Practical promotion economics

A break-even target after returns and payback

Add a 5% full-refund rate and later displaced units equal to 10% of gross campaign volume to the sales target.

Entirely synthetic case. The expected baseline and commercial inputs are deliberately supplied assumptions.

The decision

How much gross response is needed after the modeled leakage?

Product–campaign rows1
Contribution change-€8,500
Gross unit lift60.0%

Source inputs

Campaign / productExpected baseline unitsPromotion unitsRegular / promotion priceVariable unit cost
Example travel pack
Synthetic response leakage
1,0001,600€50 / €40€25

What to inspect

Open a row’s full contribution bridge, check the day-window alignment and cost allocation, then vary the expected baseline and response in Scenario studio. The portfolio result includes the recorded refunds, supplier support and displacement; unrecorded effects remain excluded.

Read the accompanying decision guide

Interpretation limits

The figures are generated from the same deterministic engine used by the workbench. They are not evidence from a merchant or a randomized test. A supplied baseline can make an offer look attractive or unattractive, so the baseline deserves the same scrutiny as the campaign’s realized sales.

How to read this case

Effective contribution is €10.50 per gross unit. The minimum gross volume is 2,409.52 units, or 2,410 whole units, under constant return/displacement rates.

Case-specific assumptions

  • Returns give back full promotion revenue while all gross-unit costs remain unrecovered.
  • The minimum-volume calculation holds return and supplied displacement rates constant.

Download the portable project JSON ↓