analytics-dictionary / term / tracking & measurement

Return on ad spend (ROAS)

Return on ad spend is the revenue generated for every unit of currency spent on advertising.

Written by Reflective Data experts · updated Oct 5, 2026

ROAS = revenue attributed to ads divided by ad spend. It is simple and widely used, but it ignores margins and depends on the attribution model.

Profit-based measures and incrementality tests give a truer picture of what advertising really adds.

// how we can help

Need tracking you can trust? We implement and audit analytics across GA4, Adobe, Mixpanel and more. Analytics & tracking services → · Audits

Data thresholding hides some report data to protect user privacy, usually when numbers are very small.

Mixpanel is a product analytics tool focused on user behaviour, funnels, retention and cohorts.

Third-party cookies are set by a domain other than the one you are visiting, mainly for…

Offline conversions are sales or leads that happen outside your website, such as phone orders or…

First-party data is information you collect directly from your own customers and visitors.

Enhanced conversions send hashed first-party data, like an email address, with a conversion so Google can…