CAC Calculator
Calculation Results
CAC (per customer)
$0.00
LTV : CAC Ratio
0.00:1
Payback Period (months)
0
Max Healthy CAC (3:1)
$0.00
Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) is the all-in price you pay to turn a stranger into a first-time buyer. On TikTok Shop, CAC runs $12–$35 for a typical beauty/fashion seller — or free if you're leaning on affiliates. This calculator totals every acquisition channel (ads, affiliate commissions on first orders, content production) into one defensible number.
$12–$35
Typical TikTok Shop CAC
3–4×
LTV / CAC ratio target
60%
Paid traffic share of CAC
30%
Affiliate share of CAC
The formula
Formula
CAC = (Ad Spend + Affiliate Commissions on First Orders + Content Production) ÷ New Customers
Worked example: $5K ad spend + $2K affiliate commissions + $500 content = 200 new buyers
| Line item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Monthly ad spend | $5,000 |
| Affiliate commissions on first orders | $2,000 |
| Content production (monthly) | $500 |
| Total acquisition cost | $7,500 |
| New customers acquired | 200 |
| CAC | $37.50 |
| Reference LTV | $145 (beauty avg) |
| LTV / CAC ratio | 3.87× (healthy) |
Benchmarks
| Beauty & skincare | $15–$30 | Creator-heavy, low ad CPC |
| Health & wellness | $25–$45 | Higher CPC + supplement regs |
| Fashion | $18–$35 | Return-rate-adjusted |
| Electronics | $40–$80 | Research-heavy, longer funnels |
| Food & beverage | $8–$20 | Impulse-driven, cheap clicks |
Source: anonymized data from 1,200+ Dashboardly-connected TikTok Shops, Jan–Dec 2025. Medians by category, net of refunds.
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