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By business model

Plan consumer revenue, retention and payback.

Match the model to how you earn.

Consumer businesses make money in very different ways. Choose DTC and retail, a consumer app, or a subscription. Each one carries the acquisition, retention and payback maths for that model.

Build my B2C modelSee a business plan outline
Model
Cohort LTV vs CAC
Scenario
CAC climbs to $38
Output
consumer growth model
Trust
every number links to an assumption
Forecast Engine, illustrative interface

Startup Suite is an AI planning workspace that helps consumer founders model acquisition by channel, retention and payback.

This page is for consumer founders deciding how to plan DTC and retail, a consumer app or a subscription.

Revenue drivers
  • Acquisition by channel
  • Repeat purchase & retention
  • Pricing & LTV
Cost drivers
  • CAC by channel
  • Cost of goods & fulfilment
  • Retention & loyalty spend
Key outputs
  • Cohort LTV & payback model
  • Channel-mix plan
  • Consumer growth model
Relevant features
  • Forecast Engine
  • Scenario Workbench
  • AI mentors

Where consumer growth gets expensive

CAC keeps creeping up

Acquisition gets more expensive and you can't see when it stops paying back.

Retention is a black box

You know who bought once, but not how many came back or what a returning customer is worth.

Channel ROI is a guess

Spend is spread across channels with no clear read on which actually works.

A founder working through match the model to how you earn.

See what changes when your consumer assumptions move

Edit CAC and retention and watch LTV, payback, and channel ROI recompute, then test a CAC increase against a retention improvement.

B2C planning workspaceExample view, sample data
Scenario
CAC
$28
Blended
LTV
$96
24-month
Payback
4.2 mo
Per cohort
Repeat rate
34%
Modelled
Channel ROI
2.4×
Blended

Model acquisition by channel, repeat purchase and retention into cohort LTV, so you can see how long each channel takes to earn back what it cost.

  • Assumptions
  • Model
  • Scenarios
  • Mentor Review
  • Outputs

AI mentorCurrent acquisition and retention: LTV clears CAC with a payback under five months.

Get early accessSee a business plan outline

One model, connected from the first input to the final output

Change CAC by channel or repeat rate and LTV and payback rerun. A CAC rise sits next to better retention, and the mentor flags the channel that stops paying back.

Input

Edit CAC by channel and repeat rate

Model

LTV, payback, and contribution recompute

Scenario

Compare base, CAC-up, and retention-up

Mentor

Flags the channel that stops paying back

Output

Consumer growth model

Illustrative example.

B2C business planning dashboard showing customer growth, retention, marketing channels, and unit economics.

The most common B2C starting point

Physical goods, apps or subscriptions: each one earns back its CAC differently.

Physical products sold to consumers, where returns and stock decide the margin.

  • DTC & retail
  • Consumer app
  • Subscription & membership
Get early access

Channel, price, and spend calls you can make

Each one judged by how long a customer takes to pay back what they cost.

Which channels to scale
Move budget to the channels with the shortest payback.
How to price
See how pricing moves LTV and repeat purchase.
How much to spend
Grow spend only while it pays back on real LTV.

Pick the B2C model that fits how you earn

DTC & retail

You ship a physical product. Use the e-commerce model.

Consumer app

Your product is an app with installs. Use the mobile-app model.

Subscription & membership

Customers pay a recurring fee. Use the SaaS model for the churn maths.

Still deciding

Whatever the model, plan CAC, repeat purchase, LTV and channel payback here first.

From ad spend to lifetime value

  1. Step 1

    Bring in ads & sales

    Enter or connect spend and orders by channel.

  2. Step 2

    Set CAC & repeat

    Acquisition cost and repeat behaviour per cohort.

  3. Step 3

    Model LTV

    Retention and pricing roll up into lifetime value.

  4. Step 4

    Optimise the mix

    Put budget where payback is strongest.

More than a spreadsheet, more than a consultant

Spreadsheetthe old way
CAC and LTV per channel (not blended)
Manual
Cohort retention drives lifetime value
Hard
Scenario compare (CAC / channel / retention)
Tabs
AI mentor explains the payback risk
Consumer growth model output
Consultantquoted per model
CAC and LTV per channel (not blended)
Cohort retention drives lifetime value
Scenario compare (CAC / channel / retention)
On request
AI mentor explains the payback risk
Hourly
Consumer growth model output
Startup Suiteconnected workspace
CAC and LTV per channel (not blended)
Cohort retention drives lifetime value
Scenario compare (CAC / channel / retention)
AI mentor explains the payback risk
Consumer growth model output

Pick the version closest to your business

E-commerce / DTC

Physical products sold online: model true margin, inventory and acquisition payback.

Sample output: Margin & cash model

See the E-commerce / DTC model

Consumer apps

Mobile or web apps: model installs, retention and LTV/CAC across each way the app earns.

Sample output: App-economics model

See the Consumer apps model

Subscriptions

Recurring consumer revenue: model churn, repeat and lifetime value the way a SaaS company would.

Sample output: Recurring LTV model

See the Subscriptions model

Retail

Physical stores and stockists: model foot traffic, basket size and per-location economics.

Sample output: Per-location model

See the Retail model

Creator-led

Audience-driven products and memberships: model conversion from reach to recurring revenue.

Sample output: Creator revenue model

See the Creator-led model

Local consumer services

Bookings and capacity-based consumer services: model utilisation and repeat custom.

Sample output: Utilisation model

See the Local consumer services model

Consumer business planning questions

Do you model CAC and LTV by channel?

It's built to. Acquisition cost, repeat purchase and retention are modelled per channel and cohort, so you can see each channel's payback period.

Can I see which channels pay back?

It's designed to. Channel mix and payback are modelled, so you can shift budget to the channels that earn it back.

What is a B2C financial model?

It models customer acquisition by channel, repeat purchase and retention into cohort LTV and payback, so the money you spend to grow is tied to what it returns.

Is this just a spreadsheet template?

No. Most templates use one blended CAC. Here each channel has its own CAC and repeat rate, so a rise in paid social costs shows up in that channel's payback first.

Which B2C model should I use?

Pick by how customers pay. Paying per order points to the e-commerce model, paying inside an app to the mobile-app model, and a recurring fee to the SaaS model. If you're unsure, start here with CAC and repeat rate by channel.

Related business models

See all solutions

For e-commerce brands

Margin, inventory, and cash that tie out.

Explore

For mobile apps

Installs, retention and LTV in one cohort model.

Explore

For SaaS founders

Recurring revenue built from the drivers behind it.

Explore
Pairs well withAll business modelsStart with Forecast EngineConnect your data sources

Grow spend only while it pays back

Enter CAC by channel and your repeat rate, and see lifetime value and payback on your own customers.

Build my B2C modelSee a business plan outline