Facebook Ads Cost Per Lead Benchmarks for Retail

Introduction

Retail’s Facebook Ads cost-per-lead (CPL) spent most of the year running above the global, all‑industry benchmark — and did so with far sharper month-to-month swings. Across all countries, Retail CPL averaged about 57.3, versus 40.1 for the global median, a consistent premium of roughly 43%. The story is one of elevated costs with pronounced momentum: an April surge to the yearly high, a quick Q2 correction, a late-summer rebound, and a dramatic December reset that nearly converged with the market.

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 opened at 61.5 in December 2024 and closed at 32.9 in December 2025 — a 46% year-over-year decline. The period’s high was 75.5 in April; the low was 32.9 in December, putting the total range at 42.6 points. The yearly average landed at 57.3.

The first half was defined by sharp moves. After dipping to 50.7 in January, CPL jumped to 62.7 in February and climbed again to 61.1 in March, then spiked to the April peak of 75.5. That was followed by a two-month reversal: down to 62.8 in May and 46.9 in June — a 38% swing from the April high to the June trough. The summer rebound carried CPL back to 63.1 in August before easing to a stable band around 60 through October. The final stretch softened: 54.7 in November and a steep drop to 32.9 in December, the largest one-month decline of the year (−21.8 points).

Volatility was a defining trait. Retail’s average monthly absolute change was 9.5 points, more than double the global benchmark’s 3.9, signaling a choppier path despite broadly similar year-end direction.

Seasonal and monthly dynamics

• Early-year rhythm: a January pullback followed by an acceleration into March and an April crest.
• Q2 whiplash: a rapid normalization from April’s peak to a June low.
• Late-summer lift: renewed efficiency pressure in July–August, then a near-plateau in September–October.
• Year-end reset: both series stepped down into November and posted their sharpest decline in December, when CPLs fell to their lowest levels of the year.

This pattern reflects a year that blended peak‑season inflation (spring and late summer) with notable Q4 softening in the closing weeks.

Country vs. Global

Retail CPL ran above market every month. The premium ranged from roughly 15% to 104% across most of the year, narrowing to just 1% in December (32.9 vs. 32.5). The gap was widest in April, when Retail’s 75.5 was more than double the global 37.0. By contrast, June marked one of the tighter spreads (46.9 vs. 40.6, +15%).

The global benchmark traced a smoother arc: from 34.9 in January to a high of 48.4 in October (+39%), before dropping to 32.5 in December. Retail moved more dramatically — surging to April, correcting into June, stabilizing in early Q4, and then unwinding sharply at year end.

Closing

As a read on Facebook Ads benchmarks, these CPL trends show Retail across all countries running structurally above the global median with materially higher volatility, peaking in April and closing the year near parity. Understanding cost‑per‑lead benchmarks for the Retail industry across all countries helps teams interpret country‑specific ad costs, CPL trends, and how performance compares to the broader global pattern.