ROAS (return on ad spend) benchmarks
ROAS (return on ad spend) is the revenue a business earns for every dollar it spends on paid advertising. Here is every published figure we can show, side by side, with what each one counts.
1.47x to 5.16x
Published ROAS figures vary more by industry and by what counts as "ad revenue" than by any single benchmark: Polar Analytics' median new-customer ROAS across 4,000+ Shopify brands runs from 1.47x (Pets) to 5.16x (Consumer Electronics), Triple Whale's brands averaged a 2.04x median in 2024, and Google's own Economic Impact report assumes a 2:1 baseline. None of that is directly comparable to Skai's $6.00-per-dollar figure for retail media ads (Amazon, Walmart Connect and similar), which is a different ad category entirely. 18 figures from 4 sources, grouped by what they count (retail media ads is charted too, but not part of the headline range). We never average them.
Published ROAS (return on ad spend) figures by way of counting, from 1.47x to 6.45x. Every figure is listed in the source list below.
Tap or hover a point to see its source.
Key findings
Each one cites its source figures.
Polar Analytics' median new-customer ROAS across 4,000+ Shopify brands spans more than 3x depending on industry: Pets (1.47x) and Food & Beverage (1.54x) sit at the bottom, Consumer Electronics (5.16x) and Retail (3.53x) at the top.
Polar AnalyticsTriple Whale's median ROAS across brands advertising on its platform in 2024, blended across channels. Google's own Economic Impact report assumes a 2:1 average for Google Ads, and Amazon's ROAS guide puts its own average near 2:1 with 3x–4x called "good."
Triple WhaleSkai's retail-media ROAS (Amazon, Walmart Connect and similar) held near $6.00 for five straight quarters through Q1 2026 ($6.05 → $5.89 → $6.23 → $6.45 → $6.00), well above the 2x–5x range reported for open-web search and social ads. Retail media and open-web ads are not directly comparable: retail-media ads sit closer to the purchase decision.
SkaiSame data, different answers
How the way of counting changes the number, on one scale.
New-customer ROAS by industry (Shopify brands)
Polar Analytics' median new-customer ROAS, refreshed weekly from 4,000+ Shopify brands. Figures below are from the 2026-08-25 snapshot.
Source by source
Open any source for its definition, sample and method.
Polar AnalyticsEcommerce Benchmarks 2026 · Live dashboard, snapshot read 2026-08-25 (updates weekly)5.16xnew-customer roas · Consumer Electronics3.95xnew-customer roas · Apparel & Accessories3.53xnew-customer roas · RetailGrade B
- What counts
- "ROAS (New Customer)": revenue from new customers attributed to ads, divided by ad spend. Channel mix, attribution window and platform(s) included are not stated.
- Statistic
- Median (page states medians are used specifically to avoid skew from outliers)
- Sample
- 4,000+ Shopify brands (anonymized, aggregated)
- Data window
- Not stated (rolling; page references data back to December 2022)
- Method
- Anonymized, aggregated data from 4,000+ Shopify brands using Polar Analytics, refreshed weekly; medians shown by industry (15 categories) to reduce outlier skew.
- Published cuts
- industry (15 categories) · revenue tier (partial: $100M+ shown for conversion rate only)
- Limitations
- Shopify brands only; not representative of other platforms or B2B
- New-customer ROAS specifically, not blended — not directly comparable to sources that don't state this
- Channel mix and attribution window not stated
- No confidence intervals or sample size per industry row
- Licence
- Not checked this pass (time budget) — confirm Polar Analytics' terms before treating as quote-eligible at scale. Industry medians quoted with attribution.
- Checked
- Sep 30, 2026 · Read the source
Triple WhaleWhat Is a Good ROAS? 2025 Industry Benchmarks and Strategies · Last updated 2025-12-222.04xblended roasGrade B
- What counts
- ROAS = ad revenue ÷ ad cost. Not stated whether new-customer or blended.
- Statistic
- Median
- Sample
- Brands advertising on Triple Whale (exact count not stated on this page)
- Data window
- 2024 (median ROAS figure); industry table stated as trailing 365 days to 2025-04-16
- Method
- Sales data from brands advertising on Triple Whale; the 2024 median is the platform-wide figure. A separate by-industry table (trailing 365 days to 2025-04-16) is sourced from Varos, a third-party market-research platform, per Triple Whale's own page — not independently re-verified this pass.
- Published cuts
- industry (table sourced from Varos, not independently verified this pass)
- Limitations
- Sample size not disclosed
- New-customer vs blended not stated
- The by-industry table is itself a re-publication of Varos data, not Triple Whale's own; not independently verified this pass and not quoted on this page for that reason
- Licence
- Not checked this pass (time budget) — confirm Triple Whale's terms before treating as quote-eligible at scale. Headline figure and cited context quoted with attribution.
- Checked
- Sep 30, 2026 · Read the source
SkaiQuarterly Digital Advertising Trends Report (Q1 2026, with Q4 2025 methodology page) · Q1 2026 edition$6.00 per $1retail media · Retail media (Q1 2026)$6.45 per $1retail media · Retail media (Q4 2025)Grade B
- What counts
- Retail media ROAS: revenue from retail-media ad placements (Amazon, Walmart Connect and similar) divided by spend on those placements, expressed as a dollar return per dollar spent.
- Statistic
- Aggregate ROAS across Skai's retail-media client base
- Sample
- Skai's Q4 2025 report states 972 billion impressions, 8.7 billion clicks and $9.2 billion of platform activity for that quarter; the Q1 2026 figure's own sample size was not independently confirmed this pass
- Data window
- Quarterly, Q1 2025 through Q1 2026 shown for the ROAS trend
- Method
- Aggregated, anonymized data across Skai advertiser accounts, reported quarterly; the trend cited here covers five consecutive quarters (Q1 2025: $6.05, Q2 2025: $5.89, Q3 2025: $6.23, Q4 2025: $6.45, Q1 2026: $6.00).
- Published cuts
- quarter
- Limitations
- Retail media only; not comparable to open-web search or social ROAS
- Skai's own client base, which skews toward larger advertisers and agencies
- No industry breakdown found for this figure
- Licence
- Not checked this pass (time budget) — confirm Skai's terms before treating as quote-eligible at scale. One trend figure quoted with attribution.
- Checked
- Sep 30, 2026 · Read the source
Triple WhaleFacebook Ad Benchmarks by Industry (Updated 2026 Data) · 20261.88xmeta ads roasGrade A
- What counts
- Meta Ads ROAS (Facebook + Instagram inclusive) for ecommerce brands — a platform-specific figure, distinct from Polar Analytics' new-customer ROAS and Triple Whale's own cross-platform blended median above.
- Statistic
- Median (publisher states median for CTR/ROAS in narrative)
- Sample
- Over 40,000 ecommerce brands using Triple Whale; Meta Ads includes Facebook and Instagram
- Data window
- 2025-08-01 to 2026-07-31
- Method
- Triple Whale analysis of Meta Ads performance for ecommerce brands using its platform, Facebook and Instagram inclusive.
- Published cuts
- overall plus 17 ecommerce verticals
- Limitations
- Ecommerce/DTC-heavy Triple Whale customer population
- Meta includes Facebook and Instagram, so not Facebook-only
- Does not state new-customer vs blended attribution
- Licence
- Reported here as factual findings in our own wording and presentation, with attribution and a link to the source. This is not a claim that Triple Whale has granted a reproduction licence, and we do not copy its prose, charts, tables or page design. Its Terms of Service restrict copying, distributing or disclosing site content, including screenshots; we copy none of its page, tables or screenshots and treat citing a published headline figure as outside that clause. Flagged for review: this is the most broadly worded clause of the sources used.
- Checked
- Oct 1, 2026 · Read the source
By industry
Selected figures, each with its source. Full tables live in each publisher's report.
Why sources disagree
Each factor moves the number on its own.
is the average ROAS Google itself assumes for Google Ads in its Economic Impact report, as cited by Triple Whale; Amazon's own seller ROAS guide puts its platform average near the same level and calls 3x–4x "good."
Triple Whale, citing Google's Economic Impact report and Amazon's ROAS guideNew-customer ROAS vs blended ROAS
Polar Analytics' table is explicitly labelled "ROAS (New Customer)": it counts only revenue from first-time buyers attributed to an ad. A blended figure, which also credits repeat purchases from existing customers, will usually read higher for the same spend. Triple Whale and Google/Amazon's figures do not state whether they are new-customer or blended, so treat any cross-source comparison as approximate.
Retail media is a different ad category
Skai's $6.00-per-dollar figure is for retail media (sponsored placements on Amazon, Walmart Connect and similar), where the ad appears at or near the point of purchase. It is not a like-for-like comparison with open-web search or social ROAS, where the customer is earlier in the journey.
Which channels are pooled
Triple Whale's 2.04x median blends whatever channels a brand runs through the platform; Polar Analytics' industry medians are also channel-blended. Triple Whale separately publishes a Meta-specific (Facebook + Instagram) ROAS median (1.88x for August 2025 to July 2026), shown as its own row because it is platform-isolated and covers Instagram as well as Facebook.
What is a good ROAS (return on ad spend)?
It depends on how your platform counts and who you send to.
If you're comparing against Polar Analytics' industry medians
Match your own industry to the closest row above, and remember these are new-customer medians, not averages — a few very strong or very weak brands will not skew a median the way they would skew a mean.
If you're using the 2:1–4:1 "good ROAS" rule of thumb
That range traces back to Google's own stated Google Ads average (2:1) and Amazon's own "good" range (3x–4x) rather than a single independent benchmark study, so it is best read as a floor, not a target specific to your industry or margin.
If you sell through retail media (Amazon, Walmart Connect)
Skai's $6.00-per-dollar figure is the closest real comparison point we can show, but it is a platform-wide average across Skai's client base, not an industry breakdown.
Before you compare
- Never average these figures together: they mix new-customer and blended ROAS, and mix retail-media ads with open-web ads, which behave differently.
- Polar Analytics' figures are medians from Shopify brands only; they do not represent non-Shopify or B2B advertisers.
- Several sources here have not had their Terms of Use re-checked this research pass (flagged per-source below); confirm before quoting at scale.
Show 1 more cautions
- A 3x ROAS can be strong for a 40%-margin brand and barely break even for a 15%-margin brand — ROAS alone does not tell you profitability.
How to calculate ROAS (return on ad spend)
- State whether you are counting new-customer revenue only or all attributed revenue (blended); the two are not comparable.
- Decide your attribution window and model before comparing to any published figure — none of the sources here state a matching window.
- ROAS ignores profit margin: a 3x ROAS on a 20%-margin product can still lose money once cost of goods is included.
Questions about ROAS
Tools to measure and improve it
Chosen for what they do, not ranked.
Sources and licence notes4 sources · 4 quoted · 0 linked only · checked Oct 1, 2026
- Polar Analytics, Ecommerce Benchmarks 2026 · Live dashboard, snapshot read 2026-08-25 (updates weekly) · last checked Sep 30, 2026Not checked this pass (time budget) — confirm Polar Analytics' terms before treating as quote-eligible at scale. Industry medians quoted with attribution.
- Triple Whale, What Is a Good ROAS? 2025 Industry Benchmarks and Strategies · Last updated 2025-12-22 · last checked Sep 30, 2026Not checked this pass (time budget) — confirm Triple Whale's terms before treating as quote-eligible at scale. Headline figure and cited context quoted with attribution.
- Skai, Quarterly Digital Advertising Trends Report (Q1 2026, with Q4 2025 methodology page) · Q1 2026 edition · last checked Sep 30, 2026Not checked this pass (time budget) — confirm Skai's terms before treating as quote-eligible at scale. One trend figure quoted with attribution.
- Triple Whale, Facebook Ad Benchmarks by Industry (Updated 2026 Data) · 2026 · last checked Oct 1, 2026Reported here as factual findings in our own wording and presentation, with attribution and a link to the source. This is not a claim that Triple Whale has granted a reproduction licence, and we do not copy its prose, charts, tables or page design. Its Terms of Service restrict copying, distributing or disclosing site content, including screenshots; we copy none of its page, tables or screenshots and treat citing a published headline figure as outside that clause. Flagged for review: this is the most broadly worded clause of the sources used.
These are figures reported by the platforms themselves about their own customers; we do not measure them ourselves. Found an error or a newer edition? Tell us