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Use this guide to understand Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) at global, channel, and campaign levels using SourceMedium data.

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What is ROAS?

ROAS measures the revenue generated for each unit of currency spent on advertising:
A ROAS of 3.0 means you earned 3 units of revenue for every 1 unit spent on ads.

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Two definitions, two numbers

SourceMedium surfaces two ROAS definitions. They answer different questions, so don’t mix them in one report: In-platform ROAS uses the revenue each ad platform claims for its own ads. Blended ROAS divides SourceMedium’s order net revenue by your total paid spend across all platforms, so it is immune to platform over-attribution but can’t be split by campaign.

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Where to find ROAS in SourceMedium

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Executive Summary

The Executive Summary module shows global ROAS across all paid channels.

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Marketing Overview

The Marketing Overview module breaks down ROAS by channel (Meta, Google, TikTok, etc.).

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Ad Performance table

For granular analysis, use rpt_ad_performance_daily:
  • ad_spend — Total spend in your SourceMedium reporting currency when conversion is enabled
  • ad_platform_reported_revenue — Revenue attributed to ads by the platform, in your SourceMedium reporting currency when conversion is enabled
  • Calculate: ad_platform_reported_revenue / ad_spend
Aggregate before you compute the ratio: rows in this table are not unique on (source_system, ad_id), so sum spend and revenue first rather than averaging per-row ROAS values. If advertising accounts use different currencies, SourceMedium converts supported platforms (Google Ads, Meta, TikTok, AppLovin, and Snapchat) separately before combining results. See Reporting Currency.

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ROAS by attribution model

You’ll see ROAS reflected in a few different ways depending on the view you’re using:
  • Platform-reported ROAS: best for reconciling to Meta/Google/TikTok reporting, using rpt_ad_performance_daily (spend and platform-reported revenue).
  • Dashboard ROAS (blended / channel-level): best for high-level planning, shown in Executive Summary and Marketing Overview.
  • MTA ROAS (if enabled): best for multi-touch analysis, covered in the MTA documentation.
If your ROAS looks different from in-platform reporting, check the reporting currency, attribution window, and revenue definition. See Reporting Currency and the attribution windows FAQ.

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Common ROAS analyses

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1. Channel comparison

Compare ROAS across channels to understand efficiency:
  • Which channels drive the best return?
  • Are you over-investing in low-ROAS channels?
Track weekly/monthly ROAS trends:
  • Identify seasonal patterns
  • Spot declining efficiency early

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3. New vs returning customer ROAS

If you have customer-level attribution:
  • What’s your ROAS on prospecting (new customers)?
  • What’s your ROAS on retargeting (returning customers)?

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Interpreting ROAS

A high ROAS isn’t always good — it may indicate under-investment in growth. Balance ROAS against total revenue and new customer acquisition.

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Common pitfalls

  • Comparing apples to oranges: Platform-reported ROAS uses different attribution than SourceMedium’s unified view.
  • Comparing different currencies: Reconcile each advertising account in the same currency before comparing totals.
  • Ignoring attribution windows: Different platforms use different default windows (e.g., Meta’s 7-day click / 1-day view). Check your platform settings.
  • Looking at ROAS in isolation: Always pair with total spend and revenue. A 10x ROAS on 100 units of spend is less valuable than 3x ROAS on 10,000 units of spend.