Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
December 2024 - December 2025
Detailed observation of presented data
Retail CPC across all countries spent most of the year comfortably below the global benchmark, but with sharper seasonal swings. Costs drifted down through mid‑year, hit a clear summer trough, then surged into November before cooling in December. The result: consistently cheaper clicks than the all‑industry global average, yet with more pronounced month‑to‑month movement and a steeper Q4 spike than the broader market.
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 Retail across all countries compared to the global benchmark.
Retail CPC averaged $0.88 across the period, starting at $0.93 in December 2024 and ending at $0.89 in December 2025 (−4% from start to finish). The low came in July at $0.76, followed by a climb to a November high of $1.13 before a December pullback. From the July trough to the November peak, retail CPC jumped nearly 50%, underscoring holiday‑season pressure on costs.
The path wasn’t linear. Early 2025 softened: January ($0.87) slipped to March ($0.81). April stabilized near $0.87, and costs hovered in the mid‑$0.80s through June. July marked the sharpest monthly drop (−11% vs. June), followed by a rebound in August and September. The fourth quarter reaccelerated: October rose to $0.90, November spiked 26% month over month to $1.13, then December eased 21% to $0.89—still slightly above the annual average.
Volatility was notable. The average absolute monthly move was about $0.08, or roughly 9% of the mean—larger swings than the global benchmark.
Seasonality was clear in the quarterly rhythm:
This arc mirrors typical Retail patterns within Facebook Ads benchmarks: softer midsummer CPC trends, then firmer pricing into late Q4 as competition intensifies, with some relief after peak shopping weeks.
Relative to the global all‑industry benchmark, Retail across all countries was cheaper throughout. The retail average CPC ($0.88) trailed the global average ($1.14) by about 23%. The gap was widest in March and July (roughly 29–30% below global) and narrowest in November (about 14% below), indicating that retail CPCs “caught up” somewhat during peak season. Month by month, retail CPCs typically sat 18–30% under global levels.
The global series followed a smoother curve: a $1.14 average, a September low of $1.06, and a November high of $1.31. Its average monthly move was around $0.07 (about 6% of the mean), making Retail across all countries more volatile than the broader market. Notably, from July to November, retail CPC rose about 49% versus a 22% rise globally, pointing to a steeper seasonal lift within industry ad performance.
In short, Facebook Ads CPC benchmarks for Retail across all countries show a consistently lower cost profile than the global all‑industry average, with deeper summer softness and a sharper Q4 spike. Understanding these CPC trends—within the broader context of Facebook Ads benchmarks alongside CPM analysis and CTR performance—helps frame country‑specific ad costs and compare Retail’s seasonal pacing to 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 Retail industry, Facebook ad costs can be influenced by seasonal trends and market competition. Geographic targeting affects ad costs based on market competition and user engagement in different regions. 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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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.
Discover detailed cost benchmarks for different Facebook advertising metrics:
Average cost per click benchmarks across industries
Cost per thousand impressions across different markets
Benchmark click-through rates for Facebook ads
Cost per lead across different markets
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