Understand how your CPM compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
February 2025 - February 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
Retail CPMs spent the year consistently below the global benchmark, with a classic holiday spike and an even sharper reset to start the new year. Across all countries, Retail cost per thousand impressions averaged $15.72 from January 2025 through January 2026, roughly 21% under the all-industry global average of $19.81. The story is one of steady mid-year firmness, a pronounced November lift, and a steep December–January cool-down that widened the gap versus the market.
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 CPM opened 2025 at $14.70 and closed January 2026 at $11.66, a 21% decline year over year. The series averaged $15.72, ranging from a high of $21.45 in November 2025 to a low of $11.66 in January 2026—a $9.80 span.
Momentum built through spring and late summer: $15.89 in April, a small plateau in June–July around $15.03–$15.33, then an August lift to $16.37. The standout surge came in Q4: $17.49 in October followed by $21.45 in November (+23% month over month). That peak quickly gave way to a December pullback to $16.23 (−24% from November), followed by a deeper reset in January 2026 to $11.66 (−28% from December).
Volatility averaged 1.82 CPM points month to month—sharper swings than the global benchmark’s 1.63-point average.
The rhythm followed familiar patterns for Facebook Ads benchmarks in Retail across all countries: softer early-year pricing, firmer spring levels, a mid-year holding pattern, and a clear Q4 premium. The November peak stands out as the year’s costliest moment, consistent with heightened competition around peak retail demand. After that crest, CPMs cooled notably in December and reset materially in January, giving the full period a sawtooth finish despite otherwise measured moves through most of 2025.
Retail CPMs remained below market each month. On average, Retail trailed the global benchmark by about 21% ($15.72 vs. $19.81). The gap was narrowest in April (−14%) and November (−15%), and widest in December and January 2026 (both −26%). The global series also peaked in November ($25.22) but held higher levels into December ($22.04), while Retail corrected more sharply ($16.23). Over the full span, global CPMs fell 11% (January 2025 to January 2026), compared with Retail’s 21% decline—indicating a choppier Retail trajectory. Q4 underscores this difference: Retail averaged $18.39 across October–December versus the global $22.98.
In sum, CPM analysis shows Retail Facebook Ads benchmarks across all countries came in below the global all-industry baseline, with a pronounced November spike and a sharper-than-market year-end correction. Understanding Facebook Ads CPM benchmarks for the Retail industry across all countries provides a clear view of country-specific ad costs and industry ad performance relative to global CPM trends.
Insights & analysis of Facebook advertising costs
Cost Per Mille (CPM) is the cost advertisers pay for 1,000 impressions of 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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CPMs are heavily influenced by competition, seasonality (e.g., Q4 costs more), audience size, and ad quality. Smaller audiences and lower relevance scores often lead to higher CPMs.
Different campaign objectives, bidding strategies, and even time of day can change your CPM. For example, conversion campaigns usually have higher CPMs than traffic ones. Also, broad targeting tends to drive lower CPMs.
In most industries, CPMs range from $5 to $18 depending on the region and objective. Retail and e-comm campaigns often sit at the higher end. Our live data above shows a breakdown by country and industry.
Both matter, but audience quality (intent + match with your offer) usually has more impact than pure size. However, extremely tight audiences often lead to expensive CPMs due to limited delivery opportunities.
Depends on your goal. For awareness, CPM is more relevant. For performance campaigns, CPC and CPA matter more. But all are connected—inefficient CPMs can inflate your entire funnel.
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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