Facebook Ads Cost Per Lead Benchmarks for Retail

Introduction

Retail lead costs ran hotter than the market for most of the period, with a pronounced spring surge, a soft late summer, and an unusually deep December trough before a partial January rebound. Across all countries, Retail’s cost per lead (CPL) averaged about $56, consistently above the global all‑industry benchmark near $41. Volatility was the other standout: Retail swung roughly $10 month to month versus about $3.5 globally, making the category more momentum‑driven and choppier than the market baseline. 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 across all countries compared to the global benchmark.

The story in the data

Retail CPL started at $50.76 in January 2025 and ended at $44.61 in January 2026, a 12% net decline. The year’s high hit in April at $75.57, while the low arrived in December at $30.85. The average across the 13 months was $56.10, spanning a wide range of $44.72—about 80% of the category’s own average.

The narrative moved in clear beats. Early momentum lifted CPL from $50.76 in January to $63.34 in February, holding elevated through March ($61.42) and peaking in April ($75.57). Costs eased into June ($47.06), rebounded in late summer (August $63.36, September $61.50), then gradually declined in October ($59.77) and November ($54.75) before a sharp December dip to $30.85—the largest single‑month drop (−$23.91). January 2026 rebounded to $44.61 (+$13.76 month over month) but remained below the annual average. Retail’s average monthly move was about $10, signaling sharper swings than the market.

Seasonal and monthly dynamics

Seasonally, Retail’s CPL ran higher through H1, averaging roughly $60 in Q1 and $62 in Q2, before settling to $59 in Q3 and easing further to about $48 in Q4. The category’s cadence showed a classic spring spike, softer mid‑year, and pronounced year‑end discounting effects visible in December’s trough, followed by a modest January recovery. Performance typically softens through Q4 as competition rises, with engagement rebounding in early Q1; here, December marked the clear low point in the Retail cycle.

Country vs. Global

Compared to the global benchmark, Retail was consistently above market—by 15–60% in most months—with two notable outliers: April’s peak ran about 102% above global levels, while December flipped below the market by 27%. The narrowest positive gaps appeared in June (+14%) and November (+13%). On average, Retail CPL was about 37% higher than the global all‑industry benchmark ($56 vs. $41). The global trend rose steadily into early Q4 and then cooled, while Retail traced a choppier arc: a strong spring lift, mid‑year oscillation, and a steeper year‑end drop.

Closing

Facebook Ads benchmarks for cost per lead show Retail across all countries as a higher‑cost, more volatile segment than the global average—marked by an April peak, a late‑year slide, and a sharp December low with a partial January rebound. Understanding CPL trends and industry ad performance for Retail globally helps contextualize country‑specific ad costs and compare results to broader market patterns.