How the benchmarks are built
Every channel starts from a US base: what one customer typically costs to acquire there for a mid-priced impulse product. TikTok is cheapest because short-form video reaches buyers who decide fast; Google Shopping is the most expensive because searchers compare prices and shops bid for the same queries. Each market then gets a multiplier relative to the US, reflecting cheaper or pricier ad auctions. The table above multiplies the two.
How to use them
A benchmark only means something next to a product's break-even CAC, the most that product can pay for a customer. If the break-even CAC is comfortably above the benchmark for your channel and market, paid ads are worth testing. If it is below, the product needs a higher price, a bundle or organic traffic. The break-even CAC calculator works it out for any product, and Product Score shows it for every product it scores.
Their limits
Your real cost per customer depends on the product, the creative, the season and how well your store converts. Two stores selling the same item can see costs several times apart. Treat the benchmark as the question "could this product survive typical ad costs?", not as a forecast of what you will pay. Several markets in the table are estimates added without campaign data, and lower ad costs in emerging markets usually come with lower prices and more cash-on-delivery refusals. Once you have run ads, your own CAC replaces the benchmark.