Facebook Ads Cost Per App Install Benchmarks for Retail

Introduction

Retail app install costs across all countries ran dramatically above the global benchmark and swung hard month to month. The year opened elevated, eased through late spring, spiked intermittently in summer, hit a sharp trough in November–December, then surged to a new high in January 2026. In contrast, the global benchmark moved in a steadier mid-teens band after a June peak.

This analysis is based on $3B worth of advertising data from our dataset, which provides strong directional benchmarks. This analysis explores ad performance trends for Retail in all countries compared to the global benchmark.

Section 1: The story in the data

Cost per app install in Retail started at 143.87 in January 2025 and finished at 211.82 in January 2026, a 47% lift year over year. The period average was 100.82, with a high at 211.82 (January 2026) and a low at 22.89 (November 2025). After an early decline from January to May (143.87 to 84.03), costs popped in June (122.66), cooled in July (87.11), and rose again in August (120.02). September marked a pronounced dip to 56.02, followed by another spike in October (122.44), then the deepest trough in November–December (22.89 to 25.73). The pendulum swung back hard with a 723% jump from December to January 2026.

Volatility was substantial: absolute month-to-month moves averaged 49 points, with the largest swings surrounding the Q4 trough and the January 2026 rebound. By comparison, the global benchmark averaged 13.58 with a far narrower 4.5-point average monthly move, peaking at 23.76 in June and spending much of the year in the low-to-mid teens.

Section 2: Seasonal and monthly dynamics

The rhythm in Retail across all countries showed a high-to-low arc across 2025. Costs faded from January through May, reflecting a cooling period after the new-year lift. Summer was choppy—June’s jump and August’s rebound were punctuated by a notable September dip. Q4 delivered the softest stretch of the year: October briefly elevated before November and December set the annual lows. As often seen in paid social markets, the new calendar year brought a reset, and January 2026 posted the period’s highest cost.

The global series followed a more traditional curve: a steady rise into June, a return to mid-teens levels through Q3 and early Q4, a December dip, and a moderate January uplift.

Section 3: Country vs. Global

Retail’s cost per app install across all countries sat well above market throughout. On average, Retail was about 7.4x the global benchmark (100.82 vs. 13.58). The gap was widest in January 2025 (roughly 20x above) and narrowest during the Q4 trough, when November and December came in 1.6x to 2.5x above global. Even September’s relative low in Retail (56.02) still cleared the global level by about 3.5x. The global path rose into midyear (+235% from January to June) before settling, while Retail’s trajectory was more erratic, ultimately finishing the period higher (+47% Jan-to-Jan) after a deep Q4 reset.

Overall, these Facebook Ads benchmarks underscore that cost per app install for the Retail industry across all countries is structurally higher and more volatile than the all-industry global trend, with the tightest gaps in late Q4 and the widest spreads around year openings and summer spikes.

Understanding Facebook Ads cost-per-app-install benchmarks for the Retail industry across all countries helps marketers interpret country-specific ad costs, compare industry ad performance to the global baseline, and situate CPI alongside broader CPC trends, CPM analysis, and CTR performance patterns.