Educational only: Business decision support, not accounting, tax or legal advice.
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Update policy: Reviewed when formulas or official dependencies change.
Scope: Market-neutral small-business planning using your own assumptions.
What this planner helps you decide
Best for
Ecommerce and acquisition teams setting an ad-spend threshold from contribution.
Outputs
Target CPA, contribution-based ROAS and campaign contribution after advertising.
Start here
Enter contribution before ads and the amount to retain, then compare against campaign performance.
Use a different tool when: Do not use this to test order contribution after the full fee stack; use Ecommerce Order Profitability Planner for that decision. Use this tool to set target CPA and ROAS from contribution before advertising.
Commerce & operations
ROAS to Contribution: target cpa
Target CPA, contribution-based ROAS and campaign contribution after advertising.
Amounts use the same currency as your inputs. No currency conversion is performed.
Owner presets
Load an illustrative channel or business-model configuration. These editable examples are not platform benchmarks or forecasts.
Contribution and campaign records
Use amounts excluding indirect tax and one consistent attributed-order basis.
Your numbers stay in this browser
Use the same attributed-order basis as campaign records.
Use your order contribution after non-ad costs.
Your decision target after acquisition cost.
Spend for the selected campaign period.
Whole attributed orders for the same period.
Acquisition thresholds
Contribution view using amounts excluding indirect tax.
PDF and CSV exports stay on this device. Clean page links contain no inputs.
Decision state: Above target. Actual CPA: 24.00.
The entered-spend marker separates the acquisition threshold from a campaign-volume forecast.
Campaign contribution
- Zero campaign contribution
- 0.00
| Campaign spend (currency units per selected period) | Campaign contribution |
|---|---|
| 1,920.00 | 2,080.00 |
| 2,400.00 (current) | 1,600.00 |
| 2,880.00 | 1,120.00 |
Scenario comparison
Each row names the assumption axis changed from the baseline.
ScenarioResultDifference
Entered campaign1,600.00Baseline
Spend 20% lower2,080.00480.00
Spend 20% higher1,120.00-480.00
Orders 20% higher2,400.00800.00
Save these results, change an input, then compare the updated figures with this baseline.
The baseline is temporary in this tab and is not added to shared scenario links or generated reports.
Calculation details
View calculation detailsView the formulas and inputs used for these results.
Target acquisition cost
Target acquisition cost
contribution before ads − contribution to retain30/order ex indirect taxResult30.00
Maximum acquisition cost per acquired order while retaining the selected contribution target, excluding indirect tax.
Review the target acquisition-cost formula →Inputs used by these formula steps
- Target acquisition costContribution Before Ads
- 40
- Target acquisition costTarget Contribution
- 10
Break-even acquisition cost
Break-even acquisition cost
contribution before ads40/order ex indirect taxResult40.00
Acquisition cost per acquired order that consumes all contribution before advertising.
Review the break-even acquisition-cost formula →Inputs used by these formula steps
- Break-even acquisition costContribution Before Ads
- 40
Target revenue ROAS
Target acquisition cost
contribution before ads − contribution to retain30/order ex indirect taxTarget revenue ROAS
revenue per order ÷ target acquisition cost3.33 ratioResult3.33x
Revenue per acquired order divided by the target acquisition cost. Displayed to two decimal places; the engine retains full precision.
Review the target revenue ROAS formula →Inputs used by these formula steps
- Target acquisition costContribution Before Ads
- 40
- Target acquisition costTarget Contribution
- 10
- Target revenue ROASRevenue Per Order
- 100
- Target revenue ROASTarget Acquisition Cost
- 30
Actual revenue ROAS
Actual revenue ROAS
revenue per order × acquired orders ÷ campaign spend4.17 ratioResult4.17x
Attributed revenue divided by campaign spend for the selected campaign period.
Review the actual revenue ROAS formula →Inputs used by these formula steps
- Actual revenue ROASRevenue Per Order
- 100
- Actual revenue ROASAcquired Orders
- 100
- Actual revenue ROASCampaign Spend
- 2,400
Campaign contribution
Campaign contribution
(contribution before ads × acquired orders) − campaign spend1,600/period ex indirect taxResult1,600.00
Contribution before advertising across acquired orders less campaign spend for one consistent period.
Review the campaign contribution formula →Inputs used by these formula steps
- Campaign contributionContribution Before Ads
- 40
- Campaign contributionAcquired Orders
- 100
- Campaign contributionCampaign Spend
- 2,400
Gap to target
Campaign contribution
(contribution before ads × acquired orders) − campaign spend1,600/period ex indirect taxTarget contribution total
contribution to retain × acquired orders1,000/period ex indirect taxGap to target
campaign contribution − target contribution total600/period ex indirect taxResult600.00
Campaign contribution less target contribution for the selected campaign period.
Review the target-gap formula →Inputs used by these formula steps
- Campaign contributionContribution Before Ads
- 40
- Campaign contributionAcquired Orders
- 100
- Campaign contributionCampaign Spend
- 2,400
- Target contribution totalTarget Contribution
- 10
- Target contribution totalAcquired Orders
- 100
- Gap to targetCampaign Contribution
- 1,600
- Gap to targetTarget Contribution Total
- 1,000
Decision state
Campaign contribution
(contribution before ads × acquired orders) − campaign spend1,600/period ex indirect taxTarget contribution total
contribution to retain × acquired orders1,000/period ex indirect taxDecision state
compare campaign contribution with zero and target contribution totalabove_targetResultAbove target
Compares campaign contribution with zero and the selected target contribution total.
Review the campaign decision rules →Inputs used by these formula steps
- Campaign contributionContribution Before Ads
- 40
- Campaign contributionAcquired Orders
- 100
- Campaign contributionCampaign Spend
- 2,400
- Target contribution totalTarget Contribution
- 10
- Target contribution totalAcquired Orders
- 100
- Decision stateCampaign Contribution
- 1,600
- Decision stateTarget Contribution Total
- 1,000
- Decision stateCampaign Spend
- 2,400
- Decision stateAcquired Orders
- 100
Actual acquisition cost
Actual acquisition cost
campaign spend ÷ acquired orders24/order ex indirect taxResult24.00
Campaign spend divided by attributed acquired orders for one consistent period.
Review the actual acquisition-cost formula →Inputs used by these formula steps
- Actual acquisition costCampaign Spend
- 2,400
- Actual acquisition costAcquired Orders
- 100
Inputs used
- Revenue per acquired order, excluding indirect tax
- 100.00
- Contribution before ads per order
- 40.00
- Contribution to retain per order
- 10.00
- Campaign spend
- 2,400.00
- Acquired orders
- 100
Acquisition converter
ROAS ↔ CPA converter
50.00 CPA · 4x ROAS
Calculation details
View calculation detailsView the formulas and inputs used for these results.
CPA
roas-cpa-converter
ROAS = revenue per acquisition ÷ CPA4Result50.00
Calculated only from the editable values in this owner module. Display formatting does not feed back into the calculation.
Owner methodology →Inputs used by these formula steps
- roas-cpa-converterROAS Basis
- cpa
- roas-cpa-converterROAS Value
- 50
- roas-cpa-converterRevenue Per Acquisition
- 200
ROAS
roas-cpa-converter
ROAS = revenue per acquisition ÷ CPA4Result4x
Calculated only from the editable values in this owner module. Display formatting does not feed back into the calculation.
Owner methodology →Inputs used by these formula steps
- roas-cpa-converterROAS Basis
- cpa
- roas-cpa-converterROAS Value
- 50
- roas-cpa-converterRevenue Per Acquisition
- 200
Inputs used
- roasBasis
- cpa
- roasValue
- 50
- revenuePerAcquisition
- 200
Open this calculator with preset values
This calculator supports documented, shareable scenario URLs. Compatible assistants and applications can construct links using the parameters below.
Scenario links contain only allowlisted numeric and closed-choice inputs shown in the URL; Margin101 excludes free text and identifying fields. Anyone you share the URL with can read those numbers, so do not include private or identifying data.
| Parameter | Meaning | Unit | Allowed values | Presence | Default |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| acquiredOrders | Whole attributed orders for the same period. | whole attributed orders/campaign period | 0 to 100000000 | Required | 100 |
| campaignSpend | Spend for the selected campaign period. | currency units/campaign period | 0 to 1000000000 | Required | 2400 |
| contributionBeforeAdsPerOrder | Use your order contribution after non-ad costs. | currency units/acquired order before advertising | 0.01 to 10000000 | Required | 40 |
| revenuePerOrder | Use the same attributed-order basis as campaign records. | currency units/acquired order, ex indirect tax | 0.01 to 10000000 | Required | 100 |
| targetContributionPerOrder | Your decision target after acquisition cost. | currency units/acquired order after advertising | 0.01 to 10000000 | Required | 10 |
ROAS to Contribution: target cpa
Use contribution-based ROAS and target CPA as spending boundaries, not as guarantees of campaign demand or attribution.
Formula summary
- Primary formula
- target CPA = contribution before ads − contribution to retain
Data used here
- The estimate uses your inputs and the general business formula documented in the methodology.
Decision checks
Act on the result
Compare the target CPA with observed campaign acquisition cost before scaling, pausing or restructuring spend.
Stress-test the decision
Retest lower contribution before ads and a higher amount retained for overhead and profit.
When this estimate can be misleading
- Revenue ROAS is not profit and attributed orders may not be incremental customers.
- All records use one consistent ex-indirect tax order and campaign-period basis.
- The model excludes repeat purchase, cohort LTV, cash timing and attribution validation.
- Use contribution-based ROAS and target CPA as spending boundaries, not as guarantees of campaign demand or attribution.
Educational estimate, not advice. See all assumptions & limitations →
Related reading
Guides to interpret the decision and its assumptions.
- Profit-First ROAS and CAC: Start With Contribution
Set break-even and target acquisition ceilings from contribution before advertising rather than revenue alone.
Read guide
Frequently asked questions
How do I set target CPA and ROAS from contribution before advertising?
Compare the target CPA with observed campaign acquisition cost before scaling, pausing or restructuring spend.
Is a higher ROAS always better?
Not by itself. This planner sets the revenue ROAS threshold from the contribution you need to retain.
Is CPA the same as customer CAC?
Only when each attributed acquired order represents one newly acquired customer on the same basis.
Which planning assumptions should I stress-test?
Compare a plausible alternative scenario and verify the decision-critical assumption that changes the plan most.