How should returns and cancellations be accounted for when calculating CAC for a seller on Kaspi.kz?

When calculating CAC, it’s better to focus on “net” new customers: subtract from the acquired count those whose orders were fully returned or cancelled during the reporting period. Include the cost of returns and compensations in advertising and operational expenses because these are real acquisition-related costs. For longer-term analysis, you can calculate separate CACs for “retained” customers and for initial acquisition.

How to allocate salaries and fixed costs between acquisition and customer service?

Only allocate the portion of salaries and fixed costs that is directly related to acquisition activities (time spent by managers, agency work, product preparation). Use time tracking or percentage of working time spent on marketing, or apply activity-based costing for precise allocation. For simplicity, you can set a fixed coefficient (for example, 30–50% of marketing salaries) and review it quarterly.

What should be the target CAC relative to LTV, and how to apply this on Kaspi.kz?

Aim for an LTV/CAC ratio of at least 3:1 — a general profitability benchmark that provides room for operating costs and margin. Also set a payback period: for most sellers an acceptable CAC payback is 6–12 months. On Kaspi.kz, include marketplace commission and average repeat purchase frequency when calculating LTV so your CAC target is realistic.

How to calculate CAC by channels if there is no end-to-end analytics between ads and Kaspi card sales?

Use UTM tags, unique promo codes and landing links for each channel, and ad account data to estimate clicks and conversions. Cross-check with seller reports on Kaspi (new customers by period) and apply correction coefficients for multichannel attribution (last-click or weighted models). If full end-to-end analytics are not available, calculate channel CAC as an upper estimate and focus on A/B tests and channel ROI.

What specific steps can quickly reduce CAC on Kaspi.kz within 1–2 months?

Optimize the product card: improve photos, title and key features — this raises conversion and lowers CAC. Narrow ad campaign targeting, test creatives and set limits on ineffective ads; implement promo codes for new customers and track performance. At the same time, increase repeat purchases via email/SMS and personalized offers — this boosts LTV and lowers effective CAC.

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC): formula & examples

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) — definition

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) is the total sum of marketing and advertising expenses divided by the number of new customers in a period. In simple terms: how much you spend to acquire one new buyer.

How CAC is calculated: formula and components

The basic CAC formula is straightforward and applicable to a seller on Kaspi.kz:

CAC = (marketing + advertising + agency fees + sales operational costs) / number of new buyers.

Which costs to include in practice:

Spending on advertising campaigns: Kaspi Ads, search/context, targeting on Instagram/Telegram, CPA campaigns.
Agency and partner commissions: payments to partners for leads, to agencies for ad management.
Discounts and coupons issued to new customers.
Logistics and packaging, if the seller subsidizes delivery to attract customers.
Portion of salaries for sales and support managers attributed to acquisition (if there are dedicated staff).
Technical costs: creating product cards, photography, API synchronization if done to launch campaigns.

Practical channel breakdown helps calculate CAC more precisely by source:

Collect channel expenses for the period (e.g., month).
Determine the number of new customers who came from each channel (UTM tags, ad account data, Kaspi reports).
Divide the channel expense by the number of new customers from that channel — you get CAC by channel.

Why a seller on Kaspi.kz needs to know CAC

Tracking CAC is necessary to assess the profitability of ad investments and to decide on scaling. Without an accurate CAC you may be spending in a way that produces sales growth but leads to losses.

Understanding payback: compare CAC with profit from the first purchase and with customer lifetime value (LTV).
Assortment optimization: products with low margin require a lower acceptable CAC than high-margin items.
Channel selection: allocate budget where CAC is lower for the same conversion and AOV.
Growth forecasting: to scale advertising, CAC must remain within acceptable limits.

Numeric examples and scenarios on Kaspi.kz

Below are three real-life scenarios with numbers that sellers in Kazakhstan commonly encounter. All amounts are in tenge (KZT).

Scenario 1. Consumer electronics: one-off purchase, low repeat rate

Assume a seller runs a Kaspi Ads campaign for headphones. Monthly ad spend is 240,000 KZT, agency fees and creatives cost 60,000 KZT, discounts for new customers total 20,000 KZT, and attributable staff time and technical costs add 30,000 KZT. Total acquisition-related costs = 350,000 KZT. If the store gained 100 new buyers that month, CAC = 3,500 KZT.

Typical considerations: electronics often have lower repeat purchase rates, so CAC must be covered by margin on the first sale. If average gross profit per order is 5,000 KZT, CAC of 3,500 KZT may be acceptable; if profit is only 2,500 KZT, the campaign is unprofitable.

Scenario 2. Consumables: high repeat rate

Seller of consumables (e.g., supplements or household items) spends 150,000 KZT on ads, 30,000 KZT on creatives, 20,000 KZT on promo codes, and 20,000 KZT on operational allocation = 220,000 KZT. They acquire 200 new customers → CAC = 1,100 KZT.

Because repurchase frequency is high, LTV over 6–12 months can be several times the first-order margin, so a higher initial CAC is acceptable. Evaluate CAC against projected LTV, not only first-order margin.

Scenario 3. New brand launch on Kaspi.kz with mixed channels

Launch campaign combines Kaspi Ads, targeted social media ads and CPA. Monthly costs: Kaspi Ads 300,000 KZT, social 120,000 KZT, CPA payouts 80,000 KZT, creatives and photography 100,000 KZT, logistics subsidies 50,000 KZT = 650,000 KZT. New customers attributed via UTM and promo codes: Kaspi Ads 120, social 60, CPA 40 → total 220 new buyers. Overall CAC = 2,955 KZT. Channel CACs: Kaspi Ads ~2,500 KZT, social ~2,000 KZT, CPA ~2,000 KZT (approx.).

Use channel CACs to reallocate budget: increase spend in channels with lower CAC and proven retention, reduce or optimize the rest.

Practical tips to reduce CAC and improve metrics

Optimize the product card: better photos, clear title, key specs and benefits improve conversion — lowering effective CAC.
Use Kaspi Ads smartly: test creatives, narrow targeting, and pause low-performing ads quickly.
Introduce promo codes for new customers and track their use to attribute acquisition precisely.
Leverage cross-sell and upsell on Kaspi.kz to increase AOV and margin per order.
Improve post-purchase experience and communication to raise repeat purchase rate and LTV.
Automate routine tasks (API sync, bulk uploads) to lower operational costs allocated to acquisition.
Run A/B tests on landing creatives, prices and shipping options to find the best CAC/ROI balance.

Control metrics and decision thresholds

LTV/CAC ratio — target at least 3:1 as a general benchmark; adjust by category and business model.
Payback period — acceptable return of CAC usually within 6–12 months for most sellers.
Channel-level CAC and ROAS — evaluate each channel separately before reallocating budget.
Conversion rate of product card — even small lifts here significantly reduce CAC.

How to account for Kaspi.kz specifics

When working on Kaspi.kz, consider marketplace fees, the platform’s audience behavior and available attribution tools:

Include Kaspi.kz commissions and any platform fees when calculating profitability vs CAC.
Use Kaspi reports and available UTM data to attribute new customers to channels — combine with ad account data.
Leverage Kaspi features (promotions, Buy Box visibility, badges) that can improve conversion and reduce CAC.
Account for local market specifics — average order values, seasonal demand in Kazakhstan and common delivery expectations.

Checklist for calculating CAC for a seller on Kaspi.kz

Choose the period for analysis (month, quarter).
Gather all acquisition-related costs: ad spend, agency fees, discounts, logistics subsidies, allocated staff time, creative and technical costs.
Collect the number of new customers in the same period (exclude repeat buyers if you’re measuring first-time acquisition).
Use UTM tags, promo codes and Kaspi reports to attribute customers to channels where possible.
Compute overall CAC and channel-level CAC.
Compare CAC to first-order profit and forecasted LTV; adjust budgets and campaigns accordingly.
Repeat the calculation regularly and refine allocation rules and attribution coefficients based on test results.

Conclusion and practical tip

Monitoring CAC is essential for profitable growth on Kaspi.kz. Focus both on reducing acquisition costs and increasing customer value via better product pages, retention and cross-sell. Practical tip: start by improving the top three product cards that bring the most traffic — a modest investment in photos and copy often reduces CAC faster than increasing ad spend.

Часто задаваемые вопросы

How should returns and cancellations be accounted for when calculating CAC for a seller on Kaspi.kz?: When calculating CAC, it’s better to focus on “net” new customers: subtract from the acquired count those whose orders were fully returned or cancelled during the reporting period. Include the cost of returns and compensations in advertising and operational expenses because these are real acquisition-related costs. For longer-term analysis, you can calculate separate CACs for “retained” customers and for initial acquisition.
How to allocate salaries and fixed costs between acquisition and customer service?: Only allocate the portion of salaries and fixed costs that is directly related to acquisition activities (time spent by managers, agency work, product preparation). Use time tracking or percentage of working time spent on marketing, or apply activity-based costing for precise allocation. For simplicity, you can set a fixed coefficient (for example, 30–50% of marketing salaries) and review it quarterly.
What should be the target CAC relative to LTV, and how to apply this on Kaspi.kz?: Aim for an LTV/CAC ratio of at least 3:1 — a general profitability benchmark that provides room for operating costs and margin. Also set a payback period: for most sellers an acceptable CAC payback is 6–12 months. On Kaspi.kz, include marketplace commission and average repeat purchase frequency when calculating LTV so your CAC target is realistic.
How to calculate CAC by channels if there is no end-to-end analytics between ads and Kaspi card sales?: Use UTM tags, unique promo codes and landing links for each channel, and ad account data to estimate clicks and conversions. Cross-check with seller reports on Kaspi (new customers by period) and apply correction coefficients for multichannel attribution (last-click or weighted models). If full end-to-end analytics are not available, calculate channel CAC as an upper estimate and focus on A/B tests and channel ROI.
What specific steps can quickly reduce CAC on Kaspi.kz within 1–2 months?: Optimize the product card: improve photos, title and key features — this raises conversion and lowers CAC. Narrow ad campaign targeting, test creatives and set limits on ineffective ads; implement promo codes for new customers and track performance. At the same time, increase repeat purchases via email/SMS and personalized offers — this boosts LTV and lowers effective CAC.

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)