Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
July 2025 - July 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
Retail cost-per-click (CPC) trended below the global benchmark for most of the 13-month window but carried distinct momentum swings: a fall-to-rebound arc around the year-end and a gradual lift into mid-2026. 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 in All countries available compared to the global benchmark.
Retail CPC started at $0.78 in July 2025 and finished at $0.87 in July 2026 — a net rise of roughly 11%. Across the period the Retail median CPC averaged about $0.86, ranging from a low of $0.65 (December 2025) to a peak of $1.12 (November 2025). That is an absolute range of roughly $0.47, representing a peak-to-trough swing near 73% when measured off the low point.
Monthly momentum shows a steady climb from summer into a November 2025 spike (+$0.24 from October), followed by the sharpest single-month drop in the series (−$0.47 into December). After December’s trough the market recovered gradually: January held near $0.67, then a steady ascent through spring into a secondary high of about $1.01 in June 2026 before easing back to $0.87 in July 2026. Average month-to-month absolute movement was roughly $0.11, reflecting meaningful month-level volatility.
Seasonal rhythm is evident: late autumn produced the highest point (November) before an abrupt December decline. The year-end swing is the standout seasonal dynamic — a pronounced spike into November, then a rapid readjustment in December, followed by a multi-month rebound through Q1 and Q2 of 2026. The mid-year period (April–June 2026) shows more sustained uplift, while the final month in the series trimmed some of that gains.
Against the baseline (global) benchmark, Retail CPC in All countries available ran lower the majority of months. The global median averaged about $1.05 over the same interval, meaning Retail’s $0.86 median sat roughly 17–18% below the global level on average. Monthly gaps narrowed through early 2026: the Retail-to-global gap went from about 27–35% below in several winter months to roughly 9–10% below by May–June 2026. Notably, July 2026 inverted that trend — Retail CPC (~$0.87) exceeded the global July baseline (~$0.77) by about 13%. Volatility in Retail (average monthly abs. change ≈ $0.11) was modestly higher than the baseline’s month-to-month movement (~$0.10), indicating slightly choppier behavior relative to the global mix.
Understanding Facebook Ads benchmarks, CPC trends, and CPM analysis in the context of industry ad performance and country-specific ad costs for Retail in All countries available clarifies how seasonal spikes, holiday adjustments, and market-specific volatility shape cost-per-click dynamics.
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
Average cost per purchase benchmarks across industries
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