Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) explained in marketing + free πŸ”’ calculator

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) is an important marketing metric that helps companies analyze and optimize the cost of acquiring new customers. CAC plays a crucial role in evaluating the profitability of marketing campaigns and can help companies use their marketing budgets more efficiently. Discover even more KPI & marketing calculators here.

Meaning: Definition in marketing

CAC refers to the total cost a company spends on marketing and sales activities to acquire a new customer. These costs can include various expenses, such as advertising, content creation, sales personnel, discounts, or other marketing costs. By calculating the CAC, companies can understand how much they need to invest on average to acquire a new paying customer.

Calculation: Calculate CAC

Calculating the Customer Acquisition Cost is relatively simple. You take the total cost of marketing and sales and divide it by the number of new customers acquired in a given period. The formula is:

CAC = total costs for marketing and sales / number of new customers acquired

To illustrate, let’s assume that a company spent 10,000 euros on marketing and sales last month and was able to acquire 100 new paying customers during this period. Then the CAC:

CAC = 10,000 euros / 100 customers = 100 euros per new customer

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Meaning of the CAC calculation

The CAC calculation is critical because it helps a company evaluate the effectiveness of its marketing and sales efforts. A low CAC means the company is more efficient at acquiring new customers and spending less cost per customer. On the other hand, a high CAC may indicate inefficient marketing or sales strategies that need to be revised to reduce costs and increase profitability.

Example: Optimization of the CAC

A company in the e-commerce sector wants to optimize its marketing strategy and reduce the CAC. In the last six months, the company has spent a total of 50,000 euros on marketing and sales costs and has gained 500 new paying customers in the process. Now the CAC is calculated:

CAC = 50,000 euros / 500 customers = 100 euros per new customer

The company wants to reduce CAC and decides to test different marketing channels to compare effectiveness. After an intensive analysis, the company finds that certain social media and influencer marketing campaigns deliver the best results. By focusing on these more efficient channels, the company is able to reduce the CAC to 80 euros per new customer.

Optimizing the CAC enables the company to make better use of its marketing budgets and achieve a higher return on investment (ROI).

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