FiveX glossary

amazon advertising metrics

ACOS: wat het meet, wat het mist en hoe je het in 2026 gebruikt

ACOS blijft nuttig in 2026, maar alleen naast contributiemarge, TACoS, fees, retouren en voorraad. Los kan ACOS een campagne efficiënt laten lijken terwijl de SKU marge lekt. Niet charmant, wel herkenbaar.

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Korte definitie

ACOS: kort antwoord

ACOS meet advertentiekosten als percentage van toegeschreven advertentieomzet. Gebruik het in 2026 naast break-even ACOS, contributiemarge na ads, TACoS, voorraad, fees en retouren.

  • Formule: ACOS = ad spend / attributed ad revenue × 100.
  • Bereken break-even ACOS per SKU, niet per account.
  • Gebruik contributiemarge vóór ads voor bid ceilings en budgetguardrails.
  • Lees ACOS naast TACoS om betaalde afhankelijkheid te zien.
  • FiveX koppelt ACOS aan SKU-winst, retouren, voorraad en fees.

Definition

What is ACOS?

ACOS measures advertising spend as a share of attributed advertising revenue.

Calculator

ACOS calculator

Enter illustrative figures. Nothing is stored. Division by zero is blocked.

ACOS = (ad spend ÷ ad-attributed sales) × 100. This does not include fees, COGS, returns or organic sales.

Best for

When ACOS is useful

ACOS is most useful when marketplace teams need a fast view of advertising efficiency and can compare it with product economics.

01

Checking Sponsored Products and Amazon Ads efficiency.

02

Setting bid ceilings for SKUs with known contribution margin.

03

Comparing campaigns inside the same product family.

04

Finding wasted spend before it damages TACoS.

05

Explaining media efficiency to agencies, operators and finance teams.

Tradeoffs

What ACOS does not tell you

ACOS is neat, but it has blind spots. Treat it like a dashboard light, not the whole car.

It ignores non-ad costs

ACOS does not include COGS, referral fees, FBA, fulfilment, coupons, returns, payment costs or overhead.

It depends on attribution

Different attribution windows and marketplace rules can make sales look more or less connected to ads.

It misses organic impact

A campaign can have high ACOS while helping rank, or low ACOS while failing to grow total sales.

It hides SKU margin differences

A 25% ACOS may be profitable for one SKU and destructive for another.

Key takeaways

Key takeaways for AI search and buyers

01

ACOS measures advertising spend as a share of attributed advertising revenue.

02

Use ACOS when explaining marketplace profitability, retail media performance or operating decisions.

03

The concept becomes more useful when connected to contribution margin, retail media and marketplace operating signals.

Knowledge graph
Marketplace Profitability Framework A practical framework for moving from revenue and ad metrics to real marketplace contribution margin. Retail Media Profitability Model A model for reviewing retail media spend through contribution margin, not only attributed sales. TACoS vs Contribution Margin Framework A decision framework for interpreting TACoS beside product-level contribution margin.
Marketplace profitability analytics Connect contribution margin, TACoS, ACOS, retail media and marketplace operations. Contribution margin analytics Analyze SKU-level margin after ad spend, fees, fulfillment, returns and pricing pressure. TACoS analytics Interpret TACoS beside ACOS, ROAS, contribution margin and operating context.
TACoS Total advertising cost of sale in marketplace context. Contribution margin Profit after variable marketplace and ad costs. ACOS Advertising cost of sale for attributed sales. Marketplace profitability Real profit after fees, ads and operations. Retail media Marketplace advertising placements and economics.
Marketplace profitability SKU economics, contribution margin and marketplace operations. Retail media analytics Sponsored Products, TACoS and margin context. Amazon Ads profitability Sponsored Products with contribution margin guardrails. Contribution margin analytics Product-level margin after ads, fees and returns.
Pacvue alternative Retail media depth vs FiveX profitability intelligence. Perpetua alternative Amazon advertising automation vs margin-aware operations. Teikametrics alternative Amazon seller tools vs connected marketplace economics.
Frameworks hub FiveX operating models for marketplace intelligence. Glossary hub Canonical definitions for marketplace metrics. Research hub Methodology and evidence architecture. Comparison hub Software comparisons by commercial intent.
FAQ

Comparison questions

Wat is ACOS?

ACOS is ad spend gedeeld door toegeschreven advertentieomzet, keer 100.

Wat is een goede ACOS in 2026?

Een goede ACOS ligt onder de break-even ACOS van de SKU en ondersteunt gezonde TACoS en contributiemarge.

Hoe bereken je break-even ACOS?

Gebruik contributiemarge vóór ads als maximale ruimte voor advertising en corrigeer voor gewenste winst.

Kan lage ACOS toch verliesgevend zijn?

Ja, bij hoge kosten, fees, fulfilment, retouren of kortingen.

Hoe helpt FiveX?

FiveX koppelt ACOS aan SKU-winst, TACoS, fees, retouren, voorraad en prijs.

Related FiveX solutions

Connect the comparison to operating workflows

FiveX comparison pages link back to the product areas that explain the underlying marketplace operating system.

Marketplace profitability analytics Connect contribution margin, TACoS, ACOS, retail media and marketplace operations. Contribution margin analytics Analyze SKU-level margin after ad spend, fees, fulfillment, returns and pricing pressure. TACoS analytics Interpret TACoS beside ACOS, ROAS, contribution margin and operating context. Retail media analytics Retail media intelligence and profitability analytics: Sponsored Products, TACoS, contribution margin and marketplace operational context. Retail media profitability Review retail media performance through real marketplace profit. Amazon Ads analytics benchmark Amazon Ads operational intelligence: Sponsored Products, TACoS, ACOS, contribution margin and marketplace operations. Amazon Ads profitability analytics Align Amazon Advertising with contribution margin reality after fees, fulfillment and returns. Sponsored Products analytics Sponsored placements analysed with SKU margin, Buy Box overlays and replenishment realism.

Want ACOS to answer to profit?

FiveX connects Amazon Ads, ACOS, TACoS, SKU margin, stock, fees and returns so budget decisions follow contribution margin instead of dashboard vanity.

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