D2C Strategy · Finance · Unit Economics

D2C UNIT ECONOMICS
TEMPLATE

The unit economics model for D2C brands. Contribution margin, CAC payback, LTV:CAC, and channel P&L — one downloadable template.

Full model
Contribution margin · CAC · LTV
Shopify
Pre-filled formulas
Free
Always
Excel + Notion
Included

UNIT ECONOMICS IS THE FOUNDATION OF SCALABLE D2C

The number one reason D2C brands stall at $1M–$5M: they cannot scale paid channels profitably because they do not know their unit economics well enough to know what CAC they can sustain. This template gives you a clear-eyed view of per-order economics, payback period, and LTV:CAC — so you scale with confidence.

WHAT'S INSIDE — PREVIEW

01
Tab 1 — Unit P&L: Revenue, COGS, fulfillment, returns, payment fees, contribution margin per order.
Order economics · Contribution margin
02
Tab 2 — CAC & Payback: Acquisition spend by channel, blended CAC, payback period.
CAC payback · Break-even timeline
03
Tab 3 — LTV Model: Cohort-based LTV with repeat purchase rate and churn assumptions.
LTV projection · Cohort model
04
Tab 4 — Channel P&L: Revenue, spend, CAC, LTV, contribution margin by channel.
Channel profitability · ROAS vs margin
05
Tab 5 — Scenarios: What if CAC rises 30%, AOV drops 15%, or margin expands 10%?
Scenario planning · Sensitivity model
06
Pre-filled Shopify formulas: Connects to your Shopify export with no manual data entry.
Shopify integration · Auto-formulas
07
Monthly tracker: 12-month rolling view of all unit economics metrics.
Monthly review · Trend tracking
08
Investor-ready format: Clean presentation view for fundraising or board reporting.
Investor view · Board reporting

FREQUENTLY ASKED

What data do I need?

COGS, fulfillment cost per order, return rate, payment fees (2.9% + $0.30 for Shopify Payments), and ad spend by channel. Everything else is calculated.

How do I get COGS into Shopify?

Enter cost per variant in Shopify under Products → Edit → Cost per item. This enables the unit economics report in Shopify Analytics.

Can this model handle subscription?

Yes. Tab 3 includes a subscription variant that models MRR, churn rate, and subscription lifetime separately from transactional orders.

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