What’s a sane CPA benchmark for a small shop's ad campaigns?

[Luke.B]

So I’ve been running these small, targeted ad campaigns for my shop, and honestly I’m starting to question if I even know what a good cost-per-acquisition looks like anymore. I see numbers all over the place online, and my own results feel like they swing wildly from one week to the next. I just don’t have a solid benchmark to tell if I’m actually doing okay or quietly burning cash.

[Violet_B]

CPA is a moving target, especially when your channel mix shifts. Anchor on gross margin per acquisition rather than a pure CPA number. If your average order value times gross margin minus CPA stays positive for a couple of weeks, you’re not burning cash even when one week looks wild. A tiny dashboard helps: campaign, CPA, orders, margin, and a 2‑week trend. Don’t chase a single week.

[RyanL]

Benchmarks online are rough because every shop is different. The real question is margin and lifetime value, not the abstract CPA. A swing in CPA can be okay if you’re still profitable and growing LTV. Do you actually know your margin per product and your repeat-purchase rate? If not, you’re guessing.

[BenjaminRR]

UGH the CPA numbers swing so much I start to doubt what I’m even measuring. It feels like attribution gremlins and seasonality are playing tricks on me. Maybe I’m counting the wrong thing, or maybe the funnel isn’t what I think it is. Worth asking what a “good” CPA even means in practice.

[Eleanor_W]

What if you stop chasing a benchmark and look for incremental lift instead? Track how many new customers ads actually bring that wouldn’t have bought otherwise, and whether their future value justifies the spend. CPA is a tool, not a verdict. What if the aim is incremental customers per week rather than a tidy CPA?

[RonaldG]

Try a simple split: one week with a tight targeting and one with broader reach, then compare the CPA and the total revenue. Also separate first-time buyers from returning ones. If you keep margin intact, a higher CPA now can pay off later.

[BrandonL]

Yeah, cost-per-acquisition is not a law of nature. You need margins, LTV, and a decent attribution read. Don’t pretend one number tells the whole story.