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 in France spent the year well below the global benchmark, but with sharper month-to-month movement. The story opens with a steep January trough, rebuilds through mid-year, and culminates in a pronounced Q4 surge that peaks in November before easing into December. The pattern mirrors global seasonality but with deeper early-year dips and a tighter gap to global levels in the back half of the year. 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 France compared to the global benchmark.
Across December 2024 to December 2025, France’s Retail CPC averaged about $0.56, versus a global median near $1.14. The period begins at $0.71 in December 2024, plunges to the yearly low of $0.31 in January, and then climbs unevenly to a $0.84 high in November before settling at $0.70 in December 2025. From the January floor to the November peak, CPC expanded by roughly 169%, highlighting a strong upward arc into Q4. Yet measured December to December, France ended almost flat (−1%), underscoring how the Q4 lift reset quickly into year-end.
Volatility in France was notable. Absolute month-over-month movement averaged about $0.14, or roughly a quarter of the average CPC—more turbulent than the global pattern. Key swings included a sharp drop from December to January (−$0.40), a brisk rebound into March (+$0.25 from February), a steady summer climb, and a sizable jump from October to November (+$0.16), followed by a controlled pullback in December (−$0.14).
The cadence aligns with familiar Retail seasonality in Facebook Ads benchmarks. January marked the softest month for country-specific ad costs in France, with CPCs rebuilding into March and oscillating through spring. Early summer stabilized at the mid-$0.40s, then momentum gathered: August ($0.56) moved into a clearer uptrend through September ($0.65) and October ($0.68), with the annual crest in November ($0.84). December cooled to $0.70—elevated versus mid-year, but off the peak—consistent with competition peaking in November and easing thereafter.
France’s Retail CPCs sat consistently below market. On average, France trailed the global benchmark by about $0.58, or roughly 51%. The gap was widest in January (about 72% below global) and narrowed steadily across the second half. By September and October, France was around 39% below global CPCs; the narrowest differential arrived in November (about 36% below), with December remaining tight at roughly 37% below.
Global CPC trends were steadier: an annual average near $1.14, a mid-year low in September (~$1.07), and the high in November (~$1.32), before easing to $1.12 in December. Absolute month-to-month movement averaged about $0.06 globally—less than half of France’s volatility—indicating that France’s Retail market was more choppy even as it followed the same seasonal beats. Year over year (December to December), the global benchmark declined about 12%, while France finished essentially unchanged, reflecting a relatively stronger finish versus the broader market.
In short, Facebook Ads CPC trends for Retail in France show a low-cost but more volatile market that rebounded strongly into Q4, narrowing the gap to global levels at the peak. Understanding CPC benchmarks for Retail in France—set against the global benchmark—helps marketers interpret country-specific ad costs and industry ad performance over the year.
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. For campaigns targeting France, 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 & post‑Christmas sales), May–June (spring sales)
CPM and CPC might increase during spring holidays when leisure and travel campaigns see higher engagement. Extended 'ponts' (bridge days) in May could create long weekends with lower weekday ad inventory. Late November and December feature steep increases in ad competition. Christmas season may drive peak ad volumes.
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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Cost per lead across different markets
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