Driving SKU-Level ROI Transparency on TikTok

The Results

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For CPG businesses looking to expand, ignoring the power of TikTok is no longer an option. The platform has exploded to over 1 billion monthly active users, and its audience is more diverse than ever. While Gen Z remains a core demographic, over 40% of users are now 30 or older. This shift is particularly important for brands in the APAC region, where a recent case study reveals that 7 out of 10 CPG decision-makers for top categories like skincare, haircare, and makeup are on TikTok.

Executive Summary

A leading CPG brand sought to scale aggressively on TikTok, but the platform’s layered costs (livestream, affiliate, platform fees, marketing subsidies) made it nearly impossible to understand ROI at the SKU level. We built a cost attribution and ROI engine that delivered real-time SKU-level profitability insights, enabling business leaders to make faster, sharper growth decisions.

Key Outcomes:

• Full transparency of costs across TikTok activities

• Real-time SKU-level ROI dashboards

• Faster, data-driven decisions on promotions, affiliates, and livestreams

• A foundation for cross-platform and predictive ROI expansion

The Challenge

TikTok offers scale but brings hidden costs that blur true profitability:

• Platform Costs: transaction fees, service charges, commissions

• Livestream Costs: host fees, crew/production, in-show discounts

• Affiliate Costs: creator/partner commissions (variable per SKU)

• Marketing Costs: ads, vouchers, discount subsidies, free shipping subsidies

• Operational Costs: warehousing, picking/packing, logistics, fulfilment

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Two issues compounded the problem:

1. Not all costs apply to every SKU — e.g., affiliates vs. livestream-driven SKUs.

2. Data was fragmented across finance, marketing, and ops teams.

Result: leaders lacked real-time SKU profitability, slowing decisions and increasing risk of unprofitable growth.

The Solution

We designed a transparent cost attribution & ROI engine that:

• Centralized all cost inputs across TikTok.

• Applied precise attribution rules so costs flowed only to relevant SKUs.

• Delivered a live SKU-level ROI dashboard for instant profitability tracking.

Now, leaders could act on SKU performance in real time — no waiting for reconciliations.

Implementation Journey

• Mapped all cost layers across livestream, affiliate, and promotions.

• Defined attribution rules to separate shared vs. SKU-specific costs.

• Rolled out live dashboards for leadership and ops teams.

• Built cross-team trust by aligning finance, marketing, and commercial.

Impact & Results

• Real-time SKU-level ROI visibility on TikTok

The brand was able to measure their TikTok campaigns accurately and drove a 24% higher ROAS compared to their historical digital media average. Our data showed that this lift was directly tied to their ability to quickly scale promotions on high-margin SKU items, while simultaneously pulling back on underperforming items.

• Faster, sharper decisions on promotions, affiliates, and livestream spend

By cutting unprofitable spend in real-time and doubling down on winners, our client was able to decrease their cost per acquisition (CPA) by 27% on their promotional campaigns

• Ability to scale profitably, doubling down on winners and cutting underperformers

With the ability to identify profitable SKUs instantly, the brand saw an increase in their overall campaign ROAS by 4x within the first 60 days by prioritizing SKUs with the highest margins and stopping spend on underperformers.

• Shifted decision-making from gut feel → data-backed clarity

Our solution delivered a 441% increase in conversion rate and a 51% increase in click-through rate by enabling the brand to optimize ad creative for its most profitable products

Customer Feedback

“For the first time, we can see ROI at the SKU level in real time. It’s a game-changer for how we allocate spend and manage TikTok growth.” — Business Leader, Brand

Looking Ahead

With the foundation in place, the brand plans to extend ROI transparency further:

• Cross-Platform Expansion → Shopee, Lazada, TikTok Shop affiliates.

• Marketing Optimization → Linking ROI to ads, influencers, hosts.

• Predictive ROI Forecasting → Scenario modelling before spend.

• Dynamic Pricing & Promotions → Real-time margin-driven adjustments.

• Inventory Alignment → Prioritize stock for high-ROI SKUs.

• Automated Decisioning → AI-driven recommendations for budget & SKU pushes.

ROI transparency is now evolving into a strategic growth engine.

Key Takeaway

By building transparent cost attribution and live SKU-level ROI tracking, the brand transformed TikTok’s complexity into a competitive advantage — powering fast, profitable growth.

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