$0.95
Avg CPC
Lower than apparel but margins are thinner
2.2%
CTR
1.4%
Conv Rate
2.2x
Avg ROAS
Significantly lower due to thin margins
$45
Avg AOV
$68
Avg CPA
Source: Printful Industry Report 2025
Different campaign types have vastly different CPCs for ecommerce. Here's what to expect:
Product-focused ads with high purchase intent. Best for catalog-based advertising with visual products.
Blends Shopping, Search, Display, and YouTube. CPC varies widely based on where Google shows your ads.
Your brand name keywords. Cheap CPCs but don't let PMax cannibalize these—run separately for control.
Generic product keywords. High competition drives up CPCs. Only profitable with high AOV or strong conversion rates.
Retarget cart abandoners with specific products. Low CPC because you're targeting warm audiences.
Focus your budget on these high-converting keywords:
e.g., 'gifts for pharmacists' = niche with purchase intent
e.g., 'fishing gifts funny' = defined audience
e.g., 'cat dad mug' = identity-based purchasing
Customization = higher AOV, less competition
Passionate buyers, less price-sensitive
Lower CPCs = more clicks for your budget = better ROAS. Here are proven strategies:
[Niche/Audience] + [Product Type] + [Design Theme/Humor Style] Well-structured titles improve Quality Score and lower Shopping CPCs by 15-25%.
Create separate campaigns for Winners (high ROAS), Potentials (volume), and low performers. Bid aggressively on winners, conservatively on the rest.
Run branded keywords in a separate Search campaign. This prevents PMax from claiming credit for cheap brand clicks and inflating your actual CPC.
Fix disapproved products, add GTINs, include all recommended attributes. Higher feed quality = better auction eligibility = lower CPCs.
These keywords drain your budget with low purchase intent:
Million competitors, commodity pricing
Can't win on price with POD margins
Trend dies before ads optimize, copyright risks
Looking for blank printing services
Creators looking for inspiration, not buyers
As you scale, your CPC dynamics change. Here's what to expect at each phase:
Validation
$300-800/month
Test only 5-10 proven designs, find profitable niches
Expansion
$1,500-3,000/month
Add winning designs, expand proven niches
Scale
$5,000+/month
Only if you've found repeatable profitable niches