Your guide to understanding and calculating customer acquisition cost (CAC)

Discover the key to mastering customer acquisition cost (CAC), a vital metric for any business, especially in the DTC eCommerce sphere. Learn how innovative tools like WhatsApp Business and a provider like charles can revolutionize your marketing strategies and drive down CACs.

What is customer acquisition cost?

Customer acquisition cost (CAC) is the total cost of attracting a new customer to your business. It's a vital metric for any company, especially for DTC eCommerce brands, as it helps determine the profitability of individual customer relationships.

Customer acquisition cost formula

Calculating CAC isn't as daunting as it might seem. Here's a simple formula you can use:

Let's break that down:

• Total Marketing and Sales Costs: This includes all the costs associated with marketing and sales efforts. These costs could include advertising spend, salaries for marketing and sales teams, software costs, and any other expenses related to attracting new customers.

• Number of New Customers Acquired: This is simply the total number of new customers that your business has gained over a specific period.

How to calculate customer acquisition cost

Calculating your CAC involves a few straightforward steps:

1. Determine your time frame: Choose the period you want to analyze. This could be a month, a quarter, or a year, depending on your business needs.

2. Calculate your total marketing and sales sosts: Add up all the costs associated with your marketing and sales efforts during the selected period.

3. Count your new customers: Determine the number of new customers your business has acquired during the same period.

4. Divide total costs by number of new customers: Using the formula above, divide your total marketing and sales costs by the number of new customers. The result is your CAC.

Remember, it's crucial to keep track of your CAC over time. This allows you to see trends and make informed decisions about your marketing and sales strategies.

Lowering CAC with WhatsApp marketing

One innovative way to reduce your CAC and maximize your return on investment is by using WhatsApp marketing.

Check out here how to lower your CACs with WhatsApp business.

A specialized version of the popular messaging app, WhatsApp Business, offers a range of features that can help engage with your customers better, and in turn, lower your CAC:

1. Enhanced customer communication: Establish a direct and personalized line of communication with your customers, fostering stronger relationships and improving customer satisfaction.
2. Real-time support: Address customer queries, concerns, and support requests promptly, providing a seamless and efficient customer experience.
3. WhatsApp campaigns: Create and execute targeted marketing campaigns using WhatsApp, reaching a wider audience and generating qualified leads.
4. Optimized WhatsApp eCommerce: Seamlessly integrate product browsing, cart management, and secure transactions within the WhatsApp interface itself, simplifying the purchasing process for customers.
5. Automated customer journeys: Automate repetitive tasks and engagement sequences using WhatsApp Business APIs, saving time and resources while ensuring consistent messaging.

As a WhatsApp Business Solution Provider, charles offers a comprehensive software solution designed to empower DTC eCommerce brands with WhatsApp marketing. The software helps set up WhatsApp opt-ins, connect eCommerce shops, and send WhatsApp campaigns.

For brands looking to scale, charles provides automation for the entire customer journey, with customer support to help maximize WhatsApp results. This way, businesses can lower their CACs, increase customer lifetime value (CLV), and build strong customer relationships through WhatsApp marketing. 

👉 See here why WhatsApp retention marketing is worth it and 7 message templates to improve your customer retention.

Conclusion

Understanding and effectively managing CAC is crucial for the success and sustainability of your business. By integrating strategies such as optimizing WhatsApp opt-ins, segmenting and personalizing campaigns, leveraging integrations, and automating customer journeys, you can significantly lower your CAC.

Partnering with a trusted WhatsApp Business Solution Provider like charles can further enhance these efforts giving unbelievable ROIs and amazing RpR (Revenue per Recipient).