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4 examples of Customer Acquisition metrics and KPIs

What are Customer Acquisition metrics?

Crafting the perfect Customer Acquisition metrics can feel overwhelming, particularly when you're juggling daily responsibilities. That's why we've put together a collection of examples to spark your inspiration.

Transfer these examples to your app of choice, or opt for Tability to help keep you on track.

Find Customer Acquisition metrics with AI

While we have some examples available, it's likely that you'll have specific scenarios that aren't covered here. You can use our free AI metrics generator below to generate your own strategies.

Examples of Customer Acquisition metrics and KPIs

Metrics for Referral Marketing

  • 1. Referral Rate

    The percentage of your customers who refer others to your business. This is calculated by dividing the number of referred customers by the total number of customers

    What good looks like for this metric: 10-30%

    Ideas to improve this metric
    • Enhance referral incentives
    • Simplify the referral process
    • Promote the referral program frequently
    • Provide excellent customer service
    • Recognise and reward top referrers
  • 2. Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)

    The cost associated with convincing a consumer to buy your product or service, including all marketing and sales expenses. This is calculated by dividing the total costs of acquisition by the number of new customers

    What good looks like for this metric: $7-$15 per customer

    Ideas to improve this metric
    • Optimise marketing spend
    • Increase organic reach
    • Leverage social proof
    • Enhance referral incentives
    • Use cost-effective advertising channels
  • 3. Lifetime Value (LTV)

    The predicted net profit attributed to the entire future relationship with a customer. This is calculated by multiplying the average purchase value, purchase frequency, and customer lifespan

    What good looks like for this metric: $400-$500

    Ideas to improve this metric
    • Improve customer retention strategies
    • Enhance product/service quality
    • Upsell and cross-sell effectively
    • Provide excellent customer service
    • Offer loyalty programs
  • 4. Referral Conversion Rate

    The percentage of referred leads who become paying customers. This is calculated by dividing the number of referred customers who make a purchase by the total number of referred customers

    What good looks like for this metric: 10-20%

    Ideas to improve this metric
    • Streamline referral onboarding
    • Offer time-limited incentives
    • Provide clear value proposition
    • Enhance user experience on landing pages
    • Engage referrals with follow-up communications
  • 5. Net Promoter Score (NPS)

    A measure of customer loyalty and satisfaction, calculated by asking customers how likely they are to recommend your business to others on a scale of 0-10 and subtracting the percentage of detractors from promoters

    What good looks like for this metric: 30-50

    Ideas to improve this metric
    • Regularly solicit and act on customer feedback
    • Improve product quality
    • Provide exceptional customer service
    • Engage with customers on social media
    • Implement loyalty and reward programmes

Metrics for Launching a New Product

  • 1. Customer Acquisition Rate

    Measures the number of new customers acquired within a specific period after the product launch, typically calculated as the percentage of new customers relative to total target audience

    What good looks like for this metric: 20-30%

    Ideas to improve this metric
    • Increase marketing efforts
    • Offer promotions or discounts
    • Enhance online presence
    • Use influencer partnerships
    • Optimise your sales funnel
  • 2. Customer Retention Rate

    Indicates the percentage of customers who continue to purchase your product after initial acquisition, calculated by dividing the number of repeat customers by the total number of customers

    What good looks like for this metric: 40-60%

    Ideas to improve this metric
    • Improve customer service
    • Introduce a loyalty programme
    • Regularly update the product
    • Solicit customer feedback
    • Follow up with customers
  • 3. Revenue Growth Rate

    Tracks the increase in revenue generated by the new product over a set period, usually expressed as a percentage

    What good looks like for this metric: 10-25%

    Ideas to improve this metric
    • Upsell and cross-sell
    • Expand into new markets
    • Increase marketing investment
    • Optimise pricing strategies
    • Refine product features based on feedback
  • 4. Market Penetration

    Measures the extent to which the new product is being adopted in the target market, calculated by the percentage of target market users purchasing the product

    What good looks like for this metric: 5-15%

    Ideas to improve this metric
    • Conduct market research
    • Adjust marketing messaging
    • Offer introductory offers
    • Establish strategic partnerships
    • Create compelling product demo and trials
  • 5. Customer Satisfaction Score

    Gauges customers' satisfaction with the new product, commonly measured using surveys and net promoter scores

    What good looks like for this metric: 70-85%

    Ideas to improve this metric
    • Enhance product quality
    • Improve customer support
    • Offer easy-to-find help resources
    • Regularly collect customer feedback
    • Implement suggested improvements

Metrics for Growth For Scaleups

  • 1. Revenue Growth Rate

    Measures the rate at which a company's revenue is increasing over a specified period of time

    What good looks like for this metric: 20%-40% annual growth

    Ideas to improve this metric
    • Enhance marketing strategies
    • Expand into new markets
    • Introduce new product lines
    • Increase sales efforts
    • Optimize pricing models
  • 2. Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)

    Calculates the total cost of acquiring a new customer, including all marketing and sales expenses

    What good looks like for this metric: $1 to $3 per customer

    Ideas to improve this metric
    • Streamline marketing campaigns
    • Utilise referral programs
    • Optimise ad targeting
    • Improve sales funnel efficiency
    • Negotiate better rates with vendors
  • 3. Customer Lifetime Value (CLTV)

    Estimates the total revenue a business can reasonably expect from a single customer account throughout their relationship

    What good looks like for this metric: $200 to $1000 per customer

    Ideas to improve this metric
    • Increase average order value
    • Improve customer retention
    • Enhance customer support
    • Upsell additional products or services
    • Create loyalty programs
  • 4. Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR)

    Measures the amount of predictable revenue a company can expect each month

    What good looks like for this metric: $10,000 to $50,000 for early scaleups

    Ideas to improve this metric
    • Increase subscription prices
    • Offer annual payment plans
    • Launch new subscription tiers
    • Reduce churn rate
    • Expand customer base
  • 5. Churn Rate

    Indicates the percentage of customers who stop using a product or service during a given period

    What good looks like for this metric: 2%-5% monthly churn

    Ideas to improve this metric
    • Improve product features
    • Enhance user onboarding
    • Engage with customers regularly
    • Offer discounts or incentives
    • Provide excellent customer support

Metrics for Growth for Startups

  • 1. Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR)

    MRR is the monthly revenue your startup can reliably anticipate based on subscriptions or recurring contracts

    What good looks like for this metric: $1,500 - $10,000 for early-stage startups

    Ideas to improve this metric
    • Develop new pricing tiers
    • Upsell existing customers
    • Reduce churn rate
    • Implement referral programs
    • Expand market reach
  • 2. Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)

    CAC is the total cost of acquiring a new customer, including marketing and sales expenses

    What good looks like for this metric: Typically between $100 - $400

    Ideas to improve this metric
    • Optimise marketing campaigns
    • Enhance sales team efficiency
    • Utilise cost-effective channels
    • Improve customer targeting
    • Negotiate better ad rates
  • 3. Customer Lifetime Value (CLTV)

    CLTV is the total revenue expected from a customer during their entire relationship with your company

    What good looks like for this metric: 3-5 times CAC

    Ideas to improve this metric
    • Enhance customer experience
    • Implement loyalty programs
    • Increase product range
    • Upsell and cross-sell effectively
    • Provide consistent value
  • 4. User Growth Rate

    The percentage increase in the number of users or customers over a specific period

    What good looks like for this metric: 5-7% monthly for early-stage startups

    Ideas to improve this metric
    • Launch marketing campaigns
    • Enhance product features
    • Engage with users on social media
    • Implement referral incentives
    • Offer limited-time promotions
  • 5. Churn Rate

    The percentage of customers who stop using your product or service over a given period

    What good looks like for this metric: 5-7% monthly is often considered standard

    Ideas to improve this metric
    • Improve customer service
    • Gather feedback to understand issues
    • Regularly update and improve the product
    • Offer personalised experiences
    • Create re-engagement campaigns

Tracking your Customer Acquisition metrics

Having a plan is one thing, sticking to it is another.

Don't fall into the set-and-forget trap. It is important to adopt a weekly check-in process to keep your strategy agile – otherwise this is nothing more than a reporting exercise.

A tool like Tability can also help you by combining AI and goal-setting to keep you on track.

Tability Insights DashboardTability's check-ins will save you hours and increase transparency

More metrics recently published

We have more examples to help you below.

Planning resources

OKRs are a great way to translate strategies into measurable goals. Here are a list of resources to help you adopt the OKR framework:

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