Glossary · Metrics
CAC— what it means in affiliate marketing
Customer acquisition cost: everything spent to win one new customer, not only the media.
For an in-house team CAC includes salaries, tools and account costs; for an affiliate it is close to ad spend plus consumables. Comparing an affiliate CPA with an advertiser CAC without that adjustment produces a false bargain.
Related terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| LTV | Lifetime value: total profit expected from one user over the whole relationship. |
| ROI | Return on investment: profit as a percentage of what was spent. |
| CPA | Cost per action: a fixed fee for one defined user action — a registration, a deposit, a completed sale. |
Entry updated 29 July 2026. All 276 terms in one page.
