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 Norway ran markedly below global Facebook Ads benchmarks for cost-per-click throughout the period, but with sharper month-to-month swings. The 13‑month view shows a low-cost environment punctuated by a pronounced Q4 spike and a dramatic late‑December reset. Against the steadier global trend, Norway’s CPC trends look choppier, with quick lifts and abrupt declines.
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 Norway compared to the global benchmark.
Looking at monthly median CPCs, Norway closed 2024 at $0.34 (December 2024), then started 2025 at $0.16 and ended at $0.08 — a 47% drop from January to December 2025 and roughly 75% lower year over year versus December 2024. Across 2025, Norway’s Retail CPC averaged $0.37, with a low of $0.05 in February and a high of $0.84 in November. That peak-to-trough amplitude was nearly 16x, underscoring the market’s volatility.
Key movements punctuate the year. February fell 69% from January before a sharp rebound in March (+855% month over month). The middle of the year settled into a tighter band: April to August mostly hovered between $0.30 and $0.49, with only marginal movement in July–August (−0.4% MoM). The biggest lift came in early Q4: October jumped 216% from September to $0.73, November added another 14% to $0.84, and December reset to $0.08 (−90% MoM). Average absolute month-to-month change in 2025 was $0.21, highlighting pronounced swings.
Globally, the same period averaged $1.12 CPC, with a low in December ($1.05) and a high in November ($1.30). The global monthly swing averaged $0.06, far smoother than Norway’s trajectory.
Seasonality is evident on both views. For Norway, Q1 was soft ($0.23 average), Q2 firmed ($0.37), Q3 eased slightly ($0.33), and Q4 was the strongest on average ($0.55) despite the late‑December cool‑off. The rhythm shows a spring rebound, a mid‑year plateau, and an autumn surge centered on October–November.
The global pattern echoed typical Retail seasonality: a steady Q1–Q3 drift (averages of $1.13, $1.12, and $1.08 respectively) followed by a Q4 lift to $1.15, peaking in November before easing in December.
Relative to the global benchmark, Norway’s Retail CPC was consistently below market. On average in 2025, Norway sat around $0.37 versus the global $1.12 — roughly 67% lower. The gap was widest in February (about 96% below global levels) and narrowest in October (about 33% below). October–November marked Norway’s closest alignment to global CPCs, while December re‑widened the spread (about 92% below). Volatility was also more pronounced: Norway’s average monthly move ($0.21) was roughly 3.5x the global swing ($0.06).
December year over year underscores the divergence in momentum: Norway fell from $0.34 (Dec ’24) to $0.08 (Dec ’25), while the global benchmark eased from $1.28 to $1.05.
Taken together, these Facebook Ads benchmarks show Retail CPC trends in Norway running structurally lower than global levels but with sharper seasonal surges and resets. Understanding cost-per-click performance for Retail in Norway — and how it diverges from the global industry ad performance — helps frame country-specific ad costs and contextualize CPC benchmarks across markets.
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 Norway, 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.
Improve your Facebook ad performance
• Instant performance insights – See which ads, audiences, and creatives drive results.
• Data-driven creative decisions – Spot patterns to improve ROAS.
• Effortless reporting – No spreadsheets, just clear insights.
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 (Black Friday/Singles Day), December (Christmas & post‑Christmas sales), Spring holiday period (April–May travel and tourism)
CPM and CPC could rise during Easter and Ascension when Norwegians travel or spend time on leisure. Constitution Day (May 17) is widely celebrated—media activity may increase and ad competition could intensify. Most public holidays result in shop closures; ad inventory may shrink during holidays. Pentecost weekend may reduce weekday competition.
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
See how much it costs to get users to install an app