Why every eCommerce business needs access to a line of credit

How flexible funding boosts eCommerce growth

Cash flow is the oxygen of any high-growth eCommerce brand. You buy stock, spin up campaigns and pay couriers long before the money arrives in your account. When cash runs thin, your Facebook ads slow, you pass on bulk-buy discounts, and growth stalls.

In the United States, founders have already solved this crunch with revenue-based eCommerce financing. In Australia, the idea is still new, which means many local brands are leaving easy gains on the table.

That gap is why we have partnered with Wayflyer. Their data-driven approach to eCommerce funding plugs straight into Shopify, WooCommerce, Google Ads and more, then offers quick, flexible capital that grows as you do. Below, we explain how it works, why it beats traditional loans and what you can do today to become funding-ready.

Why funding challenges hit eCommerce harder

Most businesses invoice after work is done. Online retailers pay up front:

• Inventory – deposits on the next shipment, customs duty, insurance
• Marketing – Meta, TikTok and Google Ads on seven- or thirty-day cycles
• Logistics – third-party warehousing, fulfilment, and returns handling
• Tax – GST remitted quarterly even when you offer thirty-day payment terms to wholesale customers

The result is a seesaw. Costs spike just as sales are about to take off, and any delay – supplier hold-ups, the Aussie dollar dipping, Facebook shuffling an ad out of learning – can leave you scrambling for cash.

Traditional finance is slow and rigid. By the time a bank approves an overdraft, the opportunity that sparked your spending has passed. High-interest credit cards fill the gap but they chew margin and cap out quickly. That is where modern eCommerce financing steps in.

Why the United States has been ahead in eCommerce financing

Revenue-based eCommerce finance matured in the US for three simple reasons:

1. A huge pool of venture-backed fintechs chased growth markets.
2. Direct-to-consumer brands needed stock and ad spend almost overnight.
3. Card processors provided easy access to real-time sales data.

Australia’s smaller market and stricter banking culture meant options stayed thin. High-growth brands leaned on personal guarantees or expensive cards. The eCommerce boom of 2020-24 proved local demand is big enough, so providers like Wayflyer have crossed the Pacific.

That is good news for Aussie founders because flexible capital lets you:

• Scale Black Friday to Boxing Day campaigns without draining reserves.
• Order ahead of Chinese New Year factory closures.
• Pre-pay suppliers when the exchange rate is favourable.
• Upgrade warehouses or platforms while ads keep running.

Introducing Wayflyer and how it differs from the usual suspects

Most Australian founders know the standard funding playbook: bank overdrafts, business credit cards or (if you are on Shopify) a Shopify Capital advance. Each helps in specific situations, but they all share two limits-slow approvals and rigid repayment rules. Wayflyer approaches working-capital from the opposite direction.

Why Wayflyer is more founder-friendly

• Data-driven limits - By analysing revenue across all platforms, Shopify, Amazon, WooCommerce and even in-store POS, Wayflyer often offers higher limits than single-channel financiers.
• Flat, predictable cost - You agree to one transparent fee upfront, so you know the landed cost of capital before you draw a cent.
• Sales-linked repayments - If revenue dips, repayments scale down automatically. When sales surge, you clear the balance faster and unlock a larger top-up.
• No personal guarantee - Your house, car and Labrador stay off the line. Wayflyer relies on business performance, not your personal assets.
• Multichannel flexibility - Planning to add a headless storefront or launch on TikTok Shop? Your funding stays intact because Wayflyer watches the whole revenue picture, not just one checkout.

In other words, Wayflyer’s model is built for brands that grow fast and sell everywhere, exactly the businesses that traditional lenders find hard to underwrite and that credit-card limits can’t keep up with.

How Wayflyer revenue-based funding works

1. Connect your data - Secure, read-only links to Shopify, Google Analytics, Meta Ads, WooCommerce and your accounting platform build a real-time performance picture.
2. Receive an offer - Within forty-eight hours you get maximum draw-down, a flat fee and a repayment percentage. There is no compounding interest.
3. Draw funds as needed - Transfer some or all of the offer into your business account. Many founders dip in several times each quarter to match stock cycles.
4. Repay automatically - A small share of daily or weekly sales clears the balance. When revenue slows repayments slow too.
5. Top up on growth - As turnover rises your limit increases which creates a self-reinforcing growth loop.

Flat-fee example: Draw $100,000 at a 6% fee and you repay $106,000 in total, no matter how long it takes. Most brands finish in four to seven months, then either top up or pause. Simple maths, zero surprises.

Comparing common eCommerce finance options

Wayflyer often wins for multichannel brands because:

• It reads data from all channels, not just Shopify.
• Offers are usually larger thanks to a bigger revenue picture.
• There is no platform lock-in if you migrate to headless or add marketplaces.
• Fixed fees mean you know your landed cost of capital before you draw.

When looking for a Google Ads pay-for-performance agency, you'll find this model works particularly well because:

• Precise tracking: Google's tracking accurately connects results to specific campaigns
• Fast results: Search ads can generate sales quickly, making ROAS calculation easy
• Clear intent: People searching are more likely to buy
• Easy measurement: Revenue and return on ad spend are simple to track

Google pay-for-performance campaigns typically use a ROAS-based commission structure. You pay a base percentage plus performance bonuses as your return on investment improves.

Five practical ways to turn funding into profitable growth

1. Tactical ad spend: Take advantage of low customer acquisition costs by increasing your Meta and Google budgets when conditions are right.
2. Inventory leverage: Negotiate discounts by paying suppliers thirty days early.
3. International entry: Cover 3PL deposits and localised creative when launching in New Zealand or the United States.
4. Product validation: Fund small-batch drops and influencer seeding, then scale only the proven winners.
5. Technology uplift: Migrate to Shopify Plus, Klaviyo or a headless stack without pausing ad spend.

Getting funding-ready: your checklist

Tick those boxes and approval usually lands within two business days.

Why Refuel champions flexible funding

Our pay-for-performance model means we only succeed when your revenue climbs. When cash bottlenecks choke ad spend, nobody wins. Partnering with Wayflyer lets us:

• Avoid campaign stop-starts that reset ad algorithms.
• Grab under-priced attention during short-lived trends.
• Prove creative tests quickly, then scale the winners.

Capital meets strategy, and your growth plan becomes action instead of a wish list.

Final word: growth waits for no one

Australian eCommerce is booming, but the brands that outpace the market share one trait - they never let cash dictate their marketing calendar. eCommerce cashflow tools such as Wayflyer convert proven performance into the fuel you need to reach the next tier.

If you have solid margins, a clear growth plan, and a hunger to move faster, now is the perfect time to explore eCommerce finance built for your reality.

Start with a free eCommerce performance and growth review

We will audit your metrics, spot cash-flow bottlenecks, and model the upside of flexible working capital.

Ready to scale? Book your review here and let’s turn momentum into market dominance.

Common questions about eCommerce financing

Is Wayflyer a loan?

Not exactly. You pay a single pre-agreed fee and clear it as a share of future revenue. There is no interest clock.

Will it hurt my credit score?

No hard enquiry for most offers. Decisions rely on your performance data.

What if sales slump?

Repayments fall in proportion to revenue, which protects cash flow.

Can I repay early?

Yes. Clearing the balance faster can unlock higher future limits.

How much can I access?

Anywhere from $20,000 to several million dollars, depending on turnover, margins, and channel mix.

Does using Wayflyer mean taking on debt?

No, Wayflyer’s model is not traditional debt. Instead, it’s a revenue-based financing approach that aligns repayments with your sales. You pay a single, fixed fee that is repaid as a small percentage of daily or weekly revenue. There’s no interest, compounding, or equity dilution, making it a growth-friendly alternative to loans or credit cards.

Who is eligible for Wayflyer funding?

Wayflyer typically supports e-commerce businesses that:

• have been operating for at least six months,
• generate over $10,000 in monthly sales, and
• sell physical products via direct-to-consumer platforms such as Shopify, WooCommerce, or Amazon.

The ideal candidates are growth-driven brands with strong unit economics and proven sales performance, looking to reinvest in scaling their business.

What’s the difference between Wayflyer and Shopify Capital?

Wayflyer and Shopify Capital both provide funding to e-commerce businesses, but their models are designed for very different needs.

Shopify Capital is limited to merchants operating solely within the Shopify platform. It provides quick access to funds but ties repayment directly to Shopify sales, making it less flexible for multichannel businesses.

Wayflyer, on the other hand, is platform-agnostic. It analyses data across Shopify, Amazon, Meta, Google Analytics, retail revenue and wholesale revenue to offer higher funding limits, flexible repayment options and no personal guarantee. This makes Wayflyer a better fit for scaling, performance-driven brands.