Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
June 2025 - June 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
Retail cost-per-click (CPC) in All countries ran consistently below the global benchmark over the 12-month window, but the two series told different stories about seasonality and swing. Retail CPC averaged about $0.84 versus a global benchmark near $1.06, showed a dramatic trough in December, then staged a steady rebound into spring. 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 compared to the global benchmark.
Retail CPC started June 2025 at $0.86 and finished May 2026 at $0.96 — a roughly 12% lift from start to finish. Across the year Retail CPC averaged $0.84, ranging from a high of $1.11 in November 2025 to a low of $0.65 in December 2025. Month-to-month movement was meaningful: the single largest fall was the November→December drop of about $0.46 (roughly −42%), and the subsequent rise from the December trough to May was about $0.31 (+48%). On average Retail CPC moved by roughly $0.11 month-to-month, reflecting material short-term volatility for a cost metric.
The global baseline ran higher and flatter: the overlapping 12‑month global median averaged about $1.06, peaked at $1.29 in November, and troughed around $0.92 in January. Baseline month-to-month changes averaged roughly $0.07 — noticeably smoother than Retail’s pattern.
Both Retail and the global benchmark showed a November peak that aligns with heightened seasonal competition, but they diverged in December. Global CPC eased from the November peak to about $1.01 in December, a moderate decline. Retail, by contrast, plunged to its lowest level in December ($0.65) before rebounding through Q1 and into spring. The Retail rhythm reads as peak in November, sharp trough in December, then progressive recovery — a more jagged seasonal profile than the global curve, which displayed a pronounced November spike followed by a milder contraction and rebound.
Q1 dynamics showed steady lift in Retail: January stabilized near $0.67, February ticked to $0.74, and March returned to the mid‑$0.80s, continuing up into April–May near $0.95–$0.96.
Across the period Retail CPC in All countries ran below the global benchmark in every month. The average gap was roughly $0.22 per click — about 21% lower than the global median. The percent gap varied: narrowest in April–May (about 10–11% below global), and widest in December when Retail sat ~36% below the baseline. In volatility terms, Retail’s month-to-month moves (~$0.11) were roughly 50% larger than the global series (~$0.07), signaling a more choppy cost environment for Retail CPC across All countries.
This overview of Facebook Ads benchmarks for cost-per-click (CPC) shows Retail in All countries running below global CPC trends, with a pronounced November peak, a deep December trough, and a multi-month rebound into spring. Understanding Retail CPC trends and country-specific ad costs for All countries provides a clear comparison to broader CPC trends and CPM analysis across the market.
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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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.
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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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