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February 2025 - February 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
South Africa’s cost-per-purchase story in 2025 played out very differently from the global benchmark: a steady Q1 build, a collapse into mid-year lows, and then a September shock that briefly sent purchase costs to nearly nine times the world average before resetting to one of the lowest readings of the year by December. The pattern is choppy, high-variance, and punctuated by standout months that diverge from familiar seasonal rhythms seen in global Facebook Ads benchmarks. 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 all industries in South Africa compared to the global benchmark.
Across observed months, South Africa’s cost per purchase (CPP) started at 29.08 in January and ended at 4.94 in December, an 83% decrease end to end. The year’s high was an extreme 472.84 in September, while the low was 0.12 in July. The median CPP was 27.93, and the arithmetic average landed at 74.82—pulled upward by the September spike. Excluding September, the average was 25.06, reflecting materially lower, more typical country-specific ad costs.
Key movements:
Volatility was pronounced. Including all observed intervals, average absolute month-to-month movement was about 134 points—vastly higher than the global baseline. Removing the September shock, South Africa’s average step change was still a brisk 26 points, indicating a market with sharp month-to-month swings even outside the outlier.
The global pattern typically drifts from low-50s CPP early in the year toward high-40s by Q4, a gentle softening as competition and auction dynamics evolve. South Africa’s rhythm diverged:
These swings suggest a stop-and-start cadence rather than a smooth seasonal arc.
Against the 2025 global average of roughly 51.65, South Africa’s median CPP (27.93) sat well below market, though the September anomaly lifted the simple average above global. Month by month where comparable:
The narrowest gap appeared in February (South Africa just 10% below global). The widest divergence occurred in September, when South Africa’s CPP jumped to nearly 8.9x the global level. By contrast, the global benchmark was steady, with average monthly movement around 1.6 points and a 2025 range from 47.3 to 54.8.
In sum, Facebook Ads benchmarks for cost per purchase across all industries in South Africa reveal a highly volatile year: low typical costs punctuated by a single, dramatic September spike before ending far below the global level. Understanding cost-per-purchase dynamics for all industries in South Africa helps marketers interpret industry ad performance, compare CTR performance and CPM analysis contextually, and situate country-specific ad costs within broader CPC trends and global benchmarks.
Insights & analysis of Facebook advertising costs
Facebook advertising costs vary based on many factors including industry, target audience, ad placement, and campaign objectives. Different industries see varying ad costs due to market competition, user demographics, and conversion value. For campaigns targeting South Africa, advertisers should consider local market factors and user behavior. Different campaign objectives lead to varying costs based on how Facebook optimizes for your specific goals. The data shown represents median values across multiple campaigns, and individual results may vary based on ad quality, audience targeting, and campaign optimization.
We use the median CTR because the underlying distribution of click-through rates is highly skewed, with a small share of campaigns achieving extremely high CTRs. These outliers can inflate a simple average, making it less representative of what most advertisers actually experience. By using the median—which sits at the midpoint of all campaigns—we provide a more rigorous and realistic benchmark that reflects the true underlying data model and helps you set attainable performance expectations.
Note: This data represents industry median values and benchmarks. Your actual costs may vary based on specific targeting, ad creative quality, and campaign optimization.
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All data is sourced from over $3B in Facebook ad spend, collected across thousands of ad accounts that use Superads daily to analyze and improve their campaigns. Every data point is fully anonymized and aggregated—no individual advertiser is ever exposed.
This dataset updates frequently as new ad data flows in. It will only get bigger and better.
Late November (Black Friday/Cyber Monday), December (Christmas & Day of Goodwill), Mid-year retail (June Youth Day promotions)
CPM and CPC might rise during long weekends like Human Rights Day, Freedom Day, and Heritage Day as leisure and travel-related media consumption increases. Retail CPMs may spike in late November–December for holiday shopping. Youth Day and National Women's Day might drive regional campaigns. Weekend extensions across public holidays may benefit weekend campaigns.
It depends on your product price and margins. Most brands aim for $10 to $50. For higher-ticket products, a higher CPA may be acceptable as long as you're maintaining a strong return on ad spend.
Higher-priced products typically have a higher CPA because people take longer to convert. That's not necessarily a problem if your margin can support it. You should measure CPA in context with AOV and LTV.
Your AOV may be increasing, which helps maintain ROAS even if CPA rises. You could also be facing higher CPMs, lower conversion rates, or creative fatigue.
Manual bidding can help if you're struggling to stay within target CPA. It's best used by experienced advertisers who can monitor performance and adjust regularly. It gives more control, but also requires more effort.
Increase budget gradually, rotate creative often, and avoid overlapping audiences. Scaling too quickly can lead to audience saturation and rising CPAs.
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