Is your customer acquisition cost too high? Is your customer lifetime value strong for your industry? And what should a good MER or ROAS actually look like for a business like yours?
Ecommerce benchmarks can help answer these questions, but broad averages don’t always provide a useful comparison. What good performance looks like can change significantly depending on what you sell and how much customers typically spend.
For example, the CAC benchmark for Fashion businesses with an AOV below $50 is $9.96. For Fashion businesses with an AOV above $200, it rises to $48.32.
Both businesses operate in the same industry, but their economics are very different.
That’s why the ecommerce benchmarks in this blog post are segmented by both industry and average order value (AOV). You’ll find benchmarks for:
- Blended customer acquisition cost (CAC)
- Customer lifetime value (LTV)
- LTV ratio
- Marketing efficiency ratio (MER)
- Return on ad spend (ROAS)
- New customer share
- Orders per customer
- Items per order
- Discounted order share
What Are Ecommerce Benchmarks?
Ecommerce benchmarks are reference points that help you understand how your store’s performance compares with other ecommerce businesses.
Looking at your own metrics tells you what is happening. Benchmarks add context.
A $30 CAC, for example, may look high or low on its own. But knowing what businesses in your industry with a similar AOV typically spend to acquire a customer gives that number much more meaning.
How Industry And AOV Affect Ecommerce Benchmarks?
Industry is an important part of the comparison because purchasing behavior differs considerably depending on what you sell.
Purchase frequency, product price, customer lifetime value, margins, and acquisition costs can all vary between ecommerce categories.
But industry alone doesn’t tell the full story.
Average order value adds another layer of context because businesses selling $30 products operate under very different economics from businesses generating $300 orders.
That’s why the benchmarks below compare businesses across both dimensions: what they sell and how much customers typically spend per order.
About the data: These ecommerce benchmarks are grouped across eight industry categories and four AOV ranges: under $50, $50–$100, $100–$200, and $200+. The benchmark shown in each table represents the median performance of businesses within that group.
Ecommerce CAC Benchmarks
Customer acquisition cost (CAC) measures how much your business spends to acquire a new customer.
Tracking CAC helps you understand the cost of growing your customer base and whether that cost is sustainable for your business. Comparing it with similar ecommerce stores adds another layer of context: it shows whether you’re spending more or less to acquire customers than businesses with a similar industry and AOV.
What is a good CAC for ecommerce?
A good ecommerce CAC is one that your business can sustainably support based on the value of the customers you’re acquiring.
Instead of evaluating CAC against one universal target, compare it with businesses in your industry and AOV range and consider it alongside metrics such as LTV, margins, and repeat purchases.
Ecommerce CAC benchmarks by industry and AOV
| Industry | Under $50 | $50–$100 | $100–$200 | $200+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beauty & Wellness | $18.44 | $29.66 | $41.67 | $113.88 |
| Electronics & Gaming | $11.38 | $18.33 | $35.50 | $55.41 |
| Fashion | $9.96 | $16.65 | $33.59 | $48.32 |
| Fitness & Outdoors | $12.92 | $19.70 | $40.02 | $69.00 |
| Food, Beverage & Pet | $15.91 | $21.32 | $44.69 | $61.79 |
| Home & Lifestyle | $11.91 | $15.78 | $21.54 | $72.32 |
| Jewellery & Accessories | $12.79 | $18.09 | $29.78 | $62.47 |
| Services & Other | $9.66 | $21.40 | $33.90 | $57.26 |
What does the CAC data tell us?
The clearest pattern is that CAC generally increases with AOV. Businesses generating higher-value orders tend to spend more to acquire a customer.
But AOV doesn’t explain everything.
Among businesses with a $100–$200 AOV, the CAC benchmark ranges from $21.54 for Home & Lifestyle to $44.69 for Food, Beverage & Pet. Beauty & Wellness businesses in the same AOV range have a CAC benchmark of $41.67, while Fashion sits at $33.59.
So even when two businesses generate similar order values, what they sell can make a significant difference to acquisition costs.
Takeaway: Start with businesses that share your industry and AOV, then evaluate whether the value generated by those customers supports what you’re spending to acquire them.
Ecommerce LTV Benchmarks
Customer lifetime value (LTV) measures the value a customer generates throughout their relationship with your business.
Looking at LTV helps you understand the value of a customer beyond their first purchase. It can show how much repeat purchases and retention contribute to your business over time, and how much you can reasonably afford to invest in acquiring customers.
Comparing your LTV with businesses in the same industry and AOV range adds useful context. It can help you see whether similar businesses are generating more value from their customers and whether there may be an opportunity to improve retention or repeat purchasing.
What is a good LTV for ecommerce?
A good ecommerce LTV depends on your AOV and how frequently customers return to buy again.
Higher LTV gives your business more room to invest in customer acquisition, but LTV shouldn’t be evaluated on its own. Looking at it alongside CAC and orders per customer helps you understand both how much your customers are worth and what may be driving that value.
I particularly like the “beyond their first purchase” angle here because it clearly differentiates why you’d look at LTV rather than just AOV or revenue.
Ecommerce LTV benchmarks by industry and AOV
| Industry | Under $50 | $50–$100 | $100–$200 | $200+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beauty & Wellness | $38.62 | $92.08 | $191.12 | $430.46 |
| Electronics & Gaming | $35.81 | $76.86 | $148.46 | $474.88 |
| Fashion | $39.95 | $78.75 | $162.55 | $350.51 |
| Fitness & Outdoors | $45.62 | $91.62 | $172.14 | $471.14 |
| Food, Beverage & Pet | $47.21 | $107.76 | $234.18 | $769.18 |
| Home & Lifestyle | $32.47 | $77.15 | $161.13 | $605.01 |
| Jewellery & Accessories | $36.42 | $83.42 | $156.73 | $431.32 |
| Services & Other | $34.01 | $82.79 | $172.62 | $672.05 |
What does the LTV data tell us?
LTV rises considerably with AOV across every industry, but the differences within the same AOV range are also important.
At $100–$200 AOV, Food, Beverage & Pet has the highest LTV benchmark at $234.18. Electronics & Gaming sits at $148.46, Jewellery & Accessories at $156.73, and Fashion at $162.55.
Those differences can reflect more than product price. How often customers come back and purchase again can have a significant effect on the value generated from each customer.
Takeaway: AOV helps explain the size of your LTV, but repeat purchasing determines how much value you build beyond the first order.
Ecommerce LTV Ratio Benchmarks
The LTV ratio compares the lifetime value of a customer with the cost of acquiring that customer.
It answers an important question:
How much customer value are you generating relative to what you’re spending to acquire it?
What is a good LTV ratio for ecommerce?
There isn’t one LTV ratio that every ecommerce business should target.
A higher ratio means you’re generating more lifetime value relative to acquisition cost, but the benchmark can vary substantially depending on industry and AOV.
Ecommerce LTV ratio benchmarks by industry and AOV
| Industry | Under $50 | $50–$100 | $100–$200 | $200+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beauty & Wellness | 3.55 | 3.75 | 6.20 | 5.20 |
| Electronics & Gaming | 3.27 | 6.83 | 13.14 | 6.78 |
| Fashion | 6.61 | 5.60 | 4.52 | 7.28 |
| Fitness & Outdoors | 3.82 | 3.40 | 4.14 | 9.21 |
| Food, Beverage & Pet | 3.47 | 7.88 | 6.75 | 15.41 |
| Home & Lifestyle | 4.64 | 6.36 | 6.53 | 7.54 |
| Jewellery & Accessories | 6.67 | 6.72 | 7.98 | 8.28 |
| Services & Other | 3.99 | 6.23 | 6.18 | 10.35 |
What does the LTV ratio data tell us?
Unlike CAC and LTV, the LTV ratio doesn’t simply increase as AOV increases.
The differences between industries can also be significant.
At $100–$200 AOV, the benchmark ranges from 4.14 for Fitness & Outdoors to 13.14 for Electronics & Gaming.
Food, Beverage & Pet provides another interesting example. Businesses with an AOV above $200 have a CAC benchmark of $61.79, but they also have an LTV benchmark of $769.18 and an LTV benchmark of 15.41.
Looking at CAC alone would miss that context.
Takeaway: CAC tells you what you’re spending. LTV helps show how much customer value you’re generating in relation to that acquisition cost.
Ecommerce MER Benchmarks
Marketing efficiency ratio (MER)measures total revenue relative to total marketing spend.
Unlike platform-specific ROAS, MER gives you a broader view of how efficiently your total marketing investment is contributing to revenue.
What is a good MER for ecommerce?
A good ecommerce MER is one that supports your business’s margins, growth goals, and overall economics.
Because MER looks at total marketing spend rather than an individual advertising channel, it’s useful for understanding marketing efficiency at the business level.
Ecommerce MER benchmarks by industry and AOV
| Industry | Under $50 | $50–$100 | $100–$200 | $200+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beauty & Wellness | 3.91 | 4.19 | 7.12 | 3.67 |
| Electronics & Gaming | 3.37 | 4.27 | 6.33 | 8.27 |
| Fashion | 5.19 | 6.39 | 6.12 | 9.34 |
| Fitness & Outdoors | 3.96 | 5.33 | 4.68 | 5.56 |
| Food, Beverage & Pet | 4.67 | 8.55 | 6.69 | 7.29 |
| Home & Lifestyle | 3.49 | 6.07 | 9.44 | 6.37 |
| Jewellery & Accessories | 4.12 | 4.98 | 7.31 | 5.95 |
| Services & Other | 3.52 | 3.94 | 6.21 | 8.01 |
What does the MER data tell us?
There isn’t a consistent relationship between higher AOV and higher MER.
For example, Home & Lifestyle reaches its highest benchmark at 9.44 for businesses with a $100–$200 AOV, while Fashion reaches its highest at 9.34 for businesses above $200 AOV.
Even within the $100–$200 group, MER ranges from 4.68 for Fitness & Outdoors to 9.44 for Home & Lifestyle.
Takeaway: Use MER as a business-level efficiency metric and interpret it alongside your margins, acquisition strategy, and growth objectives.
Ecommerce ROAS Benchmarks
Return on ad spend (ROAS) measures the revenue generated relative to advertising spend.
Tracking ROAS helps you understand how efficiently your advertising spend is generating revenue. For example, a ROAS of 3 means that every $1 spent on advertising generated $3 in revenue.
Comparing your ROAS with businesses in the same industry and AOV range gives you more context for evaluating your advertising performance. It can help you see whether your return is higher or lower than what similar ecommerce businesses are generating from their ad spend.
What is a good ROAS for ecommerce?
There is no single ROAS that defines good ecommerce performance.
A sustainable ROAS depends on factors including your margins, CAC, AOV, and the value customers generate after their first purchase.
This is why two businesses can have the same ROAS but very different overall economics.
Ecommerce ROAS benchmarks by industry and AOV
| Industry | Under $50 | $50–$100 | $100–$200 | $200+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beauty & Wellness | 2.13 | 2.03 | 3.05 | 2.21 |
| Electronics & Gaming | 2.65 | 2.75 | 3.54 | 1.81 |
| Fashion | 3.40 | 3.67 | 4.19 | 3.96 |
| Fitness & Outdoors | 2.07 | 3.01 | 2.77 | 3.57 |
| Food, Beverage & Pet | 1.53 | 3.51 | 2.11 | 3.20 |
| Home & Lifestyle | 1.93 | 3.23 | 4.38 | 3.18 |
| Jewellery & Accessories | 2.13 | 3.20 | 3.86 | 2.65 |
| Services & Other | 1.61 | 3.00 | 4.12 | 2.74 |
What does the ROAS data tell us?
The benchmark data shows why it’s difficult to define one ecommerce ROAS target.
At $100–$200 AOV, Home & Lifestyle has the highest benchmark at 4.38, followed by Fashion at 4.19 and Services & Other at 4.12. Food, Beverage & Pet, meanwhile, has a benchmark of 2.11.
That doesn’t automatically mean one group is performing better than another. Differences in margins, repeat purchasing, CAC, and LTV can change how much ROAS a business needs.
Takeaway: ROAS can help you understand advertising efficiency, but CAC, LTV, LTV, and MER provide important context that ROAS alone cannot.
Other Ecommerce Performance Benchmarks
Marketing efficiency tells you how effectively you’re acquiring customers, but what happens after acquisition is important too.
How frequently customers return, how many products they buy, and how dependent orders are on discounts can help explain the CAC and LTV numbers you’re seeing.
New Customer Share Benchmarks
New customer share shows the percentage of your customers who are new to your business rather than returning customers.
Tracking new customer share helps you understand where your growth is coming from. A higher share can indicate that your business is successfully acquiring new customers, while a lower share may mean that more of your sales are coming from existing customers.
Neither is necessarily better. The right balance depends on your business model, growth stage, and how frequently customers are expected to purchase again. Comparing your new customer share with businesses in the same industry and AOV range can help you understand whether your customer mix looks similar to comparable ecommerce stores.
Ecommerce new customer share benchmarks by industry and AOV
| Industry | Under $50 | $50–$100 | $100–$200 | $200+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beauty & Wellness | 0% | 27.0% | 24.0% | 38.0% |
| Electronics & Gaming | 0% | 51.0% | 30.1% | 50.0% |
| Fashion | 0% | 31.8% | 49.5% | 50.0% |
| Fitness & Outdoors | 0% | 12.1% | 53.6% | 57.7% |
| Food, Beverage & Pet | 1.9% | 28.1% | 20.8% | 33.3% |
| Home & Lifestyle | 0% | 48.1% | 53.6% | 26.7% |
| Jewellery & Accessories | 0% | 53.2% | 45.5% | 50.0% |
| Services & Other | 0% | 4.6% | 12.5% | 0% |
What does the new customer share data tell us?
There is significant variation across industries and AOV groups, which is why new customer share shouldn’t be treated as a score where higher is always better.
A high share can indicate strong acquisition, while a lower share may reflect a business generating more of its sales from an established customer base.
Takeaway: Use new customer share to understand the balance between acquisition and existing customers rather than treating it as a metric you should simply maximize.
Orders per Customer Benchmarks
Orders per customer shows how many orders the average customer places and provides a useful indication of repeat purchasing behavior.
Tracking orders per customer helps you understand how often customers come back after their first purchase. A higher number generally indicates stronger repeat purchasing, which can contribute to higher customer lifetime value and reduce how dependent growth is on continually acquiring new customers.
However, what represents a strong number varies significantly by industry. Businesses selling frequently purchased products may naturally see more repeat orders than businesses selling products with longer replacement cycles. Comparing your results with businesses in the same industry and AOV range gives you a more relevant view of your repeat purchase performance.
Ecommerce orders per customer benchmarks by industry and AOV
| Industry | Under $50 | $50–$100 | $100–$200 | $200+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beauty & Wellness | 1.19 | 1.34 | 1.33 | 1.25 |
| Electronics & Gaming | 1.05 | 1.10 | 1.18 | 1.17 |
| Fashion | 1.09 | 1.13 | 1.21 | 1.27 |
| Fitness & Outdoors | 1.08 | 1.12 | 1.23 | 1.20 |
| Food, Beverage & Pet | 1.26 | 1.52 | 1.59 | 1.37 |
| Home & Lifestyle | 1.07 | 1.12 | 1.18 | 1.13 |
| Jewellery & Accessories | 1.07 | 1.13 | 1.18 | 1.21 |
| Services & Other | 1.10 | 1.15 | 1.21 | 1.24 |
What does the orders per customer data tell us?
Food, Beverage & Pet stands out for repeat purchasing, with benchmarks of 1.52 orders per customer at $50–$100 AOV and 1.59 at $100–$200 AOV.
Electronics & Gaming shows a different pattern, ranging from 1.05 to 1.18 across the four AOV groups.
Some product categories naturally create more opportunities for customers to return than others, which makes industry context particularly important for this metric.
Takeaway: If your orders per customer are below your comparable benchmark, retention and repeat purchasing may be areas worth investigating.
Items per Order Benchmarks
Items per order shows how many products customers typically purchase within a single order.
Tracking items per order helps you understand how customers build their baskets. It can show whether customers tend to purchase individual products or combine multiple products in the same order, which can help you evaluate opportunities for bundles, cross-selling, and product recommendations.
What represents a strong number depends heavily on the products you sell and their price points. Comparing items per order with businesses in the same industry and AOV range gives you a more relevant benchmark for understanding your customers’ purchasing behavior.
Ecommerce items per order benchmarks by industry and AOV
| Industry | Under $50 | $50–$100 | $100–$200 | $200+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beauty & Wellness | 1.50 | 1.83 | 2.00 | 1.67 |
| Electronics & Gaming | 1.49 | 1.53 | 1.83 | 1.33 |
| Fashion | 1.33 | 1.83 | 1.73 | 1.71 |
| Fitness & Outdoors | 1.25 | 1.96 | 1.94 | 1.56 |
| Food, Beverage & Pet | 1.88 | 2.40 | 3.16 | 2.97 |
| Home & Lifestyle | 1.39 | 1.82 | 2.00 | 1.98 |
| Jewellery & Accessories | 1.71 | 1.56 | 1.65 | 1.41 |
| Services & Other | 1.43 | 1.87 | 2.00 | 2.00 |
What does the items per order data tell us?
Food, Beverage & Pet again stands out.
Businesses in this category with a $100–$200 AOV have a benchmark of 3.16 items per order, compared with 1.65 for Jewellery & Accessories and 1.73 for Fashion.
This metric can help you understand whether customers are building larger baskets or primarily purchasing one product at a time.
Takeaway: Compare items per order with similar businesses to identify whether there may be opportunities around bundles, complementary products, or merchandising.
Discounted Order Share Benchmarks
Discounted order share shows the percentage of orders that include a discount.
Tracking discounted order share helps you understand how much your sales rely on promotions and discounts. It can provide context on how frequently customers purchase at full price versus using an offer, and whether discounting plays a significant role in your sales strategy.
Ecommerce discounted order share benchmarks by industry and AOV
| Industry | Under $50 | $50–$100 | $100–$200 | $200+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beauty & Wellness | 0% | 13.4% | 14.3% | 16.7% |
| Electronics & Gaming | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Fashion | 0% | 0% | 14.6% | 17.9% |
| Fitness & Outdoors | 0% | 0% | 16.5% | 12.9% |
| Food, Beverage & Pet | 0% | 13.8% | 15.6% | 7.7% |
| Home & Lifestyle | 0% | 0% | 7.4% | 0% |
| Jewellery & Accessories | 0% | 0% | 7.7% | 16.9% |
| Services & Other | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
What does the discounted order share data tell us?
Discount usage differs considerably between categories and AOV ranges.
For Fashion, for example, the benchmark increases from 0% for businesses below $100 AOV to 14.6% at $100–$200 AOV and 17.9% above $200.
Beauty & Wellness also shows a higher discounted order share across its three higher AOV groups.
But a higher or lower discounted order share isn’t automatically positive or negative. The metric is most useful for understanding how much your business relies on promotions compared with similar stores.
Takeaway: If your discounted order share is considerably higher than your benchmark, look at whether promotions are supporting incremental growth or whether customers are increasingly waiting for discounts before purchasing.
How to Use Ecommerce Benchmarks
Benchmarks are most useful when they help you ask better questions about your own performance.
Rather than treating a benchmark as a target you must reach, start by comparing your current metric with businesses in the same industry and AOV range.
If there is a significant difference, look at the related metrics before drawing a conclusion.
For example:
- If your CAC is above the benchmark, check your LTV and LTV ratio before deciding that acquisition is too expensive.
- If your LTV is below the benchmark, look at orders per customer and repeat purchase behavior.
- If your ROAS is below the benchmark, look at MER and customer lifetime value to understand the wider impact of your advertising.
- If your discounted order share is high, look at how promotions affect AOV, new customer acquisition, and repeat purchases.
The goal isn’t to make every metric better than the benchmark.
The goal is to understand where your performance differs from similar businesses and why.
Compare Your Ecommerce Performance With Similar Businesses
Knowing the benchmark is useful. Knowing exactly how your own store compares is more useful.
Lebesgue Market Benchmarks automatically compares your ecommerce performance with businesses that have similar economics to yours.
Your store is matched based on industry and average order value, so you’re not comparing your results with one broad ecommerce average.
You can compare performance across metrics including CAC, LTV, LTV, MER, ROAS, new customer share, orders per customer, items per order, and discounted order share.
This makes it easier to see where your business is performing above the market and where there may be room to improve.
Frequently Asked Questions about Ecommerce Benchmarks
Ecommerce benchmarks are reference points that help you compare your store’s performance with other ecommerce businesses.
They can be used to evaluate metrics such as CAC, LTV, ROAS, MER, purchase frequency, basket size, customer mix, and other indicators of ecommerce performance.
There isn’t one CAC that is good for every ecommerce business.
CAC varies by industry, AOV, customer value, margins, and purchase behavior. Comparing your CAC with businesses in the same industry and AOV range gives you a more relevant reference point.
A good ecommerce LTV depends on your product price, AOV, purchase frequency, and retention.
The benchmark can differ considerably between ecommerce categories, which is why LTV should be compared with businesses that have similar economics.
here isn’t one LTV ratio that applies equally to every ecommerce business.
The benchmark data shows meaningful differences between industries and AOV ranges. A useful comparison therefore looks at how much customer value businesses similar to yours generate relative to their acquisition costs.
A good MER depends on your margins, marketing spend, customer value, and growth strategy.
MER is most useful as a business-level marketing efficiency metric and should be evaluated within the wider economics of your store.
A good ecommerce ROAS depends on your margins, AOV, CAC, repeat purchase behavior, and customer lifetime value.
Two businesses can have the same ROAS but very different levels of profitability and long-term customer value.
Customer acquisition costs, purchase frequency, lifetime value, items per order, and marketing efficiency can differ significantly between ecommerce industries.
This is why comparing your performance with businesses in the same or a similar industry gives you more useful context.
Average order value provides important context about the economics of a business.
Stores generating higher-value orders may be able to support higher acquisition costs than businesses with lower-value orders. Segmenting benchmarks by AOV makes comparisons between ecommerce businesses more relevant.
