Marketing Payback Calculator
A treasury constraint, not just a marketing metric.
Marketing payback
5 months
$47.37 to acquire
Each month's cohort ties up $8,120 until it pays back. Growing acquisition grows that number proportionally, which is why marketing payback is a treasury constraint as much as a marketing metric.
How the Marketing Payback Calculator works
Each month's cohort ties up cash until it pays back, and growing acquisition grows that number proportionally. Marketing payback is a treasury constraint as much as a marketing metric, and treating it as the latter is how growing businesses run out of money.
Not financial advice. Marketplace fees change, and they vary by country, plan and seller status. Every rate here is an editable default, not a quoted price — check the platform's current fee schedule before you price a product against it. This is not tax or business advice.
Frequently asked questions
How much cash does acquisition tie up?
The gap between acquisition cost and first-order contribution, times the number of customers acquired. That amount is outstanding until the cohort pays back.
Why does growth make it worse?
Because each larger cohort ties up more than the last, while the older cohorts are still repaying. Accelerating growth means the outstanding balance grows faster than the repayments.
How do I fund it?
Retained profit, a credit facility, revenue-based finance, or slower growth. All four are legitimate; the mistake is not noticing the requirement until the balance runs out.
What shortens the gap?
Anything that raises first-order contribution — bundles, upsells, higher-value entry products. Each pound of first-order contribution removes a pound from the funding requirement per customer.