Facebook Ads Cost Per Lead Benchmarks for E-commerce

Introduction

E-commerce lead costs spent the year on a rollercoaster: expensive in the first half, then cooling sharply and settling below the broader market through year-end. Across all countries, median Cost Per Lead (CPL) for E-commerce averaged $47.27 versus a $40.99 global benchmark for all industries—about 15% higher overall—but that headline masks a decisive midyear pivot. After peaking in February, CPLs fell nearly in half by July and stayed comparatively subdued into Q4, even as the global benchmark climbed into its seasonal high.

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 E-commerce across all countries compared to the global benchmark.

The story in the data

E-commerce CPL opened at $51.68 in January 2025 and ended at $33.66 in January 2026, a 35% decline. The year’s high arrived in February at $67.78, with March and April still elevated ($62.23–$63.60). From there, costs eased: $51.85 in May and $49.48 in June, before a sharp drop to the annual low of $31.90 in July. A modest rebound followed ($38.47 in August, $41.26 in September), and Q4 held in the upper $30s to mid-$40s, with a brief November lift to $47.19.

Across the period, the range spanned $31.90 to $67.78—a 53% spread—with average month-to-month movement of $7.52, about twice the global benchmark’s $3.52. Put simply: E-commerce CPL was not only higher than average early on, it was also more volatile throughout.

Quarterly rhythm underscores the shift. E-commerce averaged $60.56 in Q1 and $54.98 in Q2, then dropped to $37.21 in Q3 and $40.95 in Q4. The trajectory is a clear crest-and-cool pattern, with a midsummer trough and a cautious late-year rebound.

Seasonal and monthly dynamics

Seasonality is visible but asymmetric. While the broader market typically tightens into Q4, E-commerce’s downswing began earlier, bottoming in July and stabilizing in the late summer. October remained muted at $37.88 despite the usual end-of-year pressure, November briefly firmed to $47.19, and December eased back to $37.79 before January 2026 fell again to $33.66. The midyear plunge—from $63.60 in April to $31.90 in July, nearly 50%—was the key inflection that shaped the full-year picture.

E-commerce vs. the global benchmark

Relative positioning flipped midyear. In H1, E-commerce ran far above market (average $57.77 vs. $37.71, +53%), with the widest gap in March (+86% vs. global). From July onward, E-commerce generally sat below market (average $39.08 vs. $45.35, −14%), with the largest underperformance in October (−22%). The gap narrowed to near parity in November (−2.5%) and January 2026 (−2.3%).

The benchmark itself climbed steadily into Q4 (Q1 $36.20 → Q4 $46.48) before cooling in December ($42.24) and January 2026 ($34.46). By contrast, E-commerce trended downward overall, more choppy and roughly 2.1x more volatile than the market.

Closing

Viewed through Facebook Ads benchmarks, the median cost per lead for E-commerce across all countries ran high early, then reset lower and stayed under the global average in the back half of the year. For marketers tracking CPL alongside CPC trends, CPM analysis, and CTR performance, these industry ad performance signals help anchor country-specific ad costs against global patterns—clarifying how E-commerce leads priced relative to the broader market worldwide.