Revenue planned on contribution margin

You sell online or through a measurable checkout and want growth that stays profitable after returns, fees and shipping.

Build a revenue plan on your real margin Talk to a strategist

At a glance

Goal: Sales & Revenue
Funnel stage: Conversion
Primary measure: Net revenue and contribution margin after returns and cancellations
Goal Segments: 19 · 13 industries covered

The commercial problem

Platform ROAS counts gross revenue. Returns, shipping, payment fees and marketplace commissions are invisible to it, so campaigns can scale while margin shrinks.

When several platforms each claim the same order, total attributed revenue exceeds real revenue and budget follows the loudest claim.

The common mistake: Summing platform ROAS or using gross revenue
Buyer journey: Product feed, checkout, CRM and finance reconciliation

How the plan decides

The goal sets the measure, the buyer sets the media, and the budget sets how many channels can be tested properly. Channels that cannot run in your market, need assets you lack or cost more than the budget allows are excluded before scoring, and the plan says why.

Primary candidates

Supporting or test

Candidates from the reference taxonomy. Each is checked for account, market, format and policy eligibility before launch.

Budget logic

Recommended media budget = target net orders x permissible new-customer acquisition cost, cross-checked against margin and return rates. Requires AOV, contribution margin, new-customer share and real purchase data.

19 Goal Segments refine this route by industry and buyer. See them below

What gets built and run

Set a break-even and target return from your contribution margin, per product group where it differs.
Fix feed quality and purchase tracking (including server-side where needed) before scaling.
Split new-customer acquisition from returning-customer revenue so CAC is honest.
Report MER and margin-adjusted return alongside platform numbers, never blended.

What you will need to provide

Margin by product group, return rate, average order value
Product feed or catalogue access
Ecommerce platform and analytics access
Stock and promotion calendar

How success is measured

Primary measure: Net revenue and contribution margin after returns and cancellations

Net revenue
Contribution margin
New-customer CAC
MER

Platform-reported conversions are kept apart from outcomes your own systems confirm. Where a result can only be modelled, the report labels it as modelled.

Is this relevant to your business?

Probably, if

you can track purchases on your site or marketplace
you know, at least roughly, your margin per order
your product feed or catalogue is maintained

Probably not, if

you cannot fulfil more orders this quarter
you have no purchase tracking at all

What it might cost

Typical service model

Managed Growth

$3,500 a month, $3,000 setup

FOCUSADS operates your campaigns while you keep account ownership.

Includes 2 channels, 1 market, 2 Goal Segments

Signature, Enterprise Hybrid, Co-Pilot

Media budget is paid directly to the platforms and is never part of the FOCUSADS fee.

See package prices

What happens next

Build your plan
Ten minutes of questions about your market, economics and current setup. You get channel Priority Scores, a landing-page and tracking decision, and every cost line before anyone talks to you.
Strategist review
A FOCUSADS strategist checks the plan against your accounts and data, and flags anything the engine could not know.
Agreement and access
You approve scope and fees. We request least-privilege access to your own ad accounts. You never share passwords.
Launch with measurement
Tracking and landing pages are verified before media spend starts, so the first report measures business results.

Goal Segments

A Goal Segment is the specific buyer situation inside an industry and goal. It changes the channels, the budget logic and what counts as a result.

Goal Segments	Industries	How success is measured	Typical service model
Fast-moving / low basket value Frequent purchases with a positive contribution margin	E-commerce	Post-return contribution margin and new-customer CAC	Managed Growth
Premium / high-AOV e-commerce High unit profit with a longer evaluation period	E-commerce	Net contribution per order; closed high-value orders	Managed Growth
Ultra-luxury / trophy asset Example: a $15M property; top local price band; long sales cycle	Real Estate	Qualified buyer meeting, then verified offer, then closed sale	Signature
Low-season occupancy Date- and capacity-sensitive inventory	Tourism, Travel & Hospitality	Contribution after cancellations; occupancy	Managed Growth
Used and inventory-led vehicle sales Inventory changes frequently	Automotive & Auto Parts	Completed vehicle sales and net margin	Managed Growth
Spare parts retail SKUs, fitment and returns	Automotive & Auto Parts	Profit on correctly fitted orders after returns	Managed Growth
Food delivery Platform commission and repeat orders	Restaurants, Food & Grocery	Order contribution after commission	Managed Growth
Grocery / supermarket Many locations and SKUs with thin margins	Restaurants, Food & Grocery	Basket contribution after returns; repeat rate	Enterprise Hybrid
Low-AOV / fast fashion High creative and variant volume	Fashion & Apparel	New-customer margin after returns	Managed Growth
Premium / luxury fashion Brand story and longer decision time	Fashion & Apparel	Net new-customer revenue and order margin	Signature
Mass-market beauty products Creative and claim management	Beauty & Personal Care	Profit after returns and repeat purchase	Managed Growth
Premium skincare Education- and trust-led	Beauty & Personal Care	New-customer margin; repeat revenue	Managed Growth
Home furniture online sales Delivery, assembly and returns	Furniture & Home Decor	Net order margin after installation	Managed Growth
Consumer electronics Intense price competition	Electronics	Net order margin	Managed Growth
Self-serve SaaS / PLG Trial-to-paid economics	Software & SaaS	Paying activations / CAC payback	Co-Pilot
Mobile free-to-play game Install-to-payer funnel	Gaming & Esports	D7/D30 net ROAS; payer LTV	Managed Growth
PC / console game launch Wishlist to purchase	Gaming & Esports	Net game sales / wishlist conversion	Managed Growth
Premium architecture / custom build Upper-tier contracts	Construction & Renovation	Signed project contribution margin	Signature
Local cargo / last mile Location and capacity	Logistics, Cargo & Freight Forwarding	Delivered shipments with positive margin	Managed Growth

Build a revenue plan on your real margin

Plan sales campaigns on net revenue and contribution margin after returns and cancellations, not gross platform ROAS.

Build a revenue plan on your real margin See package prices