For Private Equity

Commerce diligence before the deal. An operating team after.

Carolina Coast Collective gives private equity firms operator-led ecommerce diligence on consumer brand targets, and an outsourced commerce operating team for portfolio companies across Amazon, Walmart, DTC, retail, and international.

Talk to Us How We Work With Deal Teams
What We Look At

Where consumer brand value is won or lost

These are the four areas we examine first, before a deal and after it.

01

Channel economics

Headline revenue can hide thin contribution margin once marketplace fees, retail media, returns, and promotions are counted channel by channel.

02

Forecasting and inventory discipline

Weak demand forecasting shows up as stockouts, excess inventory, and heavy promotions that pull margin down.

03

Marketplace and retailer risk

Account health, listing quality, review profile, retailer relationships, and channel concentration can change the story after close.

04

A team built for the next stage

Senior ecommerce operators are scarce and costly to hire. Many portfolio brands need that leadership before they can justify a full-time search.

Two Ways We Work

From first look to first hundred days

Use us at one stage or both. The same senior operators lead the work either way.

Before close

Pre-deal ecommerce diligence

A fast, operator-led read on a consumer brand target’s commerce engine, written for the deal team’s decision.

  • Channel mix and health across Amazon, Walmart, DTC, and retail
  • Unit economics and contribution margin by channel
  • Forecast quality, inventory, and promotion discipline
  • Account, listing, and marketplace risk
  • Retail media efficiency and dependency
  • Team, tools, and operating cadence
You receive prioritized findings and a call with the deal team. Scope and timing are set up front to fit the deal calendar.
After close

Post-close value creation

Senior commerce leadership inside the portfolio company, without waiting on a full-time search.

  • A first-100-days commerce plan agreed with management and the deal team
  • Channel ownership for Amazon, Walmart, DTC, or retail
  • Pricing, assortment, and retailer negotiation support
  • Commerce organization design and hiring plan
  • AI-enabled marketing and operations workflows
  • Reporting your leadership can act on
We work as a Channel Owner, a Full-Stack Operating Partner, or a Strategic Advisor, depending on what the company needs.
Why Deal Teams Use Us

Operators, not a slide factory

Your diligence and your portfolio work are led directly by Chuck Powell and Caitlin Markham.

People who have run the business

Our team ran multibillion-dollar businesses inside Amazon, Chewy, The Home Depot, and Kraft Foods.

One view across every channel

Amazon, Walmart, Target, Chewy, TikTok Shop, Shopify, and brick-and-mortar are assessed together, so pricing, assortment, inventory, and media decisions are judged as one system.

Confidential from the first call

We sign a mutual NDA before deal information is shared, and we keep a deliberately small roster of clients.

Example Result

What operating ownership looks like

Client names are withheld for confidentiality. We have also done ecommerce strategy and operating support for portfolio consumer brands, including diligence.

Consumer electronics brand

Challenge

Strong products, but inconsistent growth on Amazon driven by poor forecasting and limited operational discipline.

What We Did

Redesigned promotional architecture, implemented demand forecasting models using historical sales and retail signals, and aligned supply chain, sales, and retail teams around a structured operating cadence.

+25%Forecast Accuracy
↑ MarginExpansion, fewer promos
FAQ

Questions from deal teams

What does C3 cover in ecommerce diligence on a consumer brand target?
We review channel mix and health across Amazon, Walmart, DTC, and retail; unit economics and contribution margin by channel; forecast quality, inventory, and promotion discipline; account, listing, and marketplace risk; retail media efficiency; and the strength of the team and operating cadence. You receive prioritized findings and a call with the deal team.
Can you work under NDA?
Yes. We sign a mutual NDA before any deal information is shared, and we keep a deliberately small roster of clients.
How do you work with portfolio company management?
We work alongside management and the firm's own operating team. After close we agree a first-100-days commerce plan with both, then operate as a Channel Owner, a Full-Stack Operating Partner, or a Strategic Advisor depending on what the company needs.
How is a C3 operating partner different from a private equity operating partner?
At a private equity firm, an operating partner is usually an executive on the firm's own team. At C3, operating partner describes how we work: we embed with a brand's team and take ownership of channels and outcomes. We work with a firm's operating partners, not in place of them.
Which channels and retailers do you cover?
Amazon in the US, Canada, Mexico, and Europe, plus Walmart online and in-store, Target, Chewy, The Home Depot, TikTok Shop, Shopify and DTC, brick-and-mortar retail, and marketplace expansion across Asia-Pacific.
How do we get started?
Tell us about the target or the portfolio company using the form below. We confirm the scope and timing with you to fit the deal calendar, then begin.
Confidential · No Obligation

Talk to us about a deal or a portfolio company

Tell us about the target or the company and what you need to understand. We reply by email and confirm scope and timing to fit your calendar.

No cost, no obligation. We reply by email.

01
Share the context

The company or target, where it sells, and the decision you are trying to make.

02
We confirm scope and timing

What we will assess and when, to fit the deal calendar or the portfolio plan.

03
You get prioritized findings

A findings call that says what we found and what we would do first, in order of impact.