ROAS benchmarks for e-commerce in 2026
Nicklas Segatz Mortensen · Growth Hacker · Fractional CMO · Meta Ads Nerd · 8 July 2026 · 5 min.
Sådan virker det
Der findes ikke ét “godt” ROAS-tal. Det, der betyder noget, er, om du slår dit break-even — 1 delt med din dækningsgrad. En kampagne over linjen tjener penge; en under taber, uanset hvad branchegennemsnittet siger.
01Why a benchmark is never an answer key
Any ROAS benchmark should be read with caution. Numbers vary wildly with margin, price point, industry, the share of new vs. existing customers, and how mature the account is. An "industry average" can therefore be directly misleading for your specific business.
What matters isn't whether you beat the average, but whether you beat your break-even ROAS — the ROAS at which contribution margin covers the ad cost. It's found as 1 divided by your margin, and it's personal to your economics.
02The realistic ranges we see
As a directional reference — not a promise — attributed ROAS on well-run Meta accounts typically sits in the low to mid single digits, depending on the balance between prospecting and retargeting. Pure retargeting campaigns show higher numbers, but they're also the least incremental.
Google Shopping and brand searches often show higher attributed ROAS than Meta, because they catch demand further down the funnel. That doesn't necessarily make them more valuable — a high brand ROAS is partly demand your other channels created.
03Read the benchmark blended
Because every platform credits itself for the same sales, it makes more sense to judge performance on MER — total revenue against total spend — than to chase a high ROAS on each individual channel. A healthy blended number with lower platform ROAS beats a flattering platform number you can't find again in the bank.
In short: use benchmarks to calibrate expectations, not to set targets. The target is set by your margin and your growth ambition — not by an average from an industry you only partly resemble.
Frequently asked questions
What's a good ROAS in e-commerce?+
The one that sits above your break-even ROAS and contributes to your growth goal. Break-even is found as 1 divided by your margin — with a 40% margin, you need to be above a ROAS of 2.5 to make money on the order. An industry average says less than your own break-even.
Why can't I just aim for the industry's average ROAS?+
Because the average hides enormous differences in margin, price point and customer mix. Two brands in the same industry can have wildly different break-even ROAS. Steer by your own economics rather than a number describing an average business you aren't.
Related terms
Glossary
What is ROAS?
ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) is the revenue generated by ads divided by ad spend. A ROAS of 4 means €4 in revenue for every ad euro — but says nothing about what you actually keep.
Read the entry →Glossary
What is POAS?
POAS (Profit on Ad Spend) is your gross profit divided by ad spend. Where ROAS measures revenue per ad euro, POAS measures what you actually keep — after cost of goods, shipping and fees.
Read the entry →Glossary
What is contribution margin?
Contribution margin is revenue minus the variable costs (cost of goods, shipping, fees, returns). It's the amount each order contributes toward covering fixed costs and creating profit.
Read the entry →Glossary
What is MER?
MER (Marketing Efficiency Ratio) is your total revenue divided by your total marketing spend across every channel. It ignores the platforms' own attribution and shows how efficiently the whole marketing machine is working.
Read the entry →Want to know what your real break-even and potential are? Start with an audit.
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Nicklas Segatz Mortensen
Growth Hacker · Fractional CMO · Meta Ads Nerd at Oaksmond
Growth hacker and fractional CMO with 10+ years' experience and hundreds of millions in managed ad spend behind him. Background from larger Danish and international scale-ups, and from the agency world.
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