---
title: "Marketing Audit Findings: All 74, Ranked by Annual Value"
description: "What does a marketing audit find? All 74 findings ranked by annual value: $58k lower median, $31k to $134k range, plus five leak patterns by prevalence."
url: https://marginfix.ai/findings/
lastmod: 2026-10-13
---

Your number See this page in your own figures: industry, spend and the estimated leak. [Run the estimator →](/estimator/)

[Home](/) › Marketing audit findings

Data · all 74, ranked by value

# Marketing audit findings: all 74, ranked by value.

Across 74 published case highlights the lower median annual figure is $58,000, the range runs $31k to $134k, and 51 cases publish at least $50k. Every figure comes from a published, senior reviewed case study and links to it.

- 74 findings

- CSV of every row

- Median finding $58k a year across 74 audits

![Portrait photograph of Cristian Bragau](/assets/founder/cristian-bragau-2026-10.jpg) **[Cristian Bragau](/about/cristian-bragau/)** Founder & Lead Auditor · Reviewed Oct 2026

[Download all 74 rows (CSV)](/findings/marketing-audit-findings.csv)

- **74** audits in the corpus

- **$4.5M+** sum of annual case figures

- **$58k** lower median finding a year

- **$31k to $134k** published range

Source: the 74 published case studies, one highlight figure each; the [benchmark](/benchmark/) carries the prevalence figures.

Cite this figure Across 74 published MarginFix marketing audits the lower median highlight finding is $58k a year; the published figures run from $31k to $134k. MarginFix, marginfix.ai/findings/

On this page

1. [Median by industry](#by-industry)

2. [The five leak patterns](#leak-patterns)

3. [How big is a finding](#finding-size)

4. [All 74, ranked](#ranked)

5. [Methodology](#methodology)

6. [Questions](#questions)

01

## Median finding by industry

One published annual highlight figure per case, the lower median per industry. Open an industry for its cases and the scope of an audit there.

| Industry | Audits | Lower median finding |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Fintech](/industries/fintech/) | 7 audits | $83k a year |
| [Marketplace](/industries/marketplace/) | 7 audits | $66k a year |
| [Pharma](/industries/pharma/) | 9 audits | $64k a year |
| [Manufacturing](/industries/manufacturing/) | 10 audits | $64k a year |
| [Retail](/industries/retail/) | 8 audits | $54k a year |
| [DTC / Ecommerce](/industries/dtc-ecommerce/) | 10 audits | $53k a year |
| [B2B SaaS](/industries/b2b-saas/) | 8 audits | $52k a year |
| [Subscription](/industries/subscription/) | 7 audits | $51k a year |
| [Services](/industries/services/) | 8 audits | $47k a year |

02

## What a marketing audit finds, by prevalence

The benchmark reports these five patterns, [defined in depth here](/margin-leaks/). Percentages are owner approved published figures. Audit level flags, eligible counts and common periods are unavailable here; categories may overlap, so do not sum percentages or infer counts. They cannot be reconstructed from the highlight values on this page.

| Leak pattern | Prevalence | What it is |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Non incremental paid](/glossary/non-incremental-spend/) | 68% | Ad budget buying conversions the business would have won anyway; classically, branded search against customers already intending to purchase. |
| [Attribution inflation](/glossary/attribution-inflation/) | 54% | Several platforms each claim the same sale, so attributed revenue sums to more than 100% of actual and over funds whichever channel claims most aggressively. |
| Mispriced offers | 47% | Offers, bundles and discounts that sell below true contribution once shipping, returns, fees and payment costs are counted. |
| Retention leaks | 41% | Solvable churn: failed payment dunning, renewal drop off and cancellation flows that quietly erase acquisition gains. |
| Discount habits | 34% | Reflexive promo codes and standing discounts that give margin away to buyers who would have paid full price. |

03

## How big is a typical finding?

One published annual highlight figure per case, grouped by its data category. The category is not proof of implementation or realization; follow the case link for its specific outcome.

| Outcome type | Audits | Lower median value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Revenue gain | 36 audits | $57k a year |
| Cost save | 26 audits | $64k a year |
| Efficiency | 12 audits | $57k a year |

04

## All 74 findings, ranked by annual value

Sorted from the highest published annual figure to the lowest. Every row opens its case. On a narrow screen, scroll the table sideways for industry, type and timing.

Showing all 74 findings

| # | Finding | Industry | Type | Value a year | Time |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | [Scaling spend was hiding a $134k annual margin leak](/cases/scaling-spend-was-hiding-a-134k-annual-margin-leak/) [Open the case](/cases/scaling-spend-was-hiding-a-134k-annual-margin-leak/) | DTC / Ecommerce | Revenue gain | $134,000 | 6 days |
| 2 | [Volume rebates were paid on orders that never hit the tier](/cases/volume-rebates-were-paid-on-orders-that-never-hit-the-tier/) | Manufacturing | Cost save | $118,000 | 7 days |
| 3 | [Incentive spend acquired users who never funded](/cases/incentive-spend-acquired-users-who-never-funded/) | Fintech | Cost save | $96,000 | 7 days |
| 4 | [Late quarter discounting was quietly eroding ACV margin](/cases/late-quarter-discounting-was-quietly-eroding-acv-margin/) | B2B SaaS | Revenue gain | $92,000 | 7 days |
| 5 | [Acquisition ignored default rate by channel](/cases/acquisition-ignored-default-rate-by-channel/) | Fintech | Efficiency | $88,000 | 7 days |
| 6 | [Congress and KOL sponsorship showed no measurable return](/cases/congress-and-kol-sponsorship-showed-no-measurable-return/) | Pharma | Budget redirected | $88,000 | 7 days |
| 7 | [Online ads were paying for in store demand](/cases/online-ads-were-paying-for-in-store-demand/) | Retail | Cost save | $88,000 | 7 days |
| 8 | [Interchange margin varied wildly by acquisition channel](/cases/interchange-margin-varied-wildly-by-acquisition-channel/) | Fintech | Revenue gain | $83,000 | 7 days |
| 9 | [Referral rewards were paid on self referred and gamed volume](/cases/referral-rewards-were-paid-on-self-referred-and-gamed-volume/) | Fintech | Cost save | $83,000 | 7 days |
| 10 | [CAC looked fine, until we split it by cohort](/cases/cac-looked-fine-until-we-split-it-by-cohort/) | Marketplace | Efficiency | $82,000 | 7 days |
| 11 | [A surcharge lag was never passed into customer contracts](/cases/a-surcharge-lag-was-never-passed-into-customer-contracts/) | Manufacturing | Revenue gain | $79,000 | 7 days |
| 12 | [Unbranded search was paying for traffic the brand site already won](/cases/unbranded-search-was-paying-for-traffic-the-brand-site-alrea/) | Pharma | Cost save | $78,000 | 7 days |
| 13 | [A $1.2M ad budget hid a 40% wasted impression rate](/cases/a-1-2m-ad-budget-hid-a-40-wasted-impression-rate/) | B2B SaaS | Cost save | $74,000 | 7 days |
| 14 | [Courier incentives overlapped organic supply in dense zones](/cases/courier-incentives-overlapped-organic-supply-in-dense-zones/) | Marketplace | Cost save | $74,000 | 7 days |
| 15 | [DTC ads were cannibalizing higher margin retail](/cases/dtc-ads-were-cannibalising-higher-margin-retail/) | Manufacturing | Efficiency | $73,000 | 7 days |
| 16 | [Broker commissions were flat across very different loss ratios](/cases/broker-commissions-were-flat-across-very-different-loss-rati/) | Fintech | Revenue gain | $72,000 | 7 days |
| 17 | [Rising freight never reached the price list](/cases/rising-freight-never-reached-the-price-list/) | Manufacturing | Revenue gain | $72,000 | 7 days |
| 18 | [Loyalty points cost more than the repeat they drove](/cases/loyalty-points-cost-more-than-the-repeat-they-drove/) | Retail | Cost save | $71,000 | 7 days |
| 19 | [Patient acquisition spend ran above what reimbursement paid](/cases/patient-acquisition-spend-ran-above-what-reimbursement-paid/) | Pharma | Cost save | $71,000 | 7 days |
| 20 | [A billing config gap left usage overages uncharged](/cases/a-billing-config-gap-left-usage-overages-uncharged/) | B2B SaaS | Revenue gain | $70,000 | 6 days |
| 21 | [Dealer cooperative funds were subsidizing competitors’ leads](/cases/dealer-co-op-funds-were-subsidising-competitors-leads/) | Manufacturing | Cost save | $69,000 | 7 days |
| 22 | [Returns processing cost was missing from channel economics](/cases/returns-processing-cost-was-missing-from-channel-economics/) | Retail | Returns cost reallocated | $69,000 | 7 days |
| 23 | [A discount habit was training the best customers to wait](/cases/a-discount-habit-was-training-the-best-customers-to-wait/) | DTC / Ecommerce | Revenue gain | $68,000 | 6 days |
| 24 | [The cheapest leads were the most expensive customers](/cases/the-cheapest-leads-were-the-most-expensive-customers/) | B2B SaaS | Budget optimized | $68,000 | 6 days |
| 25 | [Buyer subsidies outran the repeat GMV they were meant to unlock](/cases/buyer-subsidies-outran-the-repeat-gmv-they-were-meant-to-unl/) | Marketplace | Efficiency | $66,000 | 7 days |
| 26 | [Paid search was bidding on supply the platform already ranked for](/cases/paid-search-was-bidding-on-supply-the-platform-already-ranke/) | Marketplace | Cost save | $66,000 | 6 days |
| 27 | [Detailing and sample spend produced no prescribing lift](/cases/detailing-and-sample-spend-produced-no-prescribing-lift/) | Pharma | Cost save | $64,000 | 7 days |
| 28 | [Distributor margin was set once and never revisited](/cases/distributor-margin-was-set-once-and-never-revisited/) | Manufacturing | Revenue gain | $64,000 | 6 days |
| 29 | [HCP and patient budgets were optimized in isolation](/cases/hcp-and-patient-budgets-were-optimised-in-isolation/) | Pharma | Cost save | $64,000 | 6 days |
| 30 | [Seat true ups were underbilled as accounts grew](/cases/seat-true-ups-were-under-billed-as-accounts-grew/) | Subscription | Revenue gain | $63,000 | 6 days |
| 31 | [Supply side incentives outlived their purpose](/cases/supply-side-incentives-outlived-their-purpose/) | Marketplace | Cost save | $63,000 | 6 days |
| 32 | [Intake was dropping a third of qualified calls](/cases/intake-was-dropping-a-third-of-qualified-calls/) | Services | Revenue gain | $62,000 | 6 days |
| 33 | [FBA fees and returns had overtaken the margin on the hero ASINs](/cases/fba-fees-and-returns-had-overtaken-the-margin-on-the-hero-as/) | DTC / Ecommerce | Revenue gain | $61,000 | 6 days |
| 34 | [Free planning support cost more than small accounts earned](/cases/free-planning-support-cost-more-than-small-accounts-earned/) | Fintech | Revenue gain | $61,000 | 6 days |
| 35 | [Seasonal media weight ignored when the category actually converted](/cases/seasonal-media-weight-ignored-when-the-category-actually-con/) | Pharma | Efficiency | $60,000 | 7 days |
| 36 | [Bestsellers were priced below their true landed cost](/cases/bestsellers-were-priced-below-their-true-landed-cost/) | DTC / Ecommerce | Revenue gain | $59,000 | 6 days |
| 37 | [Free assembly and delivery were bundled below cost on big ticket lines](/cases/free-assembly-and-delivery-were-bundled-below-cost-on-big-ti/) | Retail | Revenue gain | $58,000 | 6 days |
| 38 | [Media ran outside the eligible population windows](/cases/media-ran-outside-the-eligible-population-windows/) | Pharma | Cost save | $58,000 | 6 days |
| 39 | [Promotional fee waivers were never switched off](/cases/promotional-fee-waivers-were-never-switched-off/) | Marketplace | Revenue gain | $58,000 | 6 days |
| 40 | [Annual plans were discounted below their retention value](/cases/annual-plans-were-discounted-below-their-retention-value/) | Subscription | Revenue gain | $57,000 | 6 days |
| 41 | [CAC payback was twice what the board believed](/cases/cac-payback-was-twice-what-the-board-believed/) | Fintech | Efficiency | $57,000 | 6 days |
| 42 | [Configurator upsells were discounted below their cost](/cases/configurator-upsells-were-discounted-below-their-cost/) | Manufacturing | Revenue gain | $57,000 | 6 days |
| 43 | [Small order handling cost exceeded the margin on the order](/cases/small-order-handling-cost-exceeded-the-margin-on-the-order/) | Manufacturing | Revenue gain | $57,000 | 6 days |
| 44 | [Subscription churn was masked by aggressive new trial spend](/cases/subscription-churn-was-masked-by-aggressive-new-trial-spend/) | DTC / Ecommerce | Efficiency | $55,000 | 7 days |
| 45 | [Click and collect was subsidizing the delivery it replaced](/cases/click-and-collect-was-subsidising-the-delivery-it-replaced/) | Retail | Revenue gain | $54,000 | 6 days |
| 46 | [Retainers were priced below delivery cost](/cases/retainers-were-priced-below-delivery-cost/) | Services | Revenue gain | $54,000 | 7 days |
| 47 | [The agency’s ‘winning’ campaign was the biggest loser](/cases/the-agency-s-winning-campaign-was-the-biggest-loser/) | DTC / Ecommerce | Cost save | $53,000 | 7 days |
| 48 | [Fixed fee packages were scoped below the hours they consumed](/cases/fixed-fee-packages-were-scoped-below-the-hours-they-consumed/) | Services | Revenue gain | $52,000 | 6 days |
| 49 | [Free tier support cost more than the plan earned](/cases/free-tier-support-cost-more-than-the-plan-earned/) | B2B SaaS | Revenue gain | $52,000 | 6 days |
| 50 | [Weak payment recovery was leaking revenue as involuntary churn](/cases/weak-payment-recovery-was-leaking-revenue-as-involuntary-chu/) | Subscription | Revenue gain | $52,000 | 5 days |
| 51 | [Growth spend was outrunning retention](/cases/growth-spend-was-outrunning-retention/) | Subscription | Efficiency | $51,000 | 5 days |
| 52 | [Markdown timing was leaving margin on the shelf](/cases/markdown-timing-was-leaving-margin-on-the-shelf/) | Retail | Revenue gain | $49,000 | 6 days |
| 53 | [Retail vet channel discounts were set below margin](/cases/retail-vet-channel-discounts-were-set-below-margin/) | Pharma | Revenue gain | $49,000 | 6 days |
| 54 | [Dead SKUs tied up the margin in slow catalog lines](/cases/dead-skus-tied-up-the-margin-in-slow-catalogue-lines/) | Manufacturing | Revenue gain | $48,000 | 5 days |
| 55 | [Free shipping was quietly deleting the margin on every third order](/cases/free-shipping-was-quietly-deleting-the-margin-on-every-third/) | DTC / Ecommerce | Revenue gain | $47,000 | 5 days |
| 56 | [Lead spend ignored close rate by source](/cases/lead-spend-ignored-close-rate-by-source/) | Services | Efficiency | $47,000 | 5 days |
| 57 | [Partner referral fees were paid on deals sales had sourced directly](/cases/partner-referral-fees-were-paid-on-deals-sales-had-sourced-d/) | B2B SaaS | Cost save | $47,000 | 6 days |
| 58 | [The pause and skip flow was leaking straight to cancellation](/cases/the-pause-and-skip-flow-was-leaking-straight-to-cancellation/) | Subscription | Revenue gain | $47,000 | 6 days |
| 59 | [Travel and onboarding time was going unbilled](/cases/travel-and-onboarding-time-was-going-unbilled/) | Services | Revenue gain | $47,000 | 6 days |
| 60 | [Affiliate commissions were being paid on sales the brand already owned](/cases/affiliate-commissions-were-being-paid-on-sales-the-brand-alr/) | DTC / Ecommerce | Cost save | $44,000 | 5 days |
| 61 | [Quoting ignored callback and warranty cost](/cases/quoting-ignored-callback-and-warranty-cost/) | Services | Revenue gain | $44,000 | 5 days |
| 62 | [Subscription acquisition ignored regulatory driven churn](/cases/subscription-acquisition-ignored-regulatory-driven-churn/) | Pharma | Efficiency | $44,000 | 6 days |
| 63 | [Take rate was leaking through unmanaged refunds](/cases/take-rate-was-leaking-through-unmanaged-refunds/) | Marketplace | Revenue gain | $44,000 | 7 days |
| 64 | [Paid was subsidizing a channel sales already owned](/cases/paid-was-subsidising-a-channel-sales-already-owned/) | B2B SaaS | Budget redeployed | $41,000 | 5 days |
| 65 | [Shipping tiers didn’t match cohort value](/cases/shipping-tiers-didn-t-match-cohort-value/) | Subscription | Revenue gain | $41,000 | 6 days |
| 66 | [Trade show spend had no attributable pipeline](/cases/trade-show-spend-had-no-attributable-pipeline/) | Manufacturing | Cost save | $41,000 | 6 days |
| 67 | [Vendor promo funding wasn’t covering the margin given away](/cases/vendor-promo-funding-wasn-t-covering-the-margin-given-away/) | Retail | Revenue gain | $41,000 | 5 days |
| 68 | [Every location bought the same keywords against each other](/cases/every-location-bought-the-same-keywords-against-each-other/) | Services | Cost save | $39,000 | 5 days |
| 69 | [Job board spend was spread evenly regardless of fill rate](/cases/job-board-spend-was-spread-evenly-regardless-of-fill-rate/) | Services | Efficiency | $39,000 | 6 days |
| 70 | [Bundles were cannibalizing full price hero SKUs](/cases/bundles-were-cannibalising-full-price-hero-skus/) | DTC / Ecommerce | Revenue gain | $38,000 | 5 days |
| 71 | [Payment fees varied by tender and went unmanaged](/cases/payment-fees-varied-by-tender-and-went-unmanaged/) | Retail | Revenue gain | $38,000 | 5 days |
| 72 | [Content spend had no path to revenue](/cases/content-spend-had-no-path-to-revenue/) | B2B SaaS | Cost save | $36,000 | 7 days |
| 73 | [Winback campaigns were rebuying customers who’d have returned free](/cases/win-back-campaigns-were-re-buying-customers-who-d-have-retur/) | Subscription | Cost save | $33,000 | 5 days |
| 74 | [Retargeting was paid twice for the same customer](/cases/retargeting-was-paid-twice-for-the-same-customer/) | DTC / Ecommerce | Cost save | $31,000 | 5 days |

The row marked You comes from the estimate stored in this browser. Nothing about it is sent anywhere. [Change the estimate](/estimator/)

05

## Methodology

The population is the 74 published case studies, with one selected highlight figure per case. It is not a representative sample of all SMBs or a total of every finding in each audit. A lower median is the middle value after sorting, using the lower of the two middle values for an even count. Published annual figures include different outcome types; they are not all collected cash, profit or recurring savings. Case publication dates do not establish common observation, implementation or recovery periods; use each case for its supported timing and outcome. The sum of the 74 figures is $4,513,000; the largest single figure is $134,000 and the smallest $31,000. The [2026 SMB Marketing Margin Benchmark](/benchmark/) includes a summary CSV and separate limitations for spend ratios and prevalence. The edition year does not establish when the audits or outcomes were measured.

06

## Marketing audit findings FAQ

### What does a marketing audit find?

The published benchmark lists non incremental paid spend (68%), attribution inflation (54%), mispriced offers (47%), retention leaks (41%) and discount habits (34%). Eligible counts and audit level flags are not supplied; categories may overlap. Separately, the lower median annual highlight figure across the 74 published cases is $58,000.

### What is the most common marketing audit finding?

Non incremental paid spend has the highest published prevalence figure, 68%. It means spend credited with conversions the business would have won anyway. The published case highlights do not provide eligible counts or audit level flags to independently reconstruct this percentage.

### How much is a typical marketing audit finding worth?

The lower median published annual highlight figure across 74 cases is $58,000, with a range of $31k to $134k. These figures mix outcome types and measurement periods. They do not establish typical realized profit or cash recovery.

## Your row is not in this table yet.

Find your number in 5 to 7 working days, every finding tied to your own data. $10k to $50k of findings, or your money back.

[Book the audit](/book/) [Book the fit call](/book/call/)

Fixed fee. No retainer. NDA first.

Go deeper

## Read on from the findings

- [The benchmark Where 74 SMB marketing budgets leaked, by share of spend and by industry.](/benchmark/)

- [By industry Nine industries, each with its published cases and the case lower median.](/industries/)

- [Case studies 74 anonymized audits across 9 industries.](/case-studies/)

- [Margin leaks The five leak patterns in depth: what each one is and how an audit finds it.](/margin-leaks/)

- [What an audit costs Three fixed fee tiers from $1,450, each with its own findings floor.](/marketing-audit-cost/)

- [Marketing audit checklist Thirty checks across paid media, attribution, pricing, retention and reporting.](/marketing-audit-checklist/)

- [Where SMB budgets leak The narrative behind this ledger: the five categories, and why most audits carry three at once.](/insights/where-smb-marketing-budgets-leak/)

- [Wasted ad spend, defined The term behind the largest category in this ledger: 22% of audited spend, with the formula and the cases.](/glossary/wasted-ad-spend/)