DTC Data on the Metrics That Matter Most

Taylor Holiday

by Taylor Holiday

Aug. 9, 2022

Apple’s iOS 14.5 update has arrived. And with it, a flood of changes to Facebook Ads Manager.

Not to mention uncertainty, confusion, and fear.

Our solution to that uncertainty? Information.

This article contains data compiled from ~200 ecommerce brands totaling +$5.9 billion in online revenue over the last two years.

Those businesses are drawn from Statlas, our proprietary ecommerce growth tool. They represent Common Thread Collective (CTC) clients; members of our learning program, ADmission; and Statlas users.

All metrics have been standardized to Facebook’s default attribution.

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Data on the State of Ecommerce & Online Advertising

Big Picture: Year-over-Year

For clarity, the following charts represent trailing 12-month YoY data. Each metric is also calculated for the three months before iOS 14.5’s release (Feb.–Apr. 2021), and three months after (July–Sept. 2021), excluding May and June 2021 to account for iOS 14.5’s rollout.

Average Facebook Reported ROAS

  • Facebook ROAS 2020–21: 2.00
  • Facebook ROAS 2021–22: 1.73
  • Facebook ROAS YoY %-change: -13.37%

iOS 14.5 Effect on Facebook Reported ROAS

  • Pre-iOS Facebook ROAS (Feb.–Apr. 2021): 2.23
  • Post-iOS Facebook ROAS (July–Sept. 2021): 1.54
  • Pre vs Post Facebook ROAS %-change: -30.85%

Ecommerce Facebook ROAS 12-Month Rolling YoY

Average Marketing Efficiency Rating (MER)

MER = total revenue ÷ total ad spend; often referred to as “blended” ROAS.

  • MER 2020–21: 6.44
  • MER 2021–22: 5.93
  • MER YoY %-change: -7.91%

iOS 14.5 Effect on Marketing Efficiency Rating

  • Pre-iOS MER (Feb.–Apr. 2021): 6.48
  • Post-iOS MER (July–Sept. 2021): 6.30
  • Pre vs Post MER %-change: -2.86%

Ecommerce Marketing Efficiency Rating (MER) 12-Month Rolling YoY

Average Weekly Facebook Spend per Account

  • Facebook Spend 2020–21: $16,613
  • Facebook Spend 2021–22: $17,309
  • Facebook Spend YoY %-change: +4.19%

iOS 14.5 Effect on Weekly Facebook Spend

  • Pre-iOS Spend (Feb.–Apr. 2021): $17,963
  • Post-iOS Spend (July–Sept. 2021): $16,071
  • Pre vs Post Spend %-change: -10.53%

Ecommerce Facebook Spend 12-Month Rolling YoY

Average Facebook CPM (Cost per 1k impressions)

  • Facebook CPMs 2020–21: $11.38
  • Facebook CPMs 2021–22: $15.06
  • Facebook CPMs YoY %-change: +32.38%

iOS 14.5 Effect on Facebook CPMs

  • Pre-iOS CPMs (Feb.–Apr. 2021): $11.46
  • Post-iOS CPMs (July–Sept. 2021): $12.92
  • Pre vs Post CPMs %-change: +12.69%

Ecommerce Facebook CPM (Cost per Mille) 12-Month Rolling YoY

Average Weekly Ecommerce Revenue

  • Revenue 2020–21: $269,964
  • Revenue 2021–22: $265,687
  • Revenue YoY %-change: -1.58%

iOS 14.5 Effect on Average Weekly Ecommerce Revenue

  • Pre-iOS Revenue (Feb.–Apr. 2021): $271,564
  • Post-iOS Revenue (July–Sept. 2021): $246,026
  • Pre vs Post Revenue %-change: -9.40%

Average Ecommerce Revenue 12-Month Rolling YoY

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Immediate Context: Monthly

Comparing daily averages for the last four weeks year-over-year (YoY) …

  • Facebook Spend: -1.11%
  • Facebook CPM: +15.75%
  • Facebook Revenue: +21.50%
  • Facebook Conversion Rate: -12.76%
  • Facebook ROAS: +23.34%
  • Google CPC: -0.43%
  • Google ROAS: +2.71%
  • Marketing Efficiency Rating: -11.09%
  • Total Ecommerce Revenue: -18.52%
  • Average Order Value: +9.02%

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