Glossary/Retail Media & Commerce/Total Advertising Cost of Sales (TACoS)
Retail Media & Commerce
Total Advertising Cost of Sales (TACoS)
Ad spend divided by total sales, paid and organic, showing how dependent a brand's overall revenue is on advertising.
By Brandon Mina·CEO, BrandPilot AI·Updated November 2026
Short answer
Total advertising cost of sales (TACoS) is advertising spend divided by total sales, including both ad-attributed and organic revenue. Expressed as a percentage, it shows how dependent a brand's overall revenue is on advertising. A falling TACoS suggests ads are helping build organic sales, while a rising TACoS signals growing reliance on paid traffic.