Facebook Ads Cost Per Lead Benchmarks for Wine and Spirits

Introduction

Across all countries, Wine and Spirits lead costs moved on a different rhythm than the market. The category generally ran cheaper than the global Facebook Ads benchmark but with far sharper swings: a dramatic spike to $122.73 per lead in January gave way to deep troughs in March, June, and December. Brief surges in late summer interrupted an otherwise choppy year, ending with December at just $6.08. By comparison, the global median moved in a tighter band, peaking in early Q4 and easing into year‑end.

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 Wine and Spirits across all countries compared to the global benchmark.

The story in the data

• Starting point: $32.45 CPL in December 2024. Ending point: $6.08 in December 2025, an 81% year‑over‑year decrease.
• Full‑period average (Dec ’24–Dec ’25): $35.33 for Wine and Spirits versus $40.06 globally (about 12% lower).
• Highs and lows: the category peaked at $122.73 in January and bottomed at $4.91 in June. That’s a 118‑point range. The global range was far tighter ($32.53–$48.41).
• Volatility: month‑to‑month movement averaged 35.4 points for Wine and Spirits—roughly equal to the category’s average CPL—versus just 3.9 points for the global benchmark (about 9x more volatile).

The year unfolded in distinct waves. After the January spike, CPL fell 86% into February and another 71% into March ($4.96). April–May stabilized around the mid‑$30s, then June dipped to the year’s low ($4.91). A mid‑summer rally lifted CPL to $66.13 in August and $55.70 in September before sliding to $22.96 in October, rebounding to $41.17 in November, and collapsing to $6.08 in December.

Seasonal and monthly dynamics

• Q1: Elevated primarily by January’s surge; average $48.21. The quarter closed with March at one of the year’s lowest points.
• Q2: Softer overall; average $24.68, with a pronounced June trough.
• Q3: Rebound; average $45.99, led by August–September strength.
• Q4: Uneven; average $23.40, with a steep drop into December despite typical end‑of‑year competitive pressure seen elsewhere.

By contrast, the global benchmark followed a steadier seasonal arc: Q1 at $35.94, a gradual climb through Q2–Q3 (peaking at $48.41 in October), and a controlled cool‑off into December ($32.53).

Country vs. Global

Wine and Spirits across all countries underperformed the global benchmark in roughly three‑quarters of months, averaging 11–12% below market for 2025 ($35.57 vs. $40.19). The gap narrowed to just 6% below in April, widened to 88% below in June, and flipped above market during three moments: January (+252%), August (+54%), and September (+16%). Where the global trend rose steadily (+16% from Q1 to Q3), the category’s trajectory was markedly choppier (from a January peak to a March–June trough, then a late‑summer rebound and a December slide). The volatility profile was the clearest separator: Wine and Spirits CPLs moved about nine times more month‑to‑month than the global Facebook Ads benchmark.

Closing

Facebook Ads benchmarks for cost per lead in Wine and Spirits across all countries show a market that tends to run below all‑industry costs but with far greater variability—punctuated by a January spike, late‑summer lift, and a sharp December low. Understanding cost‑per‑lead trends for Wine and Spirits across all countries helps teams evaluate industry ad performance against global patterns and assess country‑specific ad costs within a broader CPM and CTR performance context.