CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost)
Name variants
- English
- CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost)
- Katakana
- コスト
- Kanji
- 顧客獲得
Quality / Updated / COI
- Quality
- Reviewed
- Updated
- Source
- Citations & Trust
- COI
- none
TL;DR
Customer acquisition cost is the average cost to acquire a new customer, including marketing and sales expenses.
Definition
CAC measures how much a company spends to win a customer, typically calculated by dividing sales and marketing costs by the number of new customers acquired. It indicates efficiency of growth channels and informs whether acquisition spend is sustainable. The concept helps align marketing tactics with profitability and retention outcomes.
Decision impact
- Determines which acquisition channels are efficient enough to scale.
- Guides budgeting by comparing CAC to customer lifetime value.
- Influences payback expectations and cash-flow planning.
Key takeaways
- CAC should include all related sales and marketing costs for accuracy.
- Segment CAC by channel to identify high-performing acquisition sources.
- A healthy business keeps CAC well below LTV or contribution margin.
- Payback period matters when cash is constrained.
- CAC trends reveal whether growth is becoming more or less efficient.
Misconceptions
- CAC is constant; it changes with market saturation and competition.
- Lower CAC is always better; some high-CAC segments can be more profitable.
- CAC can ignore sales salaries; omitting costs distorts decisions.
Worked example
A SaaS firm spends $300k on marketing and sales in a quarter and acquires 250 new customers, yielding a CAC of $1,200. With an LTV of $4,000, the ratio looks healthy. However, payback is 10 months, so the company limits growth spend until cash reserves improve and focuses on channels with faster payback.
Citations & Trust
- Principles of Marketing (OpenStax)