About Us

The future of growth isn’t acquisition—it’s retention.

We help high-growth e-commerce brands turn one-time buyers into loyal customers through smarter email, SMS, and retention strategies.

No gimmicks. No paid ads. Just sustainable, compounding growth from the customers you’ve already paid to acquire.

Meet the founder

Randy McHugh built Stimulate to flip the script on eCommerce growth. Press play to meet the man, the myth, the retention legend himself, learn why retention is the real revenue driver, and how we can help your brand win.

Randy's Bio

I’ve been an entrepreneur for as long as I can remember.

It started in middle school, when my school began replacing the snacks we actually wanted with healthier alternatives like apples. I saw an opportunity. My friends and I would go to the store, stock up on candy, and sell it during snack time.

That entrepreneurial streak never really went away.

Years later, while most of my classmates were pursuing traditional internships, I started my own airbrush tattoo business. Then, after graduating college with a background in both finance and marketing, I took what I’d learned about customer behavior, growth, and profitability and turned it into something bigger.

In early 2021, I founded Stimulate, an email, SMS, and retention marketing agency built for e-commerce brands.

Since then, we’ve worked with more than 100 brands to launch, optimize, and scale their retention marketing programs.

My background in marketing taught me how to get customers to take action. My background in finance taught me that none of it matters if the numbers don’t make sense. That combination has shaped the way we approach everything at Stimulate: we’re not here to create marketing that simply looks good—we want it to drive measurable, profitable growth.

A major part of that comes down to creative. In a crowded inbox, what you say and how you present it can make or break performance. We focus heavily on developing messaging and creative that earns attention, communicates value quickly, and gives customers a reason to act.

But getting the first purchase is only part of the equation.E-commerce brands spend an enormous amount of time and money acquiring customers. Once you’ve earned that customer, you shouldn’t have to start from zero again. That’s why retention sits at the center of what we do.

Over the years, we’ve developed and refined frameworks designed to turn first-time buyers into repeat customers—using email, SMS, segmentation, automation, and thoughtful retention strategies to increase customer lifetime value and make every acquisition dollar work harder.

That’s ultimately what Stimulate is about: combining creative that converts with retention strategies that compound, helping e-commerce brands build more profitable businesses over the long term.

Retention marketing for high-growth DTC brands

We help DTC brands turn one-time buyers into repeat customers—with powerful email, SMS, and loyalty programs that drive long-term growth.

Email & SMS that convert

Flows, campaigns, and list growth strategies designed to drive signups, sales, and customer retention—so you make more money from the traffic and customers you already have.

Subscriptions & loyalty programs that stick

Retention-first strategies built to reward repeat purchases and boost customer lifetime value.

Plug-and-play strategic support

Work with a retention team that feels in-house—minus the hiring, training, and overhead.

Get Started With Retention Marketing

$100M+ in revenue
generated & counting

We’ve helped scale brands across industries by turning retention into their most profitable growth channel. Our clients stick with us because we don’t just drive clicks—we deliver long-term value, repeat purchases, and serious bottom-line impact.

The Stimulate team is simply fantastic. We engaged Stimulate to help get our fledgling email game off the ground. The results have been and continue to be incredibly impressive. We’ve seen dramatic improvements across the board: during our first 6 months, subscription churn dropped by 42%, LTV rose by almost 20%, and our percent of revenue attributable to email increased by more than 200%. Stimulate takes a very data-driven and analytical approach and the results speak for themselves. Hire this team: Randy and Stimulate are the only ones you need.

David Brown

CEO + Co-Founder, FireRoad

I’ve been working with Stimulate for almost three years now, and they do an outstanding job with email & SMS marketing including campaigns and journeys. They really immerse themselves in the brands they work with. I highly recommend them!

Shimshy

Marketing Manager, Editors Pick

Working with Stimulate has made my life so easy. The team writes and designs on-brand emails, puts together the whole content calendar, manages reporting, and so much more, all with very little feedback needed. And as a result, Stimulate has not only freed up my time but we’ve seen our email & sms channels grow exponentially.

Kerry

Founder & Aesthetician, StackedSkincare

Stimulate has increased our email and SMS revenue by many multiples in under 12 months of working together. And they do everything - copy, design, strategy, deployment, reporting. It has been one of the best agency experiences I've had. I can not recommend more highly.

Craig

CEO & Founder, Speks

There are a million agencies and freelancers trying to sell you email marketing. It's refreshing to work with Stimulate because in a sea of 'experts', they actually are one. Within two months of working with Stimulate, we achieved the highest total revenue from flows in our brand's five-year history, and this was not an easy lift as email revenue was already high. I wish I found them three years ago. I highly recommend working with them.

Josh Walker

Co-Founder & CMO, 1620 Workwear

Stimulate’s commitment to and understanding of analytics is a welcome change from what we have experienced with other email marketers. The team has a fantastic understanding of campaign optimization and has the platform skills to execute effectively. For anyone looking for help with managing email communication I would highly recommend Stimulate!

Eric Steckling

Founder, Brio Product Group

What impressed me most about Stimulate is their ability to truly understand our brand and customer base. They didn’t just apply generic strategies; instead, they took the time to tailor their approach specifically to our needs, which made all the difference in our results. Their use of data-driven insights and predictive analytics to drive personalized campaigns was particularly unique and effective. In short, Stimulate brings a combination of creativity, technical expertise, and a true understanding of retention that sets them apart from others in the industry.

Christie

CMO, ezpz

Ready to scale?
Let’s make it happen!

Book your introductory call for a complimentary audit and custom proposal, and see exactly how we’ll help scale your brand.

Your questions already answered

What is your pricing structure?

Our competitive pricing is tailored to meet each client’s unique needs for maximum ROI. Pricing is based on your selected monthly deliverables and retention services. To receive an exact quote, please schedule a call with us.

How quickly can I see results?

Our clients typically see initial improvements within the first 30 days and significant results within 90 days. We know the best brands move quickly, so we aim to deliver extraordinary results faster than you'd find elsewhere.

What services do you offer?

Our core services—email and SMS marketing—are the most effective channels for driving customer retention at scale.
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We support these efforts with additional services like direct mail, subscription management, loyalty programs, pre- and post-purchase upsells, and customer behavior analysis.

By combining these services, we deliver a strong multi-channel strategy to boost customer retention and drive long-term growth.

Do you offer free audits?

Yes, we offer free, in-depth audits for brands that meet our qualifications. Each audit identifies key opportunities to scale your revenue and retention and provides a preliminary strategy for collaboration. To see if your brand qualifies, please schedule a discovery call with us.

How long are your contracts?

We offer two flexible contract options to fit your needs: month-to-month agreements for more flexibility or six-month contracts with perks like upfront flow setup. You can pick the option that works best for your goals.

Do you offer any promotions?

Yes, we offer special promotions that change monthly. To learn about our current deals and how they can benefit your brand, schedule a complimentary retention audit with us—we’d love to help you take advantage of these opportunities!

Who will I be working with?

You'll have two dedicated experts on your team, each bringing specialized skills to drive your success:
• A Creative Director
• A Retention Manager
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They'll work with you to create and implement strategies that grow your brand and build customer loyalty. Backed by a talented team of copywriters, designers, and channel experts, they handle all the details to make your campaigns a success.