WHAT IS A GOOD ECOMMERCE CAC? (AND WHY YOUR PLATFORM'S CAC IS FICTION)

Every ecommerce operator wants a number - "what's a good customer acquisition cost?" Here's the honest answer up front — in 2026, the broad ecommerce average runs about $68–$84 to acquire a customer but that average is nearly useless on its own because CAC ranges from around $23 for pet brands to $377+ for electronics. And it's climbed 40–60% since 2023, so whatever you paid two years ago, you're paying materially more now.

But the benchmark isn't the real problem. The real problem is that the CAC number most brands are looking at is wrong before they even compare it to anything — because it comes from an ad platform that can't actually measure it. Let's fix both.