Growing revenue can hide a business that loses money on every sale. Unit economics checks the profit of one unit — one order, one customer or one project.
Per order
Selling price
− cost of the product
− delivery and packaging
− payment and platform fees
= contribution per order
If it's negative, selling more makes things worse.
Per customer
- Customer acquisition cost (CAC): marketing and sales spend ÷ new customers won.
- Customer lifetime value: average contribution per order × number of orders a customer places over time.
A healthy business earns well above its acquisition cost from each customer.
What to do with the result
- Raise prices or minimum order values where contribution is thin.
- Cut delivery or fee costs through better contracts.
- Focus marketing on channels with the lowest acquisition cost.
Try the break-even calculator to see how many units you need to cover fixed costs.
Try it yourself: Break-even calculatorOpen the tool
TopicsUnit economicsCustomer acquisition costContribution per order
