Understand how your CPM compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
July 2025 - July 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
Retail CPMs ran persistently below the broader market across this 13‑month window, with a late‑year spike followed by a steep holiday drop and a spring rebound. 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 available compared to the global benchmark.
At the outset (July 2025) Retail CPM sat at about $15.29 per thousand impressions and closed the series in July 2026 near $15.18 — effectively flat year‑over‑year (−0.7%). Across the period the Retail median CPM averaged roughly $16.6, with a low of $13.49 in December 2025 and a peak of $21.68 in November 2025. By contrast the global benchmark averaged about $20.6 CPM, ranging from $16.47 to $24.26.
Retail therefore ran ~19% below the global CPM on average. Volatility for Retail measured about $2.23 per month (standard deviation), or roughly 13.4% of its mean, versus the global benchmark’s monthly volatility near $2.15 (≈10.4% of its mean) — Retail was modestly more choppy month to month.
Two months demand attention: November 2025 produced a clear lift — Retail climbed to $21.68 (up sharply from $16.79 in October), tracking the global bump to $24.26. That lift was followed by a dramatic decline into December: Retail dropped ~38% month‑over‑month to $13.49, a much larger swing than the global drop (~17%). The spring of 2026 showed a staged rebound: Retail rose from $14.72 in February to $19.29 in May before easing into June and July.
The rhythm is familiar: a Q4 peak in November, a pronounced December trough for Retail, then a recovery through Q1 into late spring. Retail’s November lift and December collapse create a wider intra‑year range (about $8.2) than many months suggest, while the global market’s peak and trough are both higher in absolute terms but slightly narrower in relative swing. May and April 2026 mark the period of sustained lift after winter softness, with Retail following the broader CPM climb but remaining below market levels.
Across every month in this series, Retail CPMs were below the global benchmark — from a narrowest gap in July 2026 (Retail ~15.18 vs global ~16.47, ~8% below) to the widest gap in December 2025 (~33% below). The global baseline shows steadier percentage changes; Retail shows sharper spikes and drops, particularly around the Q4–Q1 transition, making it the more volatile of the two series.
Understanding CPM (cost per thousand impressions) benchmarks for Retail across All countries available contributes to a clear picture of Facebook Ads benchmarks, CPM analysis, CPC trends, CTR performance, country-specific ad costs, and broader industry ad performance comparisons.
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.
This dataset updates frequently as new ad data flows in. It will only get bigger and better.
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:
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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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