{"id":5410,"date":"2026-07-06T09:50:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T07:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/strat.es\/que-es-el-cac\/"},"modified":"2026-07-27T18:44:55","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T16:44:55","slug":"what-is-cac","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/strat.es\/en\/what-is-cac\/","title":{"rendered":"What CAC and CPA Are and How to Reduce Them in Your Ecommerce"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<!-- ===== STRAT article header (reading time + table of contents) ===== -->\n<!-- Paste this block into a \"Custom HTML\" block right AFTER the first paragraph of the post. -->\n<!-- The reading time and the table of contents generate themselves by reading the article. Just edit the date. -->\n<div class=\"strat-ah\" id=\"stratArticleHeader\">\n  <style>\n    .strat-ah{\n      --ah-bg:#ffffff; --ah-pink:#ec186c; --ah-line:#eaeaea;\n      --ah-ink:#1a1a1a; --ah-muted:#777777; --ah-body:#3f3f3f;\n      background:var(--ah-bg); border:1px solid var(--ah-line); border-radius:16px;\n      padding:22px 26px; margin:32px 0;\n      font-family:'Poppins',-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;\n      color:var(--ah-body); box-shadow:0 6px 22px rgba(0,0,0,.05);\n    }\n    .strat-ah *{box-sizing:border-box}\n    .strat-ah__meta{\n      display:flex; flex-wrap:wrap; gap:18px; align-items:center;\n      font-size:13px; color:var(--ah-muted); padding-bottom:16px; border-bottom:1px solid var(--ah-line);\n    }\n    .strat-ah__meta span{display:inline-flex; align-items:center; gap:7px}\n    .strat-ah__meta svg{display:block; color:var(--ah-pink)}\n    .strat-ah__eyebrow{\n      display:block; font-size:11px; font-weight:600; letter-spacing:.14em;\n      text-transform:uppercase; color:var(--ah-pink); margin:18px 0 12px;\n    }\n    .strat-ah__toc{margin-top:4px}\n    .strat-ah__toc ol{margin:0; padding:0; list-style:none; counter-reset:toc}\n    .strat-ah__toc li{counter-increment:toc; margin:0 0 9px}\n    .strat-ah__toc li:last-child{margin-bottom:0}\n    .strat-ah__toc a{\n      display:flex; gap:10px; align-items:baseline; text-decoration:none !important;\n      color:var(--ah-ink) !important; font-size:14px; line-height:1.45; transition:color .15s ease;\n    }\n    .strat-ah__toc a::before{\n      content:counter(toc,decimal-leading-zero); color:var(--ah-pink); font-weight:600;\n      font-size:12px; flex:0 0 auto; min-width:22px;\n    }\n    .strat-ah__toc a:hover{color:var(--ah-pink) !important}\n    @media (max-width:560px){ .strat-ah{padding:20px 18px} }\n  <\/style>\n\n  <div class=\"strat-ah__meta\">\n    <span id=\"stratReadTime\">\n      <svg width=\"15\" height=\"15\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2\"><circle cx=\"12\" cy=\"12\" r=\"9\"><\/circle><path d=\"M12 7v5l3 2\"><\/path><\/svg>\n      Calculating\u2026\n    <\/span>\n    <!-- EDIT the updated date here (or delete this <span> if you don't want to show it): -->\n    <span>\n      <svg width=\"15\" height=\"15\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2\"><rect x=\"3\" y=\"4\" width=\"18\" height=\"17\" rx=\"2\"><\/rect><path d=\"M3 9h18M8 2v4M16 2v4\"><\/path><\/svg>\n      Updated 6 July 2026\n    <\/span>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <!-- The table of contents fills itself from the article's H2s: -->\n  <div class=\"strat-ah__toc\" id=\"stratTocSection\">\n    <span class=\"strat-ah__eyebrow\">In this article<\/span>\n    <ol id=\"stratTocList\"><\/ol>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<script>\n(function(){\n  function countWords(s){ s=(s||'').trim(); return s ? s.split(\/\\s+\/).length : 0; }\n  function slugify(s){\n    return (s||'').toLowerCase().normalize('NFD').replace(\/[\\u0300-\\u036f]\/g,'')\n      .replace(\/[^a-z0-9\\s-]\/g,'').trim().replace(\/\\s+\/g,'-').slice(0,60);\n  }\n  function findRoot(box){\n    var node=box.parentElement;\n    while(node && node!==document.body){\n      var hs=node.querySelectorAll('h2');\n      for(var i=0;i<hs.length;i++){\n        if(box.compareDocumentPosition(hs[i]) &#038; Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_FOLLOWING) return node;\n      }\n      node=node.parentElement;\n    }\n    return box.parentElement;\n  }\n  function init(){\n    var box=document.getElementById('stratArticleHeader');\n    if(!box) return;\n    var root=findRoot(box);\n\n    var heads=Array.prototype.slice.call(root.querySelectorAll('h2')).filter(function(h){\n      return box.compareDocumentPosition(h) &#038; Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_FOLLOWING;\n    });\n    var list=document.getElementById('stratTocList');\n    var used={};\n    if(heads.length){\n      heads.forEach(function(h,i){\n        var id=h.id;\n        if(!id){ id=slugify(h.textContent)||('sec-'+i); if(used[id]) id=id+'-'+i; h.id=id; }\n        used[id]=true;\n        var li=document.createElement('li');\n        var a=document.createElement('a');\n        a.href='#'+id; a.textContent=h.textContent.trim();\n        a.addEventListener('click',function(e){\n          e.preventDefault();\n          var t=document.getElementById(id);\n          if(t){ t.scrollIntoView({behavior:'smooth',block:'start'}); history.replaceState(null,'','#'+id); }\n        });\n        li.appendChild(a); list.appendChild(li);\n      });\n    } else {\n      document.getElementById('stratTocSection').style.display='none';\n    }\n\n    var total=countWords(root.innerText||root.textContent);\n    var own=countWords(box.innerText||box.textContent);\n    var words=Math.max(total-own,total>0?total:0);\n    var mins=Math.max(1,Math.round(words\/200));\n    var rt=document.getElementById('stratReadTime');\n    if(rt) rt.innerHTML=rt.innerHTML.replace('Calculating\u2026', mins+' min read');\n  }\n  if(document.readyState==='loading'){ document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded',init); }\n  else { init(); }\n})();\n<\/script>\n<!-- ===== End STRAT article header ===== -->\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">El CAC y el CPA son dos de las m\u00e9tricas m\u00e1s importantes de un ecommerce y a su vez de las que m\u00e1s causan confusi\u00f3n. Te dicen principalmente lo que te cuesta traer negocio y CAC and CPA are two of the most important metrics in an ecommerce and, at the same time, two of the ones that cause the most confusion. They mainly tell you what it costs you to bring in business, and they are the other half of the profitability equation, because there is little use in knowing what a customer is worth (their LTV) if you do not know what it costs you to get them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Reducing them is one of the most direct ways to earn more. But before lowering them you have to understand them, and spell out something almost everyone mixes up: CPA and CAC are not the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is CPA?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">CPA (Cost Per Acquisition) is the cost per acquisition, what you pay for each conversion, which in an ecommerce is an order. The formula is CPA = spend \/ number of orders obtained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is a very operational metric, the one you look at day to day to see whether a campaign is efficient. It counts every order, whether it comes from a new customer or from one who had already bought from you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is CAC?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost) is the customer acquisition cost, what it costs you to acquire a new customer. The formula is CAC = acquisition spend \/ number of new customers in a period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An important nuance: a well-calculated CAC does not include only the ad spend, but the whole cost of acquiring, the tools, part of the agency and of the team. The more complete it is, the more real the figure you make decisions with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How do CPA and CAC differ?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here is the most common confusion. CPA is the cost per order, any order. CAC is the cost per new customer. Since not all orders come from new customers (there are sales from repeat buyers), CAC is usually higher than CPA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The practical difference is what you use them for. CPA is operational, it helps you optimise campaigns day to day. CAC is strategic, it tells you whether your growth is sustainable when you compare it with LTV. Using one for the other leads to wrong conclusions, so it is worth being clear on both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why does your CAC matter?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">CAC, on its own, says nothing. A CAC of 30 euros can be excellent or very bad, depending on what that customer leaves you. That is why it only makes sense when we compare it with LTV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The LTV:CAC ratio is the health metric par excellence, and the usual reference is 3 to 1. Below that, you pay too much to acquire. Above it, you may be investing too little and leaving growth uncaptured. Your maximum profitable CAC depends on your margin and your LTV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to reduce CPA and CAC<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These are the most effective levers to lower them:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Improve your creative.<\/strong> It is the lever that moves the cost most. Better ads raise the CTR and lower the cost, so you pay less for each conversion. We develop it further in <a href=\"https:\/\/strat.es\/en\/how-to-improve-roas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:#ec186c; text-decoration:underline; text-decoration-color:#ec186c\">how to improve ROAS<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Raise your conversion rate.<\/strong> If more visits end up buying, each euro of spend performs more and the CPA falls without touching the campaigns. Look after speed, mobile, trust and the checkout.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Fine-tune the segmentation.<\/strong> Well-planned audiences and exclusions so you do not pay for whoever has already bought from you lower the cost of acquiring genuinely new customers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Raise the AOV.<\/strong> It does not lower the CPA directly, but it improves the profitability of each acquisition, so your maximum affordable CAC rises. We look at it in more detail in <a href=\"https:\/\/strat.es\/en\/what-is-aov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:#ec186c; text-decoration:underline; text-decoration-color:#ec186c\">what AOV is and how to increase it<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Improve recurrence.<\/strong> If your customers repeat, you spread the acquisition cost across more orders, so the real CAC per euro invoiced falls. This is where the <a href=\"https:\/\/strat.es\/en\/ecommerce-email-marketing-flows\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:#ec186c; text-decoration:underline; text-decoration-color:#ec186c\">email flows<\/a> and repeat purchase come in.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Diversify channels.<\/strong> Organic, email, referrals and word of mouth lower your blended CAC, because you stop depending on paid advertising alone.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Optimise the whole funnel.<\/strong> The cost is not formed only at the bid, but across the whole chain: ad, landing, offer and checkout. Improving any link lowers the final cost.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Look after the tracking.<\/strong> If you measure badly, you optimise badly and end up overpaying. Solid measurement (Conversions API and blended ROAS) is the basis for reducing the cost with judgement.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The mistake of reducing CAC at any cost<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As with almost everything, CAC can be &#8220;improved by cheating&#8221;. The fastest way to lower it is to cut spend and keep only the hottest part, the retargeting of whoever was going to buy anyway. The number falls, but you stop acquiring new customers, so you brake growth. You have improved a metric and shrunk the business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The goal is not the lowest possible CAC, it is the best relationship between what it costs to acquire and what a customer is worth. That is why CAC is always looked at alongside LTV, and profitability is measured in <a href=\"https:\/\/strat.es\/en\/what-is-poas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:#ec186c; text-decoration:underline; text-decoration-color:#ec186c\">POAS<\/a>, not in an isolated cost per conversion. A low CAC with a product that does not retain is still a bad business. This metric is one every founder should have on their dashboard, as we see in <a href=\"https:\/\/strat.es\/en\/ecommerce-metrics-founders\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:#ec186c; text-decoration:underline; text-decoration-color:#ec186c\">the metrics a founder should review<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Are CPA and CAC the same?<\/strong> No. CPA is the cost per conversion, usually per order, counting any sale. CAC is the cost of acquiring a new customer. Since not all orders come from new customers, CAC is usually higher than CPA, and it is used for more strategic decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>How is CAC calculated?<\/strong> CAC = acquisition spend \/ number of new customers in a period. Ideally you include the whole cost of acquiring, not only the ad spend, but also tools and the proportional part of the agency and the team, so the figure is real.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What is a good CAC?<\/strong> There is no universal figure. A good CAC is one that keeps a healthy relationship with your LTV, with the usual reference of 3 to 1 in LTV:CAC. It depends on your margin and on what a customer leaves you over their lifetime, not on someone else&#8217;s reference number.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>How do I reduce my CAC?<\/strong> By improving the creative and the conversion rate, fine-tuning the segmentation, raising retention and diversifying channels beyond paid. What does not work is lowering it by simply cutting spend, because that brakes the acquisition of new customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Is lowering CAC always good?<\/strong> No. If you lower it by cutting acquisition, or by keeping only the retargeting, you brake growth. What matters is not the lowest CAC, it is its relationship with LTV, read in profit. A low CAC with low retention is still a bad business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What should I include in the CAC calculation?<\/strong> The whole cost of acquiring, not only the ad spend. Add the tools, the proportional part of the agency or the marketing team, and any other acquisition cost. If you only count the ads, the CAC will look lower than it is, and you will decide on incomplete data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If your acquisition cost keeps rising and you do not know where the leak is, we will review it with you. At STRAT we analyse your campaigns, your conversion and your retention to lower the CAC without braking your growth, leaning on <a href=\"https:\/\/strat.es\/en\/ecommerce-paid-media-agency\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" style=\"color:#ec186c; text-decoration:underline; text-decoration-color:#ec186c\">our paid media campaign management<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!-- ===== STRAT author signature \u00b7 Jaime Mu\u00f1oz-Seca ===== -->\n<!-- Paste this whole block into a \"Custom HTML\" block at the end of the post. -->\n<div class=\"strat-author\">\n  <style>\n    .strat-author{\n      --sa-bg:#141414; --sa-pink:#ec186c; --sa-line:#2a2a2a;\n      --sa-ink:#f5f5f5; --sa-muted:#a3a3a3; --sa-bio:#cccccc;\n      display:flex; gap:22px; align-items:center;\n      background:var(--sa-bg); border:1px solid var(--sa-line); border-radius:16px;\n      padding:24px 26px; margin:40px 0;\n      font-family:'Poppins',-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'Segoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;\n      box-shadow:0 18px 40px rgba(0,0,0,.18);\n    }\n    .strat-author *{box-sizing:border-box}\n    .strat-author__photo{\n      width:104px; height:104px; flex:0 0 104px; border-radius:50%;\n      object-fit:cover; display:block;\n      border:2px solid var(--sa-pink); box-shadow:0 0 0 4px rgba(236,24,108,.18);\n    }\n    .strat-author__body{min-width:0}\n    .strat-author__eyebrow{\n      display:block; font-size:11px; font-weight:600; letter-spacing:.14em;\n      text-transform:uppercase; color:var(--sa-pink); margin:0 0 4px;\n    }\n    .strat-author__name{\n      font-size:20px; font-weight:700; color:var(--sa-ink);\n      margin:0 0 2px; line-height:1.2;\n    }\n    .strat-author__role{\n      display:block; font-size:13.5px; font-weight:500; color:var(--sa-muted); margin:0 0 10px;\n    }\n    .strat-author__bio{\n      font-size:14px; line-height:1.55; color:var(--sa-bio); margin:0 0 14px;\n    }\n    .strat-author__link{\n      display:inline-flex; align-items:center; gap:8px;\n      background:var(--sa-pink); color:#ffffff !important; text-decoration:none !important;\n      font-size:13.5px; font-weight:600; padding:9px 16px; border-radius:9px;\n      transition:background .15s ease, transform .15s ease;\n    }\n    .strat-author__link:hover{background:#d1145f; transform:translateY(-1px); color:#fff !important;}\n    .strat-author__link svg{display:block}\n    @media (max-width:560px){\n      .strat-author{flex-direction:column; text-align:center; gap:16px; padding:24px 20px}\n      .strat-author__link{align-self:center}\n    }\n  <\/style>\n  <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"strat-author__photo\" src=\"https:\/\/strat.es\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/jaime-munoz-seca-strat.png\" alt=\"Jaime Mu\u00f1oz-Seca, Paid Media Manager at STRAT\">\n  <div class=\"strat-author__body\">\n    <span class=\"strat-author__eyebrow\">Written by<\/span>\n    <p class=\"strat-author__name\">Jaime Mu\u00f1oz-Seca<\/p>\n    <span class=\"strat-author__role\">Paid Media Manager at STRAT<\/span>\n    <p class=\"strat-author__bio\">Over six years scaling online stores through daily hand-to-hand combat with ad managers. He survived Apple&#8217;s iOS privacy changes and the weekly chaos out of Meta, and learned that magic formulas do not work here: only data, continuous testing and common sense.<\/p>\n    <a class=\"strat-author__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/jaime-munoz-seca-sese\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">\n      <svg width=\"16\" height=\"16\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"currentColor\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M20.45 20.45h-3.56v-5.57c0-1.33-.02-3.04-1.85-3.04-1.85 0-2.14 1.45-2.14 2.94v5.67H9.35V9h3.41v1.56h.05c.48-.9 1.64-1.85 3.37-1.85 3.6 0 4.27 2.37 4.27 5.45v6.29zM5.34 7.43a2.06 2.06 0 1 1 0-4.13 2.06 2.06 0 0 1 0 4.13zM7.12 20.45H3.56V9h3.56v11.45zM22.22 0H1.77C.79 0 0 .77 0 1.73v20.54C0 23.23.79 24 1.77 24h20.45c.98 0 1.78-.77 1.78-1.73V1.73C24 .77 23.2 0 22.22 0z\"><\/path><\/svg>\n      Connect on LinkedIn\n    <\/a>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- ===== End author signature ===== -->\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Calculating\u2026 Updated 6 July 2026 In this article El CAC y el CPA son dos de las m\u00e9tricas m\u00e1s importantes de un ecommerce y a su vez de las que m\u00e1s causan confusi\u00f3n. Te dicen principalmente lo que te cuesta traer negocio y CAC and CPA are two of the most important metrics in an [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[31,29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5410","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-ecommerce-strategy","category-paid-media-ecommerce","entry"],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false,"gur_featured_image":false,"gur_blog_thumbnail":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Jaime","author_link":"https:\/\/strat.es\/en\/author\/jaimote\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Calculating\u2026 Updated 6 July 2026 In this article El CAC y el CPA son dos de las m\u00e9tricas m\u00e1s importantes de un ecommerce y a su vez de las que m\u00e1s causan confusi\u00f3n. Te dicen principalmente lo que te cuesta traer negocio y CAC and CPA are two of the most important metrics in an&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/strat.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5410","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/strat.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/strat.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/strat.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/strat.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5410"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/strat.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5410\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5412,"href":"https:\/\/strat.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5410\/revisions\/5412"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/strat.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5410"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/strat.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5410"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/strat.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5410"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}