Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
November 2024 - November 2025
Detailed observation of presented data
Retail advertisers in South Africa saw exceptionally low Facebook Ads cost-per-clicks relative to the global benchmark, but with noticeable swings: a sharp lift in December and July, followed by deep troughs in June and September. The overall arc trends lower across the period, with pronounced mid‑year volatility and a year-ending CPC well below where it started. 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 South Africa compared to the global benchmark.
CPC for Retail in South Africa opened at $0.11 in November 2024 and ended at $0.06 by September 2025, a 42% decline across the observed window. The median hovered at the low end of global norms, averaging $0.14 across eight reported months. The high came in December at $0.22, while the low printed in June at just $0.05, marking a peak‑to‑trough slide of 78%.
Month-to-month movements underscored the choppiness. CPC nearly doubled from November to December (+96%), eased through Q1 from $0.18 in January to $0.13 in March (−40% from December), then fell further to June (−64% from March). July rebounded sharply to $0.21 (+354% from June), before another step down to $0.06 by September (−70% from July). Across transitions, average absolute volatility was 0.085 points per update, reflecting sharper swings than the smoother global pattern.
Seasonal rhythm is clear in the Retail series. Q4 showed the strongest pricing pressure, with December as the local high. Q1 moderated steadily, consistent with post-holiday cooling, and the mid‑year period was soft, bottoming in June. Q3 brought a brief surge in July before a quieter September. Within this cadence, South Africa’s CPC trends exhibit larger amplitude than the broader market, with quick rebounds and equally fast retracements.
Against the global Facebook Ads benchmarks, Retail CPC in South Africa remained consistently below market. On overlapping months, South Africa averaged $0.14 versus the global $1.17, or roughly 88% lower. The gap narrowed most in July (South Africa was 80% below global CPCs) and widened in June (96% below). Month after month, the local series trailed the global benchmark by 80–96%.
The global trend moved more smoothly and generally downward: from $1.46 in November 2024 to $1.04 by September 2025 (−29%), with average month-to-month movement of 0.065 points—less volatile than South Africa’s 0.085. Global highs and lows framed a steady cooling, while South Africa’s profile featured a December and July lift punctuated by a deep mid‑year trough.
In short, Facebook Ads benchmarks for cost per click show Retail in South Africa operating far below global CPC levels, with sharper mid‑year swings and standout inflections in December and July. Understanding these CPC trends—alongside broader CPM analysis and CTR performance context—helps frame country-specific ad costs and industry ad performance for Retail in South Africa versus the global pattern.
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 South Africa, 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 & Day of Goodwill), Mid-year retail (June Youth Day promotions)
CPM and CPC might rise during long weekends like Human Rights Day, Freedom Day, and Heritage Day as leisure and travel-related media consumption increases. Retail CPMs may spike in late November–December for holiday shopping. Youth Day and National Women's Day might drive regional campaigns. Weekend extensions across public holidays may benefit weekend campaigns.
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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