The honest picture is a set of spreads, not a set of targets.
16.9%
of US retail sales happened online in Q1 2026 ($326.7B) — after thirty years, 83 cents of every retail dollar still changes hands offline (US Census Bureau)
5×
spread in conversion rate between verticals — food & beverage converts 4.5–6.1% of sessions, luxury 0.87–1.19%
70.22%
of carts get abandoned, holding inside a 69–71% band since 2014 (Baymard Institute, 50-study meta-analysis)
+20%
year-over-year rise in median Meta CPM to $13.48, across a 35,000-brand panel (Triple Whale)
26%
Q4 premium on Meta CPMs over the annual average — the holiday auction tax most brands never plan for
47%
single-year jump in Amazon CPM — the sharpest cost increase of any channel, even as Amazon ROAS climbed to 3.14×
WHAT'S INSIDE
Nine sections. If we cannot trace it, we do not print it.
Every benchmark is traced, dated, and matched to the panel it came from — plus the behavioral mechanism behind where each number is headed, and the popular figures that fail a citation trace.
Get the report
01
The Market
Online buying is growing again, and it is still the minority
02
Conversion Rate
The average is a 5× spread wearing a trench coat
03
Cart Abandonment
The benchmark that refuses to move
04
Ad Costs
The auction is the benchmark moving fastest
05
The Q4 Tax
Plan for a 26% premium
06
Amazon
Better returns, steeper cover charge
07
CAC and CPL
The benchmarks most likely to be made up
08
Benchmark Your Own Store
A one-afternoon checklist with real thresholds
09
The Honest Scoreboard
The numbers worth keeping, and the ones to ignore
Four findings that should change how you budget
The blended benchmark is a vanity number
The conversion "average" splits 5× by vertical. The mechanism is purchase frequency, not funnel quality — benchmark against your vertical’s range or not at all.
Chase the 48%, not the 70%
43% of cart abandoners were only browsing. The fixable share is the 48% who quit over surprise fees at checkout — show total cost, shipping included, before the checkout page.
Anchor on the median, not the average
The median brand earns 1.93× ROAS on Meta; the average account earns 2.98×, dragged up by outliers. Every vendor selling you ads will quote the average.
Amazon efficiency is a window, not a baseline
CPA fell and ROAS climbed while auction entry costs jumped 47%. Conversion gains are one-time; auction density compounds. Press the advantage now — model next year’s CPM first.
FREE DOWNLOAD
Get the full report
One PDF, nine sections, a one-afternoon benchmarking checklist for your own store, and every source cited. Compiled July 2026 by Emulent.
Download the PDF No email required. If it's useful, and you need help with your digital marketing, please reach out.