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Method · Pricing & profitability

Profitability Model

A model of unit economics and profitability across market, channel and SKU – showing what drives profit and what happens under different scenarios.

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What it is

The Profitability Model rebuilds the economics of each product from the bottom up: price, cost of goods, marketplace and payment fees, fulfilment and logistics, returns and advertising. The result is a contribution margin you can trust per product, channel and market.

Because the model is built on explicit assumptions, it can also show scenarios – a price change, a new fulfilment model or a different advertising target – before the decision is made.

When to use it: Use it when revenue grows but profit does not, before changing prices or channel models, or when you need to know which products fund growth elsewhere.

What goes in

  • Prices
  • Fees
  • Cost of goods
  • Advertising cost
  • Logistics and returns

What you get

  • A P&L view per product and channel
  • Profit drivers
  • Scenarios

How it works

  1. Map the cost chainList every cost from purchase price to delivered order, per channel.
  2. Build the modelCalculate contribution per product, channel and market.
  3. Find the driversIdentify the prices, fees and costs that move profit most.
  4. Run scenariosTest the effect of changes before committing to them.

Decisions this helps you make

  1. Improve marginPricing & profitability
  2. Assess unit economicsPricing & profitability

Typical KPIs

  • Contribution margin
  • TACoS
  • Gross margin

Where this method is used

ServiceData & analytics

Commercial Analysis

Data-driven analysis of markets, performance, portfolio and economics – so the next decision rests on a clear picture rather than competing spreadsheets.

ServiceProfitability

Profitability Optimization

Improving unit economics and contribution margin – by making every cost between the factory gate and the customer visible, and deciding which levers to pull.

Knowledge and analysis

KnowledgeProfitability

Contribution margin on Amazon: what to include and why it changes decisions

Gross margin says little about profitability on marketplaces. Contribution margin – after fees, fulfilment, returns and advertising – is the number that should steer price, assortment…

Want to apply this to your business?

We can run a first assessment on your own data and show what the method would change in your decisions.

Request an assessmentSee how we can help