Prooflytics
Marketing Analytics Blog
Benchmarks, attribution frameworks, and platform guides for performance marketers. How to diagnose, decide, and act — without the dashboard fatigue.
- Analytics
The Looker Studio Dashboard Trap (and When to Outgrow It)
Looker Studio is free and accessible, which is why most marketing teams default to it. The trap is structural: 100K row caps, unreliable blending past 3-4 sources, no native alerting, no row-level security, and performance degradation that hits at 6-12 months for any growing team. When to use Looker Studio and when to outgrow it.
10 min read - Analytics
The MQL Trap: Why MQLs Make You Optimize the Wrong Things
The MQL is the most widely tracked B2B SaaS metric and the most weakly correlated with revenue. Marketing optimizes for MQL volume, sales drowns in low-intent contacts, pipeline stays flat. Why the 2026 leading teams have replaced MQLs with SQLs, pipeline velocity, and PQL signals.
9 min read - Analytics
Why Blended ROAS Is Lying to You (and What to Track Instead)
Blended ROAS combines new and returning customer revenue into one number, inflating ad efficiency by 30-40%. A 4x blended ROAS often hides a sub-1.5x new-customer ROAS. Why the metric fails DTC operators and what the 2026 stack tracks instead.
9 min read - Analytics
The Vanity Metrics Trap in Marketing Dashboards (and How to Escape)
Vanity metrics (impressions, likes, page views, email opens) feel productive but produce zero budget decisions. 87% of marketers say data is critical but only 32% trust their own. The three-question test that separates actionable KPIs from vanity, and the migration to a metrics-that-matter dashboard.
10 min read - Analytics
First-Purchase ROAS vs 90-Day ROAS: Which to Optimize
First-purchase ROAS reports revenue inside a 7-30 day window. 90-day ROAS captures repeat orders that follow. Optimizing the wrong window misallocates ad budget by 20-40% for DTC brands with strong repeat-purchase behavior. Decision framework and benchmarks.
10 min read - Analytics
Pipeline Coverage Ratio: The 3x Rule and What It Misses (2026)
The classic 3x pipeline coverage rule is a 1990s enterprise relic. The correct ratio depends on your win rate: 25% win rate needs 4x coverage, 33% needs 3x. Benchmarks by segment, the formula that actually matches your team, and the diagnostic for coverage drift.
10 min read - Analytics
Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) Calculation: 3 Methods Compared
Historic CLV is backwards-looking and reliable but slow. Cohort CLV is operational and updates fast. Predictive CLV is precise but requires data depth. Which method to use depends on your data maturity and decision horizon - not on what's mathematically purest.
10 min read - Analytics
CPA vs CAC: The Difference and When Each Matters (2026)
CPA measures cost per single conversion at the campaign level. CAC measures fully-loaded cost of acquiring a paying customer at the business level. Confusing them produces $50K-$500K in misallocated budget per year for most mid-market teams. Clear definitions and decision framework.
10 min read - Analytics
Net Revenue Retention (NRR) Benchmarks 2026: 97% to 130%+
B2B SaaS NRR median is 106% in 2026. Enterprise leads at 118% median, mid-market 108%, SMB 97%. Best-in-class exceeds 130%. Benchmarks by segment and ARR stage, with the diagnostic for NRR underperformance.
9 min read - Analytics
Repeat Purchase Rate Benchmarks (2026): 10% to 55% by Category
DTC average repeat purchase rate is 25-30%. Consumables hit 40-55%, beauty 30-40%, fashion 25-32%, luxury just 10%. Benchmarks by category and the 60-day window that predicts 3× higher long-term retention.
10 min read - Analytics
AOV Benchmarks by Industry (2026): From $45 to $436+
Global ecommerce AOV averages $145-150 in 2026. Luxury/jewelry leads at $436, home at $253, fashion at $191. DTC Shopify sits at $85-95. Benchmarks by category, device, and region, with the diagnostic for AOV underperformance.
10 min read - Analytics
MQL to SQL Conversion Rate Benchmarks (2026): 13% Median
Cross-industry MQL to SQL conversion averages 13%. B2B SaaS sits at 18-22%, top performers reach 35-40%. Benchmarks by industry and channel - SEO-sourced MQLs convert at 51%, PPC at 26%. Diagnostic for funnel handoff problems.
9 min read - Analytics
Marketing-Sourced Pipeline % Benchmarks (2026): What Good Looks Like
B2B SaaS marketing-sourced pipeline averages 30-50%; top quartile reaches 60-70%. The benchmark depends on GTM motion (PLG runs 60-80%, enterprise 30-45%) and deal size. How to measure it and what the number actually tells you.
10 min read - Analytics
CTR Benchmarks by Platform 2026: Meta, Google, LinkedIn, TikTok
Google Search CTR averages 3.5-6.8% in 2026, Meta link-click 1.5-3%, LinkedIn standard sponsored content 0.5-1%, TikTok 0.6-0.9%. Cross-platform benchmarks with intent-context for diagnosis.
10 min read - Analytics
Conversion Rate Benchmarks by Industry (2026): B2C, B2B, SaaS
Average ecommerce conversion is 2-3% globally, but ranges from 0.9% (luxury) to 6.2% (food). B2B SaaS visitor-to-lead sits at 1.5-2.5%. Benchmarks by category, plus the diagnostic to use when yours drifts.
9 min read - Analytics
CAC Payback Period Benchmarks (2026): 6 to 24 Months
The 2026 median B2B SaaS CAC payback is 18 months, up from 14 in 2023. Benchmarks by ACV tier and company stage, the two valid formulas, and the watch-list signals that flag drift before it hits cash flow.
10 min read - Analytics
Mobile App Marketing Analytics: Meta, Google UAC, and Apple Search Ads
Mobile app growth teams run Meta, Google UAC, and Apple Search Ads simultaneously - each platform attributes installs using different rules, and your MMP records outcomes but cannot explain them. A practical guide to building the intelligence layer above your MMP.
12 min read - Analytics
Prooflytics vs DashThis: Marketing Intelligence vs Client Reporting Dashboards
DashThis builds polished client reports for agencies. Prooflytics delivers daily AI intelligence for in-house marketing operators. Here's when each makes sense - and why most in-house teams are using the wrong category of tool.
8 min read - Analytics
HockeyStack Alternatives for B2B Marketing: Intelligence vs. Revenue Attribution
HockeyStack costs ~$28K/year and requires a RevOps team to operate. The difference between B2B revenue attribution and marketing intelligence -- and which one your B2B SaaS team actually needs.
9 min read - Analytics
Salesforce Marketing Cloud Intelligence (Datorama) Alternative for In-House Marketing Teams
Salesforce Marketing Cloud Intelligence (formerly Datorama) starts at $36,000/year and requires a data team to operate. Here is what in-house marketing teams choose instead - and why the intelligence gap matters more than the connector count.
8 min read
