The playbook
Customer Acquisition Cost: Review Process
A useful customer acquisition cost review ends with a supported decision for each item examined. Define the evidence required before opening the report: cost category, period, new customers, scope. These fields give reviewers a shared basis for agreeing what is working, what needs attention, and who should act.
Put the task in context
Choose whether the calculation includes media only or all agreed acquisition costs. Divide that cost scope by new customers from a compatible period or cohort. A long sales cycle can make current-month spending divided by current-month customers misleading.
Set the review boundary
Choose the records or journeys that matter to the current question. Include a normal case, a recently changed case, and an exception where available. This is a diagnostic sample, not a claim that every item has been checked. Record how the sample was selected and what would justify expanding it.
Use explicit review criteria
| Criterion | Review question |
|---|---|
| Choose the acquisition period and customer cohort | Is the supporting cost category current and traceable? |
| Include the agreed marketing sales and production costs | Does period support the decision being made? |
| Compare results with customer contribution and retention | Can the next owner verify scope? |
Inspect the evidence before assigning a result
For each item, compare the intended behavior with the observed behavior. Pay particular attention to calling media-only cost per purchase a fully loaded acquisition cost. If it appears, record where it occurs and which assumption it contradicts. Distinguish a verified defect from an unanswered question and from a preference about how the work should look.
Where the evidence supports the known correction, label the cost basis and show excluded expenses. Give that action to an accountable owner with a description of the expected result. If you cannot yet identify the cause, assign a diagnostic action rather than prescribing a speculative repair.
Record a decision that can be acted on
| Decision | When to use it |
|---|---|
| Keep | The current state serves the intended task and the evidence is adequate. |
| Revise | A specific gap is confirmed and the proposed action addresses it. |
| Investigate | Important information is missing or conflicting. |
| Retire or combine | The item has no distinct useful purpose in the current scope. |
Verify corrections and expand selectively
Recheck the affected campaign or conversion record after the owner completes the action. Then inspect other items sharing the relevant cause. A shared template, process rule, or data source may justify expanding the review. Similar wording or appearance alone is a weaker reason.
Turn the review into a decision summary
Summarize the affected scope, confirmed findings, actions, and open questions. Connect the findings to cost per new customer on a defined basis using the same definition as the baseline. A good summary lets the responsible person decide what happens next without reading every working note.
Choose an observation period that reflects the buying process. Immediate clicks, later inquiries, and completed sales happen at different times. Keep the attribution window and any incomplete outcomes visible when comparing campaigns.
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