Facebook Ads Cost Per Lead Benchmarks for Retail in Canada

Facebook Ads cost-per-lead benchmarks: Retail in Canada vs. global

This analysis looks at cost per lead (CPL) trends for industry Retail and target country Canada compared to the global trend. The analysis is based on $3B worth of advertising data from our dataset, which provides strong directional benchmarks.

• Retail in Canada ran above market overall: average CPL of 64.02 versus the global 36.04 (+78% or ~1.78x), with 9 of 12 months priced above the global median.
• Volatility was high in Canada (average month‑to‑month absolute change: 54.5%) versus steadier global movements (13.3%).
• Seasonal patterns stand out: elevated CPL in Q4 and early Q1 (peak in February), followed by a pronounced summer trough (June–July), then a sharp rebound into September.
• From the first to the last month, Canada declined 27.5% (October to September), while the global series declined 33.7% over the same window.

Retail in Canada: monthly CPL highlights

• Average CPL: 64.02 across the last 12 months.
• High and low:
• High: 100.63 in February.
• Low: 11.39 in July.
• Range: 89.24.
• Trend from first to last month: 98.57 in October to 71.46 in September (−27.5%).
• Volatility:
• Average month-to-month absolute change: 54.5%.
• Notable swings:
• −42.0% from October to November, then +53.2% into December.
• +32.3% into February (the annual peak), then −16.4% in March.
• A steep slide into summer: −43.8% April→May and −69.4% May→June.
• Mid‑summer trough: June (14.80) and July (11.39), then sharp rebounds of +182% (July→August) and +122% (August→September).

Seasonality: CPLs were elevated around late Q4 and early Q1 (October, December, February), dipped materially in early summer (June–July), and surged back ahead of fall activity by September.

Canada vs. global baseline

• Overall level: Canada’s average CPL (64.02) was about 78% above the global average (36.04).
• Highs and lows:
• Canada peaked at 100.63 (February); global peaked at 41.58 (November).
• Canada’s low was 11.39 (July); global low was 20.63 (September).
• Months above/below market:
• Above market in 9 months (October–May and September).
• Below market in 3 months (June–August), aligning with the Canadian summer trough.
• Volatility:
• Canada: 54.5% average absolute month-to-month change; large swings around summer and late summer rebounds.
• Global: 13.3% average absolute change; steadier through most of the year with a sharp drop in September (−44.3% month over month).
• Directional change:
• Canada: −27.5% from October to September.
• Global: −33.7% from October to September.
• Seasonality vs. global:
• Global CPLs were relatively stable mid‑year and typically tick up in late Q4, then fell sharply in September.
• Canada showed stronger Q4/Q1 elevation and a deeper early‑summer dip before rebounding heading into fall.

Understanding cost-per-lead benchmarks on Facebook Ads in industry Retail and Canada helps advertisers make more efficient budget and creative choices.