See how your CTR stacks up. Explore industry, regional, and campaign-type benchmarks with Superads.
January 2025 - January 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
Retail’s Facebook Ads CTR performance ran consistently above the all‑industry market in 2025, with a steadier climb through the first half, a brief late‑summer slip, and a decisive Q4 surge. Across all countries, Retail CTR averaged 2.02% versus the 1.84% global benchmark, starting at 1.88% in January and closing at a year‑high 2.33% in December. The most notable move was a September dip followed by a strong rebound into peak season. Volatility was also higher than the market, with sharper monthly swings and a wider late‑year lift.
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 across all countries compared to the global benchmark.
Retail CTR opened at 1.88% in January and ended at 2.33% in December, a 24% rise over the year. The average landed at 2.02%, with a low of 1.88% (January) and the high in December (2.33%), a 0.45‑point spread. Early momentum built gradually: 1.89% in February and 1.99% in March marked the first lift, followed by a quiet plateau around 1.92–1.96% from April through June. Summer broke higher—2.11% in July and 2.12% in August—before a sharp September cooldown to 1.91% (the largest single drop, −0.20 points). The channel then re‑accelerated into Q4 at 2.09% in October and 2.06% in November, culminating in December’s peak at 2.33% (the biggest jump, +0.27 points month over month).
Monthly volatility averaged 0.10 percentage points for Retail CTR, reflecting a choppier cadence than the smoother first‑half plateau might suggest. The rhythm was characterized by modest gains, one meaningful setback in September, and an emphatic year‑end rebound.
Seasonality shows up clearly. Q1 climbed steadily from 1.88% to 1.99%. Q2 was quieter, with CTRs holding near the low‑1.9s. Q3 began strong in July–August before softening in September, a familiar late‑summer cooldown. Q4 intensified: October rose, November eased slightly, and December delivered the year’s high as peak retail moments concentrated engagement. Across halves, Retail averaged 1.93% in H1 and 2.10% in H2, a 9% half‑over‑half lift.
Against the all‑industry global benchmark, Retail’s CTR performance stayed above market nearly all year. On average, Retail ran about 10% higher (2.02% vs. 1.84%). The edge was widest in February–March (+14–15%) and narrowest in September (+1%), when the market nearly caught up. During Q4, both series climbed, but the gap narrowed in October–November (+4–6%) before widening again in December (+10%). Retail’s month‑to‑month volatility (0.10 points) was roughly 40% higher than the global benchmark’s 0.07 points, underscoring more pronounced swings. Growth trajectories were similar—Retail rose 24% from January to December, the global series about 26%—yet the market’s stronger H2 lift (+14% vs. Retail’s +9%) temporarily compressed the advantage.
Overall, Facebook Ads CTR performance for Retail across all countries outpaced the global benchmark with higher averages, a sharper Q4, and slightly more volatility. Understanding Facebook Ads click‑through‑rate benchmarks for the Retail industry globally helps marketers evaluate engagement trends and compare CTR performance to broader market patterns.
Insights & analysis of Facebook advertising costs
Click-Through Rate (CTR) is the percentage of impressions that resulted in a click on the 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. Why we use median instead of average 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. 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.
CTR (Click-Through Rate) is the percentage of people who click your ad after seeing it. It's calculated by dividing total clicks by total impressions, then multiplying by 100. A high CTR indicates your ad resonates with your audience and helps improve your relevance score, which can lower your overall costs.
The average Facebook ad CTR across industries sits around 0.90-1.10%. But there's significant variation. Your specific industry, audience targeting, and campaign objectives should determine your benchmark.
Low CTR usually stems from poor audience targeting, weak creative, or a disconnect between your ad content and audience needs. Your ad might simply not be standingo out enough. Check if your visuals grab attention, your copy addresses clear pain points, and your audience targeting aligns with people genuinely interested in your offer.
Yes—but only in context. High CTR is a signal that your creative works, but it doesn't guarantee conversions. Use it alongside other metrics like conversion rate to get the full picture.
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