RReturn on Ad Spend

ROAS

Return on Ad Spend: revenue in relation to advertising spend.

Moritz Lambrecht

Updated: July 9, 2026

Definition

ROAS stands for Return on Ad Spend and is calculated as revenue divided by advertising cost. A ROAS of 4 means that one euro of ad spend generated four euros of revenue.

Also known as: Return on Ad Spend

Context

ROAS is important but not complete. Contribution margin, margin, returns, new-customer share, and customer lifetime value decide which ROAS is truly profitable.

In influencer campaigns, some impact may happen later or through other channels and should not be ignored.

Optimization

Better creator selection, clearer briefings, stronger landing pages, offer mechanics, and paid amplification can improve ROAS.

ROAS should be evaluated by creator, platform, format, and audience instead of only campaign-wide.

About the author

Moritz is an expert in data-driven influencer marketing as well as co-founder and CEO of the influencer marketing agency Ad Specialist. Together with his team, he has already implemented over 10,000 influencer campaigns and managed more than €50 million in advertising budgets for customers such as HelloFresh, Emma, Clark, mymuesli and many other well-known e-commerce companies. His focus is on helping e-commerce companies grow profitably through creative and measurable influencer marketing strategies on channels such as YouTube, Instagram and Twitch.

Through his performance-oriented and effective approach, he has built a reputation as a leading expert and speaker in German e-commerce. In this blog - as well as on LinkedIn and his YouTube channel - he regularly shares valuable insights about data-driven influencer marketing.

Learn more about Moritz