Facebook Ads Cost Per Purchase Benchmarks for Design

Introduction

Design advertising across all countries spent 2025 riding higher and swinging wider than the market. Cost per purchase (CPP) opened unusually low in December at $82.90, then surged into a March–April crest near $490 before easing into Q4, landing at $176.77 in November. Against the global benchmark—steady around the low-$50s—the Design category ran hot throughout the year, averaging roughly 6x above market with materially sharper month-to-month moves. 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 Design in all countries compared to the global benchmark.

The story in the data

Across all countries, Design’s CPP averaged $306 from December to November, with a median near $285. The period’s low came at the very start ($82.90 in December), while the high arrived in March at $489.41, closely followed by April at $482.64. From December to January, CPP jumped by $193, then climbed another $216 by March. The ascent cooled through May ($434.19) and broke lower in June ($243.43), before a mid-year rebound to the mid-$300s in July–August and a step-down into Q4 ($223.90 in October; $176.77 in November).

Volatility was a defining feature: the average absolute month-to-month change was $85, about 28% of the mean—far choppier than the global benchmark’s $1.83 average move (just 4% of its mean). The span from the cycle low to the March peak was about 5.9x. From March’s high to November’s level, CPP fell 64%, yet still finished 113% above December’s starting point.

Seasonal and monthly dynamics

The first half of 2025 was the pricier phase for Design, averaging $380 per purchase (January–June), with a steep Q1 lift culminating in March–April’s peak. Q2 held elevated levels before capitulating in June. The back half (July–November) averaged $278—about 27% softer than H1—characterized by a brief July–August plateau in the mid-$300s, then a progressive Q4 easing toward sub-$200 territory by November. This rhythm aligns with broader platform patterns where performance often softens into late Q4 as competition reshapes auction dynamics, with earlier-year windows exhibiting more aggressive CPP swings.

Country vs. Global

Compared with Facebook Ads benchmarks across all industries globally, Design’s CPP stayed well above market throughout. The global average for December–November was $51.22 versus Design’s $306—nearly six times higher. The gap was narrowest in December (Design +61% vs. global), then widened materially: +420% in January, +400% in February, and roughly +820–830% at the March–April zenith. Even as Design cooled into Q4, the spread remained substantial: +339% in October and +289% in November. While the global trend drifted down modestly from H1 ($52.54) to H2-to-date ($49.57, −6%), Design’s path was more elevated and more volatile, descending from $380 in H1 to $278 in H2-to-date (−27%).

Closing

Taken together, these country-agnostic Facebook Ads benchmarks show Design’s cost per purchase running high and turbulent against a relatively stable global backdrop. Understanding cost-per-purchase benchmarks for the Design industry across all countries helps marketers evaluate country-specific ad costs, compare industry ad performance to global levels, and situate CPP within broader CPC trends, CPM analysis, and CTR performance context.