Platform · Metrics · CAC
CAC: Customer acquisition cost
The fully loaded cost to win a new customer, not just ad spend in one platform. The number you pair with LTV.
What it is
Customer acquisition cost is what it truly costs to get a new paying customer. Ad-account CPA is a component, not a substitute. CAC includes media, creative production, tools, agency fees, discounts, and the people who close the sale. If you only count Meta spend, you are not looking at CAC.
Why it is worth tracking
A campaign can beat CPA and still destroy the business if you ignore people, promo, and payback. CAC is the metric Operators use when the question is “should we scale this motion,” not “did this ad set clear yesterday’s cap.” Pair it with LTV or you are flying with one instrument.
How to read it
A single number is not a brief. These splits are what change the work.
Ad CPA healthy, CAC rising
Spend outside the ad account is growing: discounts, agency, sales time, or returns. Do not scale media until you know which line moved.
CAC up in one market only
Local media inflation, a weaker offer, or a channel mix that does not fit that market. Split CAC by market, never only by region.
CAC looks fine, payback is long
You can afford the customer only if they stay. Check LTV:CAC and cash, especially for subscription and replenishment brands.
What the Operator does
Diagnose, act, then draft. The stats pick the job. Brand voice stays locked.
Diagnose
The Operator separates media CPA from fully loaded CAC. It will ask for new-customer counts, promo, and non-media cost rather than inventing a CAC from ad spend alone.
Act
Recommend scaling only where CAC and payback hold. Cut channels that look cheap in-platform but expensive once promo and people are included. Keep festival CAC in its own window so it does not poison the always-on read.
Draft
Draft acquisition creative and offers aimed at the customers who actually pay back, not the cheapest conversion. Rewrite landing and CRM follow-ups that leak new customers after the click you already paid for.
Example brief
“Blended CAC for our HK skincare line is HKD 420 vs a HKD 280 target. Meta purchase CPA is HKD 190. KOL fees and 11.11 discounts are the gap. Draft always-on Meta + email that sells the routine without 40% off. Need 8 hooks, LP hero, and a 3-email welcome that protects margin.”
Paste a brief like this into a Basis Operator. Connected account context and brand rules apply automatically.
Related metrics
Read it with these, or you will optimize the wrong surface.