Benchmark Data by Segment
| Segment / Industry | CPC Range | Display / CPM | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search — Brand | $0.30–$0.80 | $0.15–0.40 | Defend brand terms |
| Search — Category | $1.50–$3.50 | $0.50–1.20 | Core acquisition |
| Shopping — Standard | $0.50–$1.50 | $0.30–0.80 | Product-level bidding |
| Performance Max | $0.80–$2.00 | $0.40–1.00 | Blended, check asset mix |
| Display Retargeting | $0.20–$0.60 | $0.08–0.20 | Cart abandonment |
| YouTube — TrueView | $0.05–$0.15 | $0.01–0.03 | Top-funnel awareness |
| Demand Gen | $0.40–$1.20 | $0.20–0.50 | Social-style awareness |
Shopping vs Performance Max: The eCommerce Choice
Standard Shopping gives you full bidding control at the product level — better for mature accounts with clean product feed data and enough conversion volume for Smart Bidding (50+ conversions/month per campaign). Performance Max bundles Search, Shopping, Display, YouTube, and Discover into one campaign with minimal controls.
Performance Max often reports lower CPC and higher ROAS than Standard Shopping — but it frequently cannibalizes brand search traffic (which converts cheaply anyway) and claims attribution for sales that would have happened organically. Run an incrementality test before crediting PMax's reported numbers.
AOV Tier Changes Everything
A $30 AOV brand needs a $5–8 CPA to be profitable at 20% margin. A $300 AOV brand can afford $40–60 CPA. Never benchmark your CPA against "eCommerce averages" — always back-calculate from your own unit economics. See our CPA calculator to find your target.
See also: eCommerce ROAS benchmarks and eCommerce CPA benchmarks.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good ROAS for Google Ads eCommerce?
4–8× ROAS is the typical healthy range for Google Ads eCommerce. Brand campaigns often run 15–30× (low spend, high intent). Category Search runs 3–6×. Shopping runs 4–8×. Below 3× usually means your CPA is unprofitable unless you have very high AOV.
What CPC should I expect for Google Shopping?
Google Shopping CPC typically runs $0.50–$1.50 for most eCommerce categories. Fashion and accessories are often lower ($0.30–$0.80). Consumer electronics and home goods run higher ($1.00–$2.50). Product feed quality is the #1 lever on Shopping CPC.
Is Performance Max better than Standard Shopping?
Not automatically. PMax gives Google more control over budget allocation across channels. It performs well when your creative assets are strong and you have enough conversion data. Standard Shopping gives you more control and cleaner attribution — often better for accounts under $50K/month spend.