Compare CPM benchmarks by industry, region, and campaign type.
October 2025 - September 2026
Benchmark observations based on the selected 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.
Facebook advertising cost benchmarks
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 through regional competition and user engagement. Campaign objectives affect costs because Facebook optimizes delivery for different goals. The data shows median values across multiple campaigns. Results can vary with ad quality, audience targeting, and campaign optimization.
A small share of campaigns has extremely high CPM values. Those outliers can inflate an average. The median is the midpoint across campaigns, so it better represents a typical result.
The data shows industry median benchmarks. Costs can vary with targeting, creative quality, and campaign optimization.
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The dataset includes over $3B in Facebook ad spend from thousands of ad accounts that use Superads to analyze and improve campaigns. Every data point is anonymized and aggregated. It does not expose an individual advertiser.
The dataset updates as new ad data is available.
Competition, seasonality, audience size, and ad quality affect CPM. Q4 can cost more. Smaller audiences and lower relevance scores often lead to higher CPMs.
Campaign objectives, bidding strategies, and time of day can change CPM. Conversion campaigns usually have higher CPMs than traffic campaigns, while broad targeting tends to 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.
Audience size and targeting both matter. Audience quality, including intent and fit with your offer, usually has more impact than size. Extremely tight audiences can raise CPM because delivery opportunities are limited.
Use CPM for awareness campaigns and CPC or CPA for performance campaigns. A high CPM can increase costs across the funnel.
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