What unit economics numbers should I actually be tracking every week, CM1, CM2, contribution margin?
The short answer
At minimum track CM1 (revenue minus COGS minus payment gateway/marketplace fees minus shipping/RTO costs) weekly, this tells you if you're actually making money per order before marketing spend even enters the picture. Layer CM2 (CM1 minus ad spend/CAC) to see if your growth spend is sustainable, and review blended CAC vs AOV monthly since a single viral ad set can distort a weekly view. Most D2C brands that fail didn't run out of revenue, they ran out of cash because nobody was watching CM1 turn negative while top-line kept climbing.
A quick summary to orient you. The real value is below: the resources worth your time, from people who've actually done it, not us.
Here are the resources
Hand-picked from around the web, each with a note on why it earns your time. India-specific ones carry a badge.
3 resources2 India-specific3 link-checked
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📄 Article
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Why we picked it
A structured framework for CM1/CM2/contribution margin thinking that applies directly to a D2C brand regardless of market, the concepts are identical whether you're shipping from Mumbai or Miami.
Why we picked it
Ties unit economics directly to Indian D2C cost structures, COD/RTO rates, marketplace commissions, gateway fees, rather than a generic global framework you'd have to adapt yourself.
Why we picked it
A reference list broader than just CM1/CM2, useful once you've got the basics down and want to know what an actual CFO would track for a scaling Indian D2C brand.
