformative results for 5-10 brands in the first year.
“If we can help 5-10 brands completely rethink how they acquire customers—moving from ROAS to profit—and build systems that scale that approach, I’ll call that a huge success.”
As part of its launch, Brand X Commerce is offering a free profitability audit to any brand. This includes:
- Evaluating whether your marketing efforts drive true profitability.
- Back-end site auditing for tracking, reporting, and data connection set-ups.
- Assessing how data is being collected and leveraged for campaign optimization and retention.
Visit brandxcommerce.com to sign up for your free audit by using the code “Polar” or connect with Lee directly on LinkedIn.
What where your goals ?
What are your marketing challenges ?
Lessons from Scaling Six Brands at Marc Fisher
Before launching Brand X Commerce, Lee spent eight years at Marc Fisher, a leading footwear company, absorbing and scaling six brands into one centralized ecommerce infrastructure.
“It was gradual but very fast-paced. We absorbed a brand every 18 months—sometimes one a year, sometimes two a year. Everything had to be scalable.”
That journey took Lee deep into the operational and data challenges that come with multi-brand ecommerce:
“You would absorb these brands that were already running. You’d interface with a whole different group—different email teams, different analytics teams, and all the stacks were heavy.”
The shift to Shopify Plus during COVID set Marc Fisher down a path of rapid digital transformation that required Lee Bissonette to master Shopify’s ecosystem from the ground up.
“We made the move to Shopify Plus right at the onset of COVID—with the benefit of hindsight, this was unfortunate timing, but it forced me to become incredibly hands-on. I had to learn Liquid, test every app, and stitch everything together because development resources dried up overnight.”
That’s where Lee first encountered Polar Analytics, a tool that would change how he saw marketing performance.
How did you monitor growth before Polar Analytics ?
A Profit-First Mindset Powered by Polar Analytics
Across those six brands, Lee saw the same story play out: agencies focused almost entirely on ROAS, often inflating performance by over-investing in discount campaigns or chasing remarketing wins. The problem? That approach masked the true cost of acquiring profitable new customers.
“ROAS isn’t bad—it’s just incomplete. I only saw one brand (out of six!) use margin on ad spend (MOAS). When I saw that, I realized we were looking at the wrong scoreboard the entire time.”
That realization sparked a deeper search for tools that could tie profitability directly to campaign-level and even product-level decisions. That search led to Polar Analytics.
“When I started using Polar, I could finally see campaign-level MOAS, product profitability, and even keyword-level data in one place. It was a lightbulb moment—I realized sale campaigns got all the ROAS, but full-price campaigns generated all the profit.”
This insight allowed Lee to shift strategy entirely, reallocating spend toward acquiring full-price customers and curating campaigns not just for clicks, but for contribution margin, a shift that would ultimately help grow online sales from $1.7 million to over $150 million across six sites.
“With Polar, we could actually see that 15% off discount might drive a higher ROAS, but a full-price campaign—when you factor in the margin—could be way more profitable. You don’t see that in-platform (ad platforms).”
By integrating Polar directly into his acquisition, retention, and activation strategy, Lee built a system that allowed him to manage a $20 million advertising budget with clear profitability targets. This data-driven approach also supported the launch of third-party drop-ship marketplaces for key licensors, while helping reduce non-variable, non-payroll expenses to below 3% of revenue.
Across every brand, Polar’s reporting helped increase revenue, improve margins, and boost profitability compared to prior tenancy, proof that shifting focus from vanity metrics to contribution margin was a winning formula.
Polar Becomes the Centerpiece of a New Agency Model
When Lee decided to launch his own agency, Brand X Commerce, building on top of Polar was a natural choice. Unlike traditional agencies that lean on platform-reported ROAS and surface-level optimization, Brand X Commerce’s entire approach revolves around profitability-first decision-making.
At the core of the offering is a “Powered by Polar” approach, using Polar’s data not just for reporting, but for actively optimizing every touchpoint, from first click to repeat purchase.
“We see Polar as central to what we do. If you work with us, you’re working with Polar—and you’re committing to looking at your business this way.”
From Funnel Gaps to Full Funnel Profitability
One of Brand X Commerce’s core differentiators is bridging the gap between acquisition, retention, and merchandising. Most ecommerce brands work with two agencies, one for development and one for marketing, but those teams rarely collaborate. This disconnect leaves critical gaps in the funnel, especially when converting first-time visitors into loyal customers.
“The website should be a collector of data that feeds into smarter campaigns and more profitable retention strategies. That’s why the lower funnel is so weak for most brands—they treat the site like a store, not a data engine.”
By integrating Klaviyo and other tools directly into Polar Analytics, Brand X Commerce creates a closed-loop system that optimizes both acquisition and retention based on true profitability.
What were your needs ?
What’s Next for Brand X Commerce
When asked what advice he has for ecommerce leaders evaluating agencies, Lee is clear:
“This is the year of profitability. If you’re still chasing revenue without understanding profit at the product and campaign level, you’re already behind. An agency that relies on platform-reported ROAS as the source of truth is a red flag. If they’re not asking about your true new customer acquisition cost and lifetime profit, that’s another. Your agency’s job isn’t just to report results—it’s to improve them.”
Instead, Lee recommends looking for partners who understand full funnel profitability, from initial click to post-purchase retention, and who work across both marketing and site experience to improve every touchpoint.
As Brand X Commerce grows, Lee is focusing on delivering transformative results for 5-10 brands in the first year.
“If we can help 5-10 brands completely rethink how they acquire customers—moving from ROAS to profit—and build systems that scale that approach, I’ll call that a huge success.”
As part of its launch, Brand X Commerce is offering a free profitability audit to any brand. This includes:
- Evaluating whether your marketing efforts drive true profitability.
- Back-end site auditing for tracking, reporting, and data connection set-ups.
- Assessing how data is being collected and leveraged for campaign optimization and retention.
Visit brandxcommerce.com to sign up for your free audit by using the code “Polar” or connect with Lee directly on LinkedIn.