Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
January 2025 - January 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
Retail advertisers in the Netherlands spent the year buying clicks well below global cost levels, yet with sharper ups and downs along the way. CPCs were consistently cheaper than the worldwide benchmark—roughly half the price on average—but the market moved in pronounced waves: a deep trough in February, a dramatic rebound in March, mid-year steadiness, and a Q4 lift capped by a November peak before easing in December. Volatility in the Netherlands was notably higher than the global pattern.
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 the Netherlands compared to the global benchmark.
Retail CPC in the Netherlands started at 0.37 in January and ended at 0.56 in December, a climb of roughly 51% across the year. The annual median averaged 0.54, with the lowest point in February (0.29) and the highest in November (0.78). The single biggest month-to-month swing came between February and March, when CPC jumped from 0.29 to 0.69—an increase of about 140%. After that surge, costs cooled to 0.50–0.49 in April–June, drifted higher through late summer (0.63 in August and 0.64 in September), and reached 0.62 in October before peaking at 0.78 in November and pulling back to 0.56 in December, a 28% month-over-month decline.
Day-to-day stability was not the hallmark here. Average monthly movement in the Netherlands was 0.12 points, about twice the global month-to-month change. That choppiness was concentrated in two windows: the Q1 rebound (February to March) and the late-year whipsaw (October to November up, November to December down).
The rhythm tracks familiar seasonal contours for CPC trends. Q1 opened soft, with February marking the annual floor, followed by a sharp March rebound. The mid-year period from April through July was comparatively steady, holding in a tight 0.44–0.49 band. Momentum returned in late summer and early fall as costs lifted in August and September and held into October. Peak competition in November brought the Dutch retail high for the year, while December eased back as holiday cycles shifted and auction pressure cooled.
Globally, the year also culminated in a November spike, followed by a December drop, a pattern consistent with peak-season demand and year-end budget dynamics.
Relative to the worldwide Facebook Ads benchmarks, the Netherlands ran consistently below market. The Dutch retail average CPC was 0.54 versus a 1.13 global average—about 52% lower. Each month cleared below the global line: the widest gap came in February (about 74% below global), while the narrowest appeared in March (roughly 39% below). Put differently, Dutch CPCs ranged from one-quarter to three-fifths of global levels depending on the month.
Trend direction also diverged. While the global median eased slightly from January to December (−6%), the Netherlands climbed (+51%) over the same period. Volatility differed too: average monthly change was about 0.12 points in the Netherlands versus roughly 0.06 globally, signaling a more reactive local market even as absolute CPCs stayed low. Both series showed a pronounced November spike, but the global swing was especially sharp—up about 17% in October to November, then down 20% into December—mirroring the Dutch late-year whipsaw in smaller magnitude.
Overall, Facebook Ads benchmarks show Retail CPC in the Netherlands remained substantially below global costs, with stronger intra-year swings and a clear Q4 peak. Understanding CPC trends and country-specific ad costs for Retail in the Netherlands helps teams contextualize industry ad performance against the global benchmark and interpret how local CPC dynamics relate to broader CPM analysis and CTR performance 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. For campaigns targeting Netherlands, 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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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.
This dataset updates frequently as new ad data flows in. It will only get bigger and better.
Late November–early December (Black Friday/Cyber Monday), December (Christmas and Boxing Day sales), Spring holidays (April–June tourism)
CPM and CPC might rise during spring holiday cluster when travel and leisure ads see elevated engagement. Liberation Day (May 5) is mandatory national holiday—ad inventory might shrink. Ad competition increases in late December for holiday promotions. Few summer holidays mean more consistent campaign performance through summer.
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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