Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
November 2024 - November 2025
Detailed observation of presented data
E-commerce CPC in South Africa ran well below the global benchmark for most of the year, but with a clear mid-year lift that reshaped the narrative. Costs started modest in late 2024, dipped through early Q1, then surged from May onward, peaking in August before easing into Q4. The market was notably more volatile than the global trend, with sharper month-to-month moves and a wider range between highs and lows.
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 E-commerce in South Africa compared to the global benchmark.
Cost-per-click for E-commerce in South Africa averaged 0.41 across November 2024 to October 2025, ranging from a low of 0.19 in February to a high of 0.72 in August. The period opened at 0.22 in November 2024 and closed at 0.52 in October 2025, a +135% rise end-to-end. The mid-year shift was decisive: the April-to-May jump (+0.455) marked the largest single-month increase, followed by another strong lift in July-to-August (+0.212). Declines were comparatively smaller but frequent in late Q3 and Q4, with the steepest drop from May to June (−0.186).
On average, monthly volatility (absolute month-over-month change) measured 0.12 points—more than double the global benchmark’s 0.05—signaling a choppier local cost environment. The first six months (Nov–Apr) averaged 0.23, while the May–Oct period averaged 0.59, more than 2.5x higher. Overall, the market expanded from a soft start to a mid-year high before settling back, but still finishing above where it began.
The pattern shows a classic early-year trough: CPC softened through January (0.23) and February (0.19), edged up slightly in March–April (0.22–0.23), then pivoted sharply higher in May (0.68). The May–August window was the strongest stretch of the year, culminating at 0.72 in August. From there, CPC cooled into September (0.64) and October (0.52), consistent with a gradual Q4 normalization after summer peaks.
Global seasonality contrasted with South Africa’s mid-year spike. The global median CPC was highest at the start of the period (1.46 in November 2024) and generally trended down through September 2025 (1.04), before a mild lift into October (1.05).
South Africa’s E-commerce CPC averaged 0.41 versus a 1.14 global median over the same months—about 64% below global levels. The gap narrowed as the year progressed:
Across the year, South Africa remained below market but with a much steeper trajectory (+135% vs. the global −28%). The local range was broader (0.19–0.72, nearly 3.9x from trough to peak) versus global’s tighter band (1.04–1.46, about 1.4x), reinforcing that South Africa’s E-commerce CPC trend was both lower and more volatile.
Understanding Facebook Ads benchmarks for cost-per-click reveals a clear story: E-commerce CPC in South Africa stayed well under the global average, surged mid-year, and finished elevated relative to its start. These CPC trends highlight country-specific ad costs and year-round rhythm, helping teams benchmark E-commerce industry ad performance in South Africa against global patterns.
Insights & analysis of Facebook advertising costs
Cost Per Click (CPC) is the amount advertisers pay each time a user clicks on their Facebook ad. In the E-commerce industry, Facebook ad costs can be varied, with peaks during holiday seasons and competitive product categories. 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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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.
CPC (Cost Per Click) is what you pay each time someone clicks on your ad, on any Facebook Ads placement. It's calculated by dividing your total spend by the number of clicks received. Facebook Ads lists Clicks, Link Clicks and Outbound Clicks separately. The former is the sum of all types of clicks (including, for example, clicks to your profile page, to a link or to a comment).
The truth is that varies, so play with our tool to get some benchmarks that are relevant to you. CPC values are highly dependent on the region, industry and campaign objective. The US is one of the most expensive markets.
Several factors affect CPC: your audience targeting, competition in your industry, ad relevance score, and creative performance. If your ad isn't getting engagement or relevance is low, CPC tends to spike.
CPC spikes usually happen because of increased competition in your target audience, seasonal trends (like holidays), poor ad relevance scores, or algorithm changes. Check if your audience targeting has become too narrow or if your creative is showing fatigue.
Yes, there's a noticeable difference between platforms. Mobile CPCs often run lower than desktop. How many times do check Instagram on your phone and how often do you open it in your computer? There's simply much more mobile inventory. Tip: segment your performance data by placement to understand where your clicks are coming from. Spoiler: it's likely all mobile.
For most businesses, optimizing for conversions will deliver much better ROI than focusing purely on CPC. A low CPC is meaningless if those clicks don't convert. However, if you're running awareness campaigns or some kind content promotion, CPC optimization might potentially make sense, although most experts have switched to conversion optimization by now.
Your specific audience targeting, creative quality, bidding strategy, and account history all influence your CPC. Industry averages provide a reference point, but your historical performance is a more reliable benchmark for setting expectations and measuring improvement.
Instagram CPCs are generally slightly higher due to stronger purchase intent and higher competition among advertisers. But it depends on the audience and creative.
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