Seller Profit Guard

How should organic marketplace and paid-store cohorts be compared?

Last updated: 2026-08-09

Written and reviewed by Seller Profit Guard Editorial Team.

Align currency, closed dates, retained revenue, retained-order definition, settlement cutoff, return maturity, product scope, cost rules, and allocations. Then compare total contribution, margin, contribution per retained order, cohort volume, and every cost component without calling observed differences causal or permanent.

Compare Organic Marketplace and Paid Store Contribution flow from closed channel revenue and complete costs to total and per-order contribution, decision, and restoration
Use the channel scenario comparison matrix to compare matched mature channel cohorts.

Align dates

Align currency, closed dates, retained revenue, retained-order definition, settlement cutoff, return maturity, product scope, cost rules, and allocations. Then compare total contribution, margin, contribution per retained order, cohort volume, and every cost component without calling observed differences causal or permanent. Hold cohort definitions constant while isolating channel economics and volume. Checkpoint 1 in the channel scenario comparison matrix records channel, product scope, currency, cohort dates, settlement cutoff, return maturity, source version, owner, reviewer, and accepted formula before interpretation.

For align dates, keep retained net revenue, retained orders, product cost, marketplace and payment fees, acquisition and commission, fulfillment, return loss, software, support labor, other cost, target, conflict, backup, stop rule, and restoration as separate evidence fields.

Use invented or approved aggregate values only. Exclude buyer identities, emails, addresses, order rows, account IDs, payment details, bank records, credentials, private invoices, campaign identifiers, and raw exports from the public channel scenario comparison matrix.

Align retained-order definition

Align currency, closed dates, retained revenue, retained-order definition, settlement cutoff, return maturity, product scope, cost rules, and allocations. Then compare total contribution, margin, contribution per retained order, cohort volume, and every cost component without calling observed differences causal or permanent. Hold cohort definitions constant while isolating channel economics and volume. Checkpoint 2 in the channel scenario comparison matrix records channel, product scope, currency, cohort dates, settlement cutoff, return maturity, source version, owner, reviewer, and accepted formula before interpretation.

For align retained-order definition, keep retained net revenue, retained orders, product cost, marketplace and payment fees, acquisition and commission, fulfillment, return loss, software, support labor, other cost, target, conflict, backup, stop rule, and restoration as separate evidence fields.

Use invented or approved aggregate values only. Exclude buyer identities, emails, addresses, order rows, account IDs, payment details, bank records, credentials, private invoices, campaign identifiers, and raw exports from the public channel scenario comparison matrix.

Align revenue definition

Align currency, closed dates, retained revenue, retained-order definition, settlement cutoff, return maturity, product scope, cost rules, and allocations. Then compare total contribution, margin, contribution per retained order, cohort volume, and every cost component without calling observed differences causal or permanent. Hold cohort definitions constant while isolating channel economics and volume. Checkpoint 3 in the channel scenario comparison matrix records channel, product scope, currency, cohort dates, settlement cutoff, return maturity, source version, owner, reviewer, and accepted formula before interpretation.

For align revenue definition, keep retained net revenue, retained orders, product cost, marketplace and payment fees, acquisition and commission, fulfillment, return loss, software, support labor, other cost, target, conflict, backup, stop rule, and restoration as separate evidence fields.

Use invented or approved aggregate values only. Exclude buyer identities, emails, addresses, order rows, account IDs, payment details, bank records, credentials, private invoices, campaign identifiers, and raw exports from the public channel scenario comparison matrix.

Align product scope

Align currency, closed dates, retained revenue, retained-order definition, settlement cutoff, return maturity, product scope, cost rules, and allocations. Then compare total contribution, margin, contribution per retained order, cohort volume, and every cost component without calling observed differences causal or permanent. Hold cohort definitions constant while isolating channel economics and volume. Checkpoint 4 in the channel scenario comparison matrix records channel, product scope, currency, cohort dates, settlement cutoff, return maturity, source version, owner, reviewer, and accepted formula before interpretation.

For align product scope, keep retained net revenue, retained orders, product cost, marketplace and payment fees, acquisition and commission, fulfillment, return loss, software, support labor, other cost, target, conflict, backup, stop rule, and restoration as separate evidence fields.

Use invented or approved aggregate values only. Exclude buyer identities, emails, addresses, order rows, account IDs, payment details, bank records, credentials, private invoices, campaign identifiers, and raw exports from the public channel scenario comparison matrix.

Compare fees

Align currency, closed dates, retained revenue, retained-order definition, settlement cutoff, return maturity, product scope, cost rules, and allocations. Then compare total contribution, margin, contribution per retained order, cohort volume, and every cost component without calling observed differences causal or permanent. Hold cohort definitions constant while isolating channel economics and volume. Checkpoint 5 in the channel scenario comparison matrix records channel, product scope, currency, cohort dates, settlement cutoff, return maturity, source version, owner, reviewer, and accepted formula before interpretation.

For compare fees, keep retained net revenue, retained orders, product cost, marketplace and payment fees, acquisition and commission, fulfillment, return loss, software, support labor, other cost, target, conflict, backup, stop rule, and restoration as separate evidence fields.

Use invented or approved aggregate values only. Exclude buyer identities, emails, addresses, order rows, account IDs, payment details, bank records, credentials, private invoices, campaign identifiers, and raw exports from the public channel scenario comparison matrix.

channel scenario comparison matrix: compare fees
Original explanatory diagram for compare fees using invented aggregate values and no private seller data.

Compare acquisition

Align currency, closed dates, retained revenue, retained-order definition, settlement cutoff, return maturity, product scope, cost rules, and allocations. Then compare total contribution, margin, contribution per retained order, cohort volume, and every cost component without calling observed differences causal or permanent. Hold cohort definitions constant while isolating channel economics and volume. Checkpoint 6 in the channel scenario comparison matrix records channel, product scope, currency, cohort dates, settlement cutoff, return maturity, source version, owner, reviewer, and accepted formula before interpretation.

For compare acquisition, keep retained net revenue, retained orders, product cost, marketplace and payment fees, acquisition and commission, fulfillment, return loss, software, support labor, other cost, target, conflict, backup, stop rule, and restoration as separate evidence fields.

Use invented or approved aggregate values only. Exclude buyer identities, emails, addresses, order rows, account IDs, payment details, bank records, credentials, private invoices, campaign identifiers, and raw exports from the public channel scenario comparison matrix.

Compare fulfillment and returns

Align currency, closed dates, retained revenue, retained-order definition, settlement cutoff, return maturity, product scope, cost rules, and allocations. Then compare total contribution, margin, contribution per retained order, cohort volume, and every cost component without calling observed differences causal or permanent. Hold cohort definitions constant while isolating channel economics and volume. Checkpoint 7 in the channel scenario comparison matrix records channel, product scope, currency, cohort dates, settlement cutoff, return maturity, source version, owner, reviewer, and accepted formula before interpretation.

For compare fulfillment and returns, keep retained net revenue, retained orders, product cost, marketplace and payment fees, acquisition and commission, fulfillment, return loss, software, support labor, other cost, target, conflict, backup, stop rule, and restoration as separate evidence fields.

Use invented or approved aggregate values only. Exclude buyer identities, emails, addresses, order rows, account IDs, payment details, bank records, credentials, private invoices, campaign identifiers, and raw exports from the public channel scenario comparison matrix.

Compare software and support

Align currency, closed dates, retained revenue, retained-order definition, settlement cutoff, return maturity, product scope, cost rules, and allocations. Then compare total contribution, margin, contribution per retained order, cohort volume, and every cost component without calling observed differences causal or permanent. Hold cohort definitions constant while isolating channel economics and volume. Checkpoint 8 in the channel scenario comparison matrix records channel, product scope, currency, cohort dates, settlement cutoff, return maturity, source version, owner, reviewer, and accepted formula before interpretation.

For compare software and support, keep retained net revenue, retained orders, product cost, marketplace and payment fees, acquisition and commission, fulfillment, return loss, software, support labor, other cost, target, conflict, backup, stop rule, and restoration as separate evidence fields.

Use invented or approved aggregate values only. Exclude buyer identities, emails, addresses, order rows, account IDs, payment details, bank records, credentials, private invoices, campaign identifiers, and raw exports from the public channel scenario comparison matrix.

Compare total and unit contribution

Align currency, closed dates, retained revenue, retained-order definition, settlement cutoff, return maturity, product scope, cost rules, and allocations. Then compare total contribution, margin, contribution per retained order, cohort volume, and every cost component without calling observed differences causal or permanent. Hold cohort definitions constant while isolating channel economics and volume. Checkpoint 9 in the channel scenario comparison matrix records channel, product scope, currency, cohort dates, settlement cutoff, return maturity, source version, owner, reviewer, and accepted formula before interpretation.

For compare total and unit contribution, keep retained net revenue, retained orders, product cost, marketplace and payment fees, acquisition and commission, fulfillment, return loss, software, support labor, other cost, target, conflict, backup, stop rule, and restoration as separate evidence fields.

Use invented or approved aggregate values only. Exclude buyer identities, emails, addresses, order rows, account IDs, payment details, bank records, credentials, private invoices, campaign identifiers, and raw exports from the public channel scenario comparison matrix.

Name deciding driver

Align currency, closed dates, retained revenue, retained-order definition, settlement cutoff, return maturity, product scope, cost rules, and allocations. Then compare total contribution, margin, contribution per retained order, cohort volume, and every cost component without calling observed differences causal or permanent. Hold cohort definitions constant while isolating channel economics and volume. Checkpoint 10 in the channel scenario comparison matrix records channel, product scope, currency, cohort dates, settlement cutoff, return maturity, source version, owner, reviewer, and accepted formula before interpretation.

For name deciding driver, keep retained net revenue, retained orders, product cost, marketplace and payment fees, acquisition and commission, fulfillment, return loss, software, support labor, other cost, target, conflict, backup, stop rule, and restoration as separate evidence fields.

Use invented or approved aggregate values only. Exclude buyer identities, emails, addresses, order rows, account IDs, payment details, bank records, credentials, private invoices, campaign identifiers, and raw exports from the public channel scenario comparison matrix.

Align dates: verification test 1

Create one synthetic counterexample for align dates. Change a single revenue, order, fee, acquisition, fulfillment, return, software, support, product-cost, allocation, or target field, retain the prior packet, and show the total-cost, contribution, margin, per-order result, difference, and Block, Review, or Ready effect.

Reconcile the counterexample against closed marketplace or store reports, settlement and payment statements, advertising and affiliate reports, fulfillment invoices, product ledgers, a mature return cohort, software bills, support time records, target approval, owner, reviewer, protected baseline, stop trigger, and restored result.

Explain why the test does not prove demand, conversion, incrementality, causality, lifetime value, payout timing, overhead coverage, accounting income, tax, or universal channel superiority.

Align retained-order definition: verification test 2

Create one synthetic counterexample for align retained-order definition. Change a single revenue, order, fee, acquisition, fulfillment, return, software, support, product-cost, allocation, or target field, retain the prior packet, and show the total-cost, contribution, margin, per-order result, difference, and Block, Review, or Ready effect.

Reconcile the counterexample against closed marketplace or store reports, settlement and payment statements, advertising and affiliate reports, fulfillment invoices, product ledgers, a mature return cohort, software bills, support time records, target approval, owner, reviewer, protected baseline, stop trigger, and restored result.

Explain why the test does not prove demand, conversion, incrementality, causality, lifetime value, payout timing, overhead coverage, accounting income, tax, or universal channel superiority.

Align revenue definition: verification test 3

Create one synthetic counterexample for align revenue definition. Change a single revenue, order, fee, acquisition, fulfillment, return, software, support, product-cost, allocation, or target field, retain the prior packet, and show the total-cost, contribution, margin, per-order result, difference, and Block, Review, or Ready effect.

Reconcile the counterexample against closed marketplace or store reports, settlement and payment statements, advertising and affiliate reports, fulfillment invoices, product ledgers, a mature return cohort, software bills, support time records, target approval, owner, reviewer, protected baseline, stop trigger, and restored result.

Explain why the test does not prove demand, conversion, incrementality, causality, lifetime value, payout timing, overhead coverage, accounting income, tax, or universal channel superiority.

Align product scope: verification test 4

Create one synthetic counterexample for align product scope. Change a single revenue, order, fee, acquisition, fulfillment, return, software, support, product-cost, allocation, or target field, retain the prior packet, and show the total-cost, contribution, margin, per-order result, difference, and Block, Review, or Ready effect.

Reconcile the counterexample against closed marketplace or store reports, settlement and payment statements, advertising and affiliate reports, fulfillment invoices, product ledgers, a mature return cohort, software bills, support time records, target approval, owner, reviewer, protected baseline, stop trigger, and restored result.

Explain why the test does not prove demand, conversion, incrementality, causality, lifetime value, payout timing, overhead coverage, accounting income, tax, or universal channel superiority.

Compare fees: verification test 5

Create one synthetic counterexample for compare fees. Change a single revenue, order, fee, acquisition, fulfillment, return, software, support, product-cost, allocation, or target field, retain the prior packet, and show the total-cost, contribution, margin, per-order result, difference, and Block, Review, or Ready effect.

Reconcile the counterexample against closed marketplace or store reports, settlement and payment statements, advertising and affiliate reports, fulfillment invoices, product ledgers, a mature return cohort, software bills, support time records, target approval, owner, reviewer, protected baseline, stop trigger, and restored result.

Explain why the test does not prove demand, conversion, incrementality, causality, lifetime value, payout timing, overhead coverage, accounting income, tax, or universal channel superiority.

channel scenario comparison matrix: compare fees: verification test 5
Original explanatory diagram for compare fees: verification test 5 using invented aggregate values and no private seller data.

Compare acquisition: verification test 6

Create one synthetic counterexample for compare acquisition. Change a single revenue, order, fee, acquisition, fulfillment, return, software, support, product-cost, allocation, or target field, retain the prior packet, and show the total-cost, contribution, margin, per-order result, difference, and Block, Review, or Ready effect.

Reconcile the counterexample against closed marketplace or store reports, settlement and payment statements, advertising and affiliate reports, fulfillment invoices, product ledgers, a mature return cohort, software bills, support time records, target approval, owner, reviewer, protected baseline, stop trigger, and restored result.

Explain why the test does not prove demand, conversion, incrementality, causality, lifetime value, payout timing, overhead coverage, accounting income, tax, or universal channel superiority.

Compare fulfillment and returns: verification test 7

Create one synthetic counterexample for compare fulfillment and returns. Change a single revenue, order, fee, acquisition, fulfillment, return, software, support, product-cost, allocation, or target field, retain the prior packet, and show the total-cost, contribution, margin, per-order result, difference, and Block, Review, or Ready effect.

Reconcile the counterexample against closed marketplace or store reports, settlement and payment statements, advertising and affiliate reports, fulfillment invoices, product ledgers, a mature return cohort, software bills, support time records, target approval, owner, reviewer, protected baseline, stop trigger, and restored result.

Explain why the test does not prove demand, conversion, incrementality, causality, lifetime value, payout timing, overhead coverage, accounting income, tax, or universal channel superiority.

Compare software and support: verification test 8

Create one synthetic counterexample for compare software and support. Change a single revenue, order, fee, acquisition, fulfillment, return, software, support, product-cost, allocation, or target field, retain the prior packet, and show the total-cost, contribution, margin, per-order result, difference, and Block, Review, or Ready effect.

Reconcile the counterexample against closed marketplace or store reports, settlement and payment statements, advertising and affiliate reports, fulfillment invoices, product ledgers, a mature return cohort, software bills, support time records, target approval, owner, reviewer, protected baseline, stop trigger, and restored result.

Explain why the test does not prove demand, conversion, incrementality, causality, lifetime value, payout timing, overhead coverage, accounting income, tax, or universal channel superiority.

Compare total and unit contribution: verification test 9

Create one synthetic counterexample for compare total and unit contribution. Change a single revenue, order, fee, acquisition, fulfillment, return, software, support, product-cost, allocation, or target field, retain the prior packet, and show the total-cost, contribution, margin, per-order result, difference, and Block, Review, or Ready effect.

Reconcile the counterexample against closed marketplace or store reports, settlement and payment statements, advertising and affiliate reports, fulfillment invoices, product ledgers, a mature return cohort, software bills, support time records, target approval, owner, reviewer, protected baseline, stop trigger, and restored result.

Explain why the test does not prove demand, conversion, incrementality, causality, lifetime value, payout timing, overhead coverage, accounting income, tax, or universal channel superiority.

Name deciding driver: verification test 10

Create one synthetic counterexample for name deciding driver. Change a single revenue, order, fee, acquisition, fulfillment, return, software, support, product-cost, allocation, or target field, retain the prior packet, and show the total-cost, contribution, margin, per-order result, difference, and Block, Review, or Ready effect.

Reconcile the counterexample against closed marketplace or store reports, settlement and payment statements, advertising and affiliate reports, fulfillment invoices, product ledgers, a mature return cohort, software bills, support time records, target approval, owner, reviewer, protected baseline, stop trigger, and restored result.

Explain why the test does not prove demand, conversion, incrementality, causality, lifetime value, payout timing, overhead coverage, accounting income, tax, or universal channel superiority.

Compare Organic Marketplace and Paid Store Contribution: evidence exercise 1

Reperform align dates with invented organic marketplace and paid owned-store cohorts. Hold currency, closed dates, retained-revenue definition, retained-order definition, settlement cutoff, return maturity, product scope, cost rules, and evidence controls constant where comparison requires them.

Archive the accepted packet before varying the field. Explain the resulting total channel cost, total contribution, contribution margin, revenue per retained order, cost per retained order, contribution per retained order, A-minus-B difference, decision, monitoring trigger, and restoration path.

The exercise remains educational and source-linked. It does not recommend a channel, hardcode a rate, prove attribution or causality, approve a migration, or replace market-, plan-, payment-, campaign-, contract-, tax-, accounting-, demand-, or operations-specific review.

Compare Organic Marketplace and Paid Store Contribution: evidence exercise 2

Reperform align retained-order definition with invented organic marketplace and paid owned-store cohorts. Hold currency, closed dates, retained-revenue definition, retained-order definition, settlement cutoff, return maturity, product scope, cost rules, and evidence controls constant where comparison requires them.

Archive the accepted packet before varying the field. Explain the resulting total channel cost, total contribution, contribution margin, revenue per retained order, cost per retained order, contribution per retained order, A-minus-B difference, decision, monitoring trigger, and restoration path.

The exercise remains educational and source-linked. It does not recommend a channel, hardcode a rate, prove attribution or causality, approve a migration, or replace market-, plan-, payment-, campaign-, contract-, tax-, accounting-, demand-, or operations-specific review.

Compare Organic Marketplace and Paid Store Contribution: evidence exercise 3

Reperform align revenue definition with invented organic marketplace and paid owned-store cohorts. Hold currency, closed dates, retained-revenue definition, retained-order definition, settlement cutoff, return maturity, product scope, cost rules, and evidence controls constant where comparison requires them.

Archive the accepted packet before varying the field. Explain the resulting total channel cost, total contribution, contribution margin, revenue per retained order, cost per retained order, contribution per retained order, A-minus-B difference, decision, monitoring trigger, and restoration path.

The exercise remains educational and source-linked. It does not recommend a channel, hardcode a rate, prove attribution or causality, approve a migration, or replace market-, plan-, payment-, campaign-, contract-, tax-, accounting-, demand-, or operations-specific review.

Compare Organic Marketplace and Paid Store Contribution: evidence exercise 4

Reperform align product scope with invented organic marketplace and paid owned-store cohorts. Hold currency, closed dates, retained-revenue definition, retained-order definition, settlement cutoff, return maturity, product scope, cost rules, and evidence controls constant where comparison requires them.

Archive the accepted packet before varying the field. Explain the resulting total channel cost, total contribution, contribution margin, revenue per retained order, cost per retained order, contribution per retained order, A-minus-B difference, decision, monitoring trigger, and restoration path.

The exercise remains educational and source-linked. It does not recommend a channel, hardcode a rate, prove attribution or causality, approve a migration, or replace market-, plan-, payment-, campaign-, contract-, tax-, accounting-, demand-, or operations-specific review.

Compare Organic Marketplace and Paid Store Contribution: evidence exercise 5

Reperform compare fees with invented organic marketplace and paid owned-store cohorts. Hold currency, closed dates, retained-revenue definition, retained-order definition, settlement cutoff, return maturity, product scope, cost rules, and evidence controls constant where comparison requires them.

Archive the accepted packet before varying the field. Explain the resulting total channel cost, total contribution, contribution margin, revenue per retained order, cost per retained order, contribution per retained order, A-minus-B difference, decision, monitoring trigger, and restoration path.

The exercise remains educational and source-linked. It does not recommend a channel, hardcode a rate, prove attribution or causality, approve a migration, or replace market-, plan-, payment-, campaign-, contract-, tax-, accounting-, demand-, or operations-specific review.

channel scenario comparison matrix: compare organic marketplace and paid store contribution: evidence exercise 5
Original explanatory diagram for compare organic marketplace and paid store contribution: evidence exercise 5 using invented aggregate values and no private seller data.

Compare Organic Marketplace and Paid Store Contribution: evidence exercise 6

Reperform compare acquisition with invented organic marketplace and paid owned-store cohorts. Hold currency, closed dates, retained-revenue definition, retained-order definition, settlement cutoff, return maturity, product scope, cost rules, and evidence controls constant where comparison requires them.

Archive the accepted packet before varying the field. Explain the resulting total channel cost, total contribution, contribution margin, revenue per retained order, cost per retained order, contribution per retained order, A-minus-B difference, decision, monitoring trigger, and restoration path.

The exercise remains educational and source-linked. It does not recommend a channel, hardcode a rate, prove attribution or causality, approve a migration, or replace market-, plan-, payment-, campaign-, contract-, tax-, accounting-, demand-, or operations-specific review.

Compare Organic Marketplace and Paid Store Contribution: evidence exercise 7

Reperform compare fulfillment and returns with invented organic marketplace and paid owned-store cohorts. Hold currency, closed dates, retained-revenue definition, retained-order definition, settlement cutoff, return maturity, product scope, cost rules, and evidence controls constant where comparison requires them.

Archive the accepted packet before varying the field. Explain the resulting total channel cost, total contribution, contribution margin, revenue per retained order, cost per retained order, contribution per retained order, A-minus-B difference, decision, monitoring trigger, and restoration path.

The exercise remains educational and source-linked. It does not recommend a channel, hardcode a rate, prove attribution or causality, approve a migration, or replace market-, plan-, payment-, campaign-, contract-, tax-, accounting-, demand-, or operations-specific review.

Compare Organic Marketplace and Paid Store Contribution: evidence exercise 8

Reperform compare software and support with invented organic marketplace and paid owned-store cohorts. Hold currency, closed dates, retained-revenue definition, retained-order definition, settlement cutoff, return maturity, product scope, cost rules, and evidence controls constant where comparison requires them.

Archive the accepted packet before varying the field. Explain the resulting total channel cost, total contribution, contribution margin, revenue per retained order, cost per retained order, contribution per retained order, A-minus-B difference, decision, monitoring trigger, and restoration path.

The exercise remains educational and source-linked. It does not recommend a channel, hardcode a rate, prove attribution or causality, approve a migration, or replace market-, plan-, payment-, campaign-, contract-, tax-, accounting-, demand-, or operations-specific review.

Compare Organic Marketplace and Paid Store Contribution: evidence exercise 9

Reperform compare total and unit contribution with invented organic marketplace and paid owned-store cohorts. Hold currency, closed dates, retained-revenue definition, retained-order definition, settlement cutoff, return maturity, product scope, cost rules, and evidence controls constant where comparison requires them.

Archive the accepted packet before varying the field. Explain the resulting total channel cost, total contribution, contribution margin, revenue per retained order, cost per retained order, contribution per retained order, A-minus-B difference, decision, monitoring trigger, and restoration path.

The exercise remains educational and source-linked. It does not recommend a channel, hardcode a rate, prove attribution or causality, approve a migration, or replace market-, plan-, payment-, campaign-, contract-, tax-, accounting-, demand-, or operations-specific review.

Compare Organic Marketplace and Paid Store Contribution: evidence exercise 10

Reperform name deciding driver with invented organic marketplace and paid owned-store cohorts. Hold currency, closed dates, retained-revenue definition, retained-order definition, settlement cutoff, return maturity, product scope, cost rules, and evidence controls constant where comparison requires them.

Archive the accepted packet before varying the field. Explain the resulting total channel cost, total contribution, contribution margin, revenue per retained order, cost per retained order, contribution per retained order, A-minus-B difference, decision, monitoring trigger, and restoration path.

The exercise remains educational and source-linked. It does not recommend a channel, hardcode a rate, prove attribution or causality, approve a migration, or replace market-, plan-, payment-, campaign-, contract-, tax-, accounting-, demand-, or operations-specific review.

Compare observed totals without rescaling demand

Total contribution compares the actual closed-period contribution pools. Contribution per retained order and margin help normalize different cohort sizes, but neither permits projecting one channel to the other's observed volume without independent demand and capacity evidence.

Report revenue, retained orders, every cost class, total cost, total contribution, margin, and per-order contribution side by side. Then identify whether the observed difference comes mainly from volume, unit revenue, product mix, acquisition, fulfillment, returns, fixed allocation, or support burden.

If cohort composition differs materially, stratify by comparable product or offer and preserve the aggregate result. Do not claim causal channel effects from a single unmatched comparison.

Run one-cost sensitivities from a frozen packet

Copy the accepted cohorts, change one cost or threshold, and retain the baseline. Useful sensitivities include acquisition, affiliate commission, fulfillment, mature return loss, software denominator, support labor, and product cost.

For each change, recompute total cost, contribution, margin, per-order contribution, A-minus-B differences, and decision. The sensitivity is a planning range, not permission to replace observed cost with an optimistic target.

A sensitivity that changes the decision identifies the next evidence priority. Verify that driver with a better source, longer mature cohort, or operational test before acting.

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