10 Must-Track Metrics for D2C Performance Marketing (Because Every Rupee Counts)

Running a D2C brand is like playing poker with your own money. Every rupee spent on ads should be working overtime, or it’s burning a hole in your margin.

You’re not just trying to get clicks. You’re trying to grow a profitable, sustainable, category-owning brand.

So, here are the 10 metrics that actually matter. This list isn’t theory, it’s from live dashboards of brands spending ₹5L to ₹50L+ a month.

1. ROAS (Return on Ad Spend)

Your scoreboard. If ROAS tanks, nothing else matters.

One of our beauty clients went from 2.2x to 3.6x ROAS just by tightening product page copy and reducing load time by 1.4 seconds.

Minimum ROAS target: 3x on cold. 5x+ on retention and email.

2. CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost)

This is what you really pay to win a customer. If CAC is going up and LTV isn’t following, you’re scaling a leaky bucket.

Total Ad Spend ÷ New Customers

"A wellness brand we worked with slashed CAC by 28% just by repositioning their offer to hit a clearer pain point, same ad budget, better hook."

3. CTR (Click-Through Rate)

No clicks = no data = no optimisation. Your ad can’t just be pretty, it needs to punch.

"CTR jumped from 0.9% to 2.3% after we swapped a lifestyle shot for a raw UGC clip showing the product in action. Ugly sells."

4. CVR (Conversion Rate)

Getting clicks? Great. Now convert them. If your product page isn’t converting, it's not the traffic, it's the experience.

"One change we made: adding a short “Why Customers Love Us” section with 3 simple icons. CVR increased from 2.1% to 3.4%."

5. CPA (Cost Per Acquisition)

It’s what you really paid for a conversion. Break this down by campaign, audience, and creative to find the gold.

"We killed a retargeting campaign that had a killer ROAS but a bloated CPA, turns out only 3% of conversions were incremental."

6. LTV (Customer Lifetime Value)

The metric that lets you scale confidently. If your first purchase isn’t profitable, your LTV better be making up for it.

"A snack brand we worked with? 34% of customers reordered within 45 days. That changed everything about how much we were willing to pay upfront."

7. AOV (Average Order Value)

Small lift here = massive impact on ROAS.

One apparel brand added a “Buy 2, Save 15%” bundle. AOV jumped from ₹1,450 to ₹1,780 in two weeks. ROAS followed.

Tactics: Bundles, cart add-ons, and smart “free shipping over ₹X” offers.

8. Bounce Rate

You paid for the click, then they bounced in 4 seconds. Ouch.

Fixes that work: Speed up mobile load, remove annoying pop ups, and put social proof above the fold.

Keep bounce below 50% for most D2C pages. Otherwise, start testing.

9. Engagement Rate (Social Ads)

Likes, shares, saves = cheaper reach and better conversions. The algorithm likes what people like.

"One Reel we ran for a skincare brand had 3,200 saves. Not only did it bring in sales, it kept CPMs down for weeks."

10. Attribution Insights

Last-click is a liar. Sales happen across touch-points, Google Search, IG Reels, email flows, and that influencer you barely paid.

We ran a meta lift test: Only 38% of purchases happened on first touch. The rest? After email flows and organic UGC kicked in.

Use tools like GA4, Triple Whale, or even post-purchase surveys to understand the real path to purchase.

The Bottom Line

This game isn’t just about scaling spend. It’s about scaling smart. Track these 10 metrics religiously, and you’ll stop guessing, and start making better decisions, faster.

📊 Real growth = clarity + action.

Want to See How You Stack Up?

👉 Book a free performance audit with us at Best Social 👉 Or subscribe to our growth letter, built for D2C founders, no fluff, no BS