From Rising CPAs to Sustainable Growth
How a food brand aligned acquisition and retention after an audit
Discover how strategic optimization transformed a struggling DTC food brand from inefficient spending to profitable growth, proving that sustainable scaling requires more than just increased ad spend.
Client Snapshot
$25K
Monthly Ad Spend
Investment in Meta Ads and Email marketing
$46.89
Average Order Value
Strong foundation for profitability
$13
Target CPA
Goal for new customer acquisition
$17+
Starting CPA
Above target and climbing
Industry: Food and Beverage (DTC and subscription)
Primary Channels: Meta Ads and Email Marketing
Primary Channels: Meta Ads and Email Marketing
The Challenge
The brand wanted to grow its online store but was hitting critical barriers that threatened sustainable expansion:
Rising Acquisition Costs
New customer CPA stuck above $17, significantly over the $13 target
Declining Engagement
CTR on Meta campaigns falling below 1 percent, indicating creative fatigue
Stagnant Growth
Email list growth slowed by over 70 percent, limiting organic reach
Limited Efficiency
Heavy reliance on prospecting campaigns with diminishing returns
Scaling further risked wasted ad spend without stronger foundations in place.
Audit Approach
We conducted a comprehensive analysis across acquisition and retention levers to identify optimization opportunities:
Meta Campaign Structure
Analyzed campaign architecture and creative testing protocols
Audience Efficiency
Evaluated targeting overlap and audience optimization
Conversion Paths
Reviewed order value distribution and customer journey
Email Performance
Assessed flow optimization and subscriber engagement
Customer Value
Analyzed returning vs new customer revenue contribution
Key Findings
Inefficient Acquisition
Prospecting CPAs consistently above goal with limited optimization
Creative Fatigue
Declining engagement rates indicated need for fresh creative assets
Underoptimized Email
Strong potential in email flows but lacking strategic implementation
Untapped Retention
Returning customers highly profitable but significantly under leveraged
Recommendations
01
Campaign Restructure
Balance Advantage+ campaigns with strategic retargeting to optimize spend allocation
02
Creative Refresh
Launch new value-based creative variations and refresh top-performing assets
03
Email Optimization
Activate and optimize key flows including abandoned cart and welcome sequences
04
Retention Focus
Implement subscription messaging to increase repeat purchase rates and customer lifetime value
Results After Audit
Within weeks of implementation, the brand saw dramatic improvements across all key metrics:
Acquisition Improvements
- New customer CPA dropped from $17.13 to $14.62
- MER climbed to 5
- Blended ROI rose to 3x
Retention Success
- Returning revenue grew 48%
- Email drove 37% of total revenue in one month
- Added $18,912 in email-driven revenue
Ad spend is only as effective as the system around it.
By aligning acquisition with retention and implementing strategic creative refresh, the brand successfully protected its CPA goals and created a more profitable growth engine without increasing spend.
Protected CPA Goals
Maintained cost efficiency while scaling
Profitable Growth Engine
Built sustainable systems for long-term success
Balanced Approach
Optimized both acquisition and retention simultaneously
Before you scale spend, ask: Are you set up to capture both new and returning value?
An audit can give you the clarity to grow profitably and build sustainable systems that support long-term success.
Get Your Audit
Discover optimization opportunities in your current marketing stack
Ready to optimize your growth strategy?