Industry vs industry
Updated 2026-07-01
E-commerce vs Education: CPA Benchmarks
E-commerce vs Education — CPA: $48.00 vs $77.48. 2026 advertising benchmarks.
E-commerce
CPA$48.00
CPC$1.30
CPM$9.00
vs
Education
CPA$77.48
CPC$4.81
CPM$12.50
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 E-commerce compares to Education.
| Metric | E-commerce | Education | Δ E-commerce vs Education | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost Per Acquisition | $48.00 | $77.48 | -38% | Cost to acquire one conversion in this industry. |
| Cost Per Thousand Impressions | $9.00 | $12.50 | -28% | Cost to buy 1,000 impressions. |
| Cost Per Click | $1.30 | $4.81 | -73% | Cost per click across the industry mix. |
| Conversion Rate | 4.01% | 13.14% | -69% | Board conversion rate for the industry. |
| Competitiveness | High | High | — | How crowded the auction is relative to other verticals. |
Top platforms
Top Advertising Platforms
E-commerce
Meta Ads
Google Ads PPC
Google Display Network
Education
Meta Ads
Google Ads PPC
YouTube Ads
Under the hood
How each industry buys
E-commerce
- Profile
- Online retail and shopping - typically lower CPA due to shorter sales cycles
- Competitiveness
- High
- Conversion rate
- 4.01%
Education
- Profile
- Schools, online courses, and training programs
- Competitiveness
- High
- Conversion rate
- 13.14%
Verdict
When to Use Each Platform
Lean E-commerce when…
- Your product looks like e-commerce
- You need the lower CPA ($48.00 vs $77.48)
Lean Education when…
- Your product looks like education
- You can use the higher conversion rate (13.14%)
FAQ
Related Comparisons
Which industry is cheaper to advertise in?
E-commerce CPA is $48.00 versus Education at $77.48. Cheaper CPA is not always the better buy — conversion rate and deal size still decide.
Keep comparing