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 CPC in Sweden spent most of the year comfortably below the global Facebook Ads benchmarks, but the path wasn’t quiet. The year opened soft, cratered in February, then rebounded sharply in March and climbed into a late‑year high in November before easing into December. Compared with the steady global baseline, Sweden’s month‑to‑month costs were choppier, with the widest gap versus the market in early Q1 and the narrowest in late summer and mid‑Q4.
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 Sweden compared to the global benchmark.
Across 2025, Sweden’s Retail CPC averaged 0.51, ranging from a low of 0.09 in February to a high of 0.75 in November. The year started at 0.27 in January and ended at 0.49 in December—an 83% lift from the opening month, despite a late‑year pullback. Notable movements included a sharp drop into February (−67% vs. January), followed by the year’s biggest rebound in March (+0.46 points, more than 5x February’s level). From April through July, CPC stabilized in a tight band around 0.46–0.49, before stepping up in August (0.70), easing in September (0.59), and peaking in November (0.75). December retraced to 0.49, a −34% decline from the peak.
Volatility in Sweden averaged 0.14 points in absolute month‑to‑month change—over twice the global baseline’s 0.06—underscoring a more reactive cost profile. For context, the global CPC benchmark averaged 1.13 for the year, with far smaller swings most months and a familiar November spike (1.32) followed by a December dip (1.06).
Seasonally, Sweden’s Retail CPC showed two distinct chapters. Q1 was the softest stretch (0.30 average), defined by February’s trough and a March rebound. Q2 held a steady plateau (0.48 average), while Q3 accelerated (0.59 average) as August costs climbed. Q4 was the costliest quarter (0.65 average), with October and November both above 0.68 and a typical December cooldown.
This rhythm broadly echoes platform‑wide dynamics—performance typically softens through Q4 as competition rises, with engagement rebounding in early Q1—but Sweden’s pattern was more pronounced: Q4 costs ran 113% above Q1 locally, versus only a 3% Q4 premium in the global trend.
Sweden’s Retail CPC trailed the global baseline every month, but the gap varied widely. The narrowest differences appeared in August and October, when Sweden ran about 38–39% below the global CPC. The widest gap came in February, when Sweden sat roughly 92% under the market. Through the mid‑year plateau (April–July), Sweden hovered 55–60% below global levels. Overall, Sweden’s yearly average (0.51) was about 55% under the global benchmark (1.13). While the global curve rose gently and predictably (+16% from its July low to November peak), Sweden’s line was choppier, with abrupt trough‑to‑peak shifts and a stronger Q4 lift.
In summary, Facebook Ads CPC trends for the Retail industry in Sweden show low absolute costs versus the global benchmark, higher month‑to‑month volatility, and a pronounced Q4 elevation culminating in a November high. Understanding Facebook Ads cost‑per‑click benchmarks for Retail in Sweden helps contextualize country‑specific ad costs and align industry ad performance with broader global patterns across CPC analysis, CPM analysis context, and CTR performance comparisons.
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 Sweden, 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 is huge), December (Christmas and post-Christmas sales), June (Midsummer seasonal promotions), January (Winter sale season)
CPMs might spike during Black Friday and early December, especially in e‑commerce and fashion. Easter and Midsummer holidays often decrease weekday inventory but increase media usage during long weekends. Midsummer tends to be quiet in retail but active in travel and food sectors. Post-Christmas sales in January still see high digital ad demand.
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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