Emplifi’s latest benchmark report reveals ecommerce advertisers dramatically increased paid social budgets in Q2 2026 while simultaneously driving down costs and lifting engagement.
The report, based on anonymized data from more than 7,700 Meta (NASDAQ: META) ad accounts, found that median monthly social ad spend rose 13% year over year across all industries and regions.
Ecommerce led all sectors, with median monthly spend climbing 70% from $16,426 in Q2 2025 to $27,966 in Q2 2026, a gain that outpaced every other vertical tracked in the analysis.
The surge in spending was matched by stronger performance outcomes, with ecommerce click-through rates rising 29% and cost per click falling 18% to $0.133, the lowest figure of any industry in the report.
Susan Ganeshan, Chief Marketing Officer at Emplifi, attributed the efficiency gains to what happens after an ad is clicked, not just the ad itself.
“When the ad lands on relevant content, real customer reviews, and a seamless purchase experience, performance improves,” Ganeshan said. “That’s what this data is showing us: spend and efficiency moving in the same direction across the full customer journey.”
North America recorded one of the steepest regional increases, with median monthly spend rising 61% year over year from $8,277 to $13,308 across the region.
The United States alone saw median monthly spend climb 57% to $15,111, with click-through rates reaching 1.78%, the highest of any region tracked, while cost per click dipped 3% to $0.483.
The United Kingdom also delivered strong results, posting a 54% increase in median monthly spend from $5,257 to $8,074, alongside a 20% rise in click-through rate and a 9% decline in cost per click.
Europe recorded the most significant efficiency improvement of any region, with cost per click falling 16% even as median monthly spend increased 14% to $7,037 and click-through rates rose 20%.
Fashion was another standout sector, with median monthly spend increasing 37% year over year to $18,787, while click-through rates rose 13% and cost per click declined 17%.
Automotive posted the strongest engagement gain of any industry, with click-through rates rising 24%, suggesting consumers are increasingly turning to social media platforms for vehicle research and consideration.
Retail spend rose 14% with an accompanying 11% increase in click-through rate and a 7% decline in cost per click, reflecting broad-based strength in performance advertising across consumer-facing categories.
The full findings are published in Emplifi’s Social Media Ads Benchmarks 2026: Where Paid Social Investment Is Actually Paying Off, covering Q2 2026 data from April through June and benchmarked against the same period in 2025.
