D2C Fashion · Meta and Google Ads · India
Fashion ROAS looks healthy until returns, discounts and repeat buyers are taken out. We run Meta and Google for fashion brands against break-even ROAS and contribution margin, and read results net of what the dashboard overstates.
Four things shape fashion economics before a single ad is written. Size and fit drive returns, so a share of sales reverse after the ad platform has already counted them. Sale and festive periods lift ROAS while compressing margin. Returning customers and branded search inflate the number further. And the assortment turns over quickly, so creative has to be tested and refreshed on a schedule.
Each of these moves the break-even point. A brand that reads platform ROAS from the dashboard can look profitable while losing money on discounted, returned or repeat orders.
An Australian D2C fashion brand wanted to enter the US without assuming its Australian playbook would transfer. We reset pricing, targeting and creative for the US market before spend scaled. Read the full case study.
Both ROAS figures exclude US shipping costs, so they reflect media efficiency only.
Joolry, D2C jewellery, India. A strong product range, but broad targeting was limiting efficiency. We rebuilt audience segmentation using customer behaviour, fashion preferences and purchase signals, and introduced more personalised messaging across the funnel. ROAS improved 74% and average order value improved 26%. Read the case study.
D2C footwear, India. A marketplace-first brand started Meta from zero and averaged 3.7x ROAS net of reversals at a ₹190 CAC over four months. See the full footwear breakdown.
Adtitude Media is a performance marketing agency in Mumbai working with founder-led fashion, accessories and lifestyle brands across India, Australia and the United States.
A ROAS figure is only useful next to a break-even figure. A brand with thinner margins, heavier returns or a deeper discount habit needs a different target from one without, and the first job is to find it.
What is a good ROAS for a D2C fashion brand in India?
A good ROAS is one that clears your break-even ROAS with room to spare. Break-even ROAS is 1 divided by your contribution margin before ads. As an illustration, a fashion brand with a 40% margin before ads breaks even at 2.5x, so 3.5x is profitable and 2.0x loses money, even though both can look healthy on a dashboard. Calculate your own break-even first, then judge ROAS against it.
How do returns and discounts affect fashion ad profitability?
Returned orders still show as revenue in the ad platform unless you strip them out, which overstates ROAS. Discounted sales lift revenue and ROAS while cutting the margin on each order. Both should be measured against contribution margin rather than platform revenue, and reported separately from full-price sales.
How do you calculate break-even ROAS for a fashion brand?
Divide 1 by your contribution margin before ads, after product cost, shipping, payment fees, packaging and expected returns. At a 40% margin the break-even ROAS is 2.5x. Our free contribution margin calculator does the same maths.
Do you work with fashion brands outside India?
Yes. We are based in Mumbai and work with founder-led fashion, accessories and lifestyle brands across India, Australia and the United States. In one case an Australian fashion brand entered the US with market-specific pricing, targeting and creative, and returned 4.1x blended ROAS over six months, excluding US shipping costs.
We set break-even ROAS for each product line, then scale only what clears it.
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