Industry vs industry
Updated 2026-07-01
B2B vs Retail Advertising Benchmarks
B2B vs Retail — CPC: $5.87 vs $2.27 • CPM: $16.00 vs $7.50 • CPA: $93.69 vs $44.26. 2026 advertising benchmarks.
B2B
CPA$93.69
CPC$5.87
CPM$16.00
vs
Retail
CPA$44.26
CPC$2.27
CPM$7.50
Amber underline marks the lower cost on each metric. Ties get neither. Industry swatches are uncolored — these are categories, not brands.
Quick comparison
Quick Comparison
Delta reads left to right: how B2B compares to Retail.
| Metric | B2B | Retail | Δ B2B vs Retail | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost Per Acquisition | $93.69 | $44.26 | +112% | Cost to acquire one conversion in this industry. |
| Cost Per Thousand Impressions | $16.00 | $7.50 | +113% | Cost to buy 1,000 impressions. |
| Cost Per Click | $5.87 | $2.27 | +159% | Cost per click across the industry mix. |
| Conversion Rate | 4.85% | 6.01% | -19% | Board conversion rate for the industry. |
| Competitiveness | Medium | High | — | How crowded the auction is relative to other verticals. |
Top platforms
Top Advertising Platforms
B2B
LinkedIn Ads
Google Ads PPC
Programmatic Display
Retail
Meta Ads
Google Display Network
Programmatic Display
Under the hood
How each industry buys
B2B
- Profile
- Business-to-business services - higher CPA due to longer sales cycles
- Competitiveness
- Medium
- Conversion rate
- 4.85%
Retail
- Profile
- Physical retail stores - often combines online and offline tracking
- Competitiveness
- High
- Conversion rate
- 6.01%
Verdict
When to Use Each Platform
Lean B2B when…
- Your product looks like b2b
Lean Retail when…
- Your product looks like retail
- You need the lower CPA ($44.26 vs $93.69)
- You can use the higher conversion rate (6.01%)
FAQ
Related Comparisons
Which industry is cheaper to advertise in?
B2B CPA is $93.69 versus Retail at $44.26. Cheaper CPA is not always the better buy — conversion rate and deal size still decide.
Keep comparing