D2C marketing budget calculator
Enter your monthly revenue and stage, and get the spend range we would defend in a boardroom — split across media, creative and retention.
What this tool does: it turns your monthly revenue and growth stage into a recommended monthly marketing budget, using the bands published in our D2C budget guide — 30–50% of revenue while validating, 20–35% in growth, 15–25% at scale — and splits the number across paid media, creative and retention so you can brief against it.
Gross monthly sales across D2C and marketplaces. ₹10,00,000 = ₹10 lakhs.
Validation: first ₹5L/month · Growth: ₹5L–50L · Scale: ₹50L+
Recommended monthly marketing budget
Bands and split come from our guide D2C Marketing Budget in India: How Much to Spend. Split ranges are applied to the midpoint of your budget band.
Where the bands come from
The stage bands are published in our guide, D2C Marketing Budget in India: How Much to Spend: 30–50% of revenue while validating (your first ₹5 lakhs of monthly revenue), 20–35% in growth (₹5L–50L) and 15–25% at scale (₹50L+), split roughly 65–75% paid media, 15–20% creative and 10–15% retention, CRO and tooling.
The bands are the sanity check, not the method. The method is budget = target new customers × affordable CAC, derived from contribution margin. Not sure what CAC you can actually afford? Run the CAC payback calculator first, then come back and check the total lands inside your band.
Questions, answered
How much should a D2C brand spend on marketing in India?
As rough bands: 30–50% of revenue while validating (your first ₹5 lakhs of monthly revenue), 20–35% in the growth phase (₹5L–50L a month) and 15–25% at scale (₹50L+). The honest method underneath the bands is budget = target new customers × affordable CAC, derived from contribution margin.
How should the marketing budget be split?
Roughly 65–75% on paid media, 15–20% on creative and 10–15% on retention, CRO and tooling. And if blended ROAS holds at 3× or better with stock to match, you are probably underspending, not overspending.
Is a fixed percentage of revenue the right way to set a budget?
No. The percentage bands are sanity checks, not the method. Work out how many new customers you need this month, multiply by the CAC you can afford at your contribution margin, and then check that the result lands inside the band for your stage.
Now run it on your real numbers
A calculator gives you the shape of the problem. A Growth Audit gives you the fix: we tear down your funnel, creative and unit economics, free and with no pitch, and hand you a 90-day roadmap you keep.
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