What is CPS (Cost Per Sale)?

CPS (Cost Per Sale) pays for a confirmed sale—often a percent of order value (revshare on the affiliate side). Common in e-commerce, nutra with COD (after delivery), and marketplace offers.

Buyer metric

CPS = Ad spend ÷ Number of sales. Effective CPS rises when CR is low; revenue depends on average order value (AOV). ROAS and profit margin matter more than headline CPS.

COD and approval

In nutra, an order ≠ paid sale: approval follows delivery and rejections. Buyers track approve rate and real CPS on approved sales, not raw orders.

vs CPA

CPA is fixed per action (lead, trial). CPS ties payout to order value. Hybrid CPA + revshare appears in gambling (CPA on FTD + % NGR).

Notes

Refunds and chargebacks reduce net revenue. Pixel/CAPI must pass value for purchase ROAS bidding. Long click-to-sale cycles shift daily ROI.

See also: CPA, e-commerce vertical, ROAS, approval rate.