Facebook Ads Cost Per Purchase Benchmarks for Design

Introduction

Design advertisers spent the past year on a very different cost curve than the broader market. While the global benchmark for cost per purchase (CPP) stayed remarkably steady around the low-$50s, Design across all countries swung from sub-$100 in late 2024 to nearly $500 at the March crest before easing into fall. The result is a market that was consistently above the global benchmark and markedly more volatile, with Q1–Q2 setting the tone for elevated acquisition costs and a later summer plateau. 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 the Design industry across all countries compared to the global benchmark.

The story in the data

Across all countries, Design CPP averaged about $300 over the 12-month window, ranging from a low of $83 in December to a high of $489 in March. The period opened at $91 in November 2024 and closed at $238 in October 2025—an end-to-end lift of roughly 161%, even after the spring peak cooled.

Momentum was dramatic early in the year: December’s trough ($83) vaulted to $276 in January and $273 in February, then spiked to $489 in March and held near that level in April ($483). Costs moderated through May ($434) and fell sharply into June ($243), effectively halving from the April plateau. A mid-summer rebound took CPP to $343 in July and $352 in August before softening into September ($294) and October ($238). Month-to-month volatility averaged about $81, with the largest jumps in February–March (+$216) and December–January (+$193), and the steepest pullback in May–June (−$191).

Seasonal and monthly dynamics

Seasonality showed a clear rhythm. Q4 2024 was softer for Design (mid-$80s to low-$90s), then acquisition costs escalated sharply across Q1, peaking in March and staying elevated into April. Mid-year brought a decisive correction by June, followed by a late-summer stabilization in a tighter band near the mid-$300s. Early fall eased further: September dipped ~17% from August, and October retreated another ~19% from September, ending the period about 21% below the annual Design average. This pattern contrasts with typical Q4 competitive pressure seen broadly, where CPP usually nudges up but not to the extremes observed in Design’s Q1–Q2 arc.

Country vs. Global

The global benchmark averaged $49, moving within a narrow corridor of $43–$54 across the year. Its month-to-month volatility was minimal—about $2.6 on average—versus Design’s $81, making the Design market roughly 31 times more volatile. Relative to that baseline, Design CPP was higher every month, by a wide margin: the gap was narrowest in December (+66% vs. global) and widest in March–April (+833% to +836%, about 9.3–9.4x the benchmark). On average, Design’s CPP sat around six times the global level. While the global trend was steady with a slight year-over-year uptick (+2%), Design traced a far choppier trajectory—soaring in Q1, easing mid-year, then settling below its own average into fall.

Closing

Facebook Ads benchmarks for cost per purchase show a distinct pattern: the Design industry across all countries operated at materially higher and more variable acquisition costs than the global market, with a Q1–Q2 surge, a mid-year reset, and a gentler landing into Q4. Understanding Facebook Ads cost-per-purchase benchmarks for the Design industry across all countries helps marketers evaluate industry ad performance, country-specific ad costs in aggregate, and how CPP trends compare to global CPM analysis and CTR performance baselines.