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Customer Acquisition Cost

What is customer acquisition cost?

Find terms by letter:

Find terms
by letter:

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) refers to the overall expenditure a company incurs to gain a new customer. This covers expenses tied to marketing, sales, and other efforts designed to turn prospects into paying customers.

Key components of CAC include:

  • Marketing expenses (e.g., advertising campaigns, social media promotions, content creation)
  • Sales team costs (e.g., salaries, commissions, and training)
  • Technology and tools used for acquiring leads (e.g., CRM software, analytics tools)
  • Other costs (e.g., discounts, promotional offers, or referral incentives, etc.)

In practice, CAC is an essential measure for businesses as it evaluates how effectively they acquire new customers. Through CAC analysis, businesses can streamline expenditures, gauge the ROI of their marketing and sales initiatives, and assess overall profitability. Lowering CAC while maintaining high customer value contributes to sustainable growth and greater overall business success.