Digital Ad Costs for Acquiring New Customers Drop by 45%; AdRoll Reveals a Golden Opportunity Ahead of Black Friday

The digital advertising market in this phase leading up to the holiday and year-end shopping season has created a rare opportunity for brands. Data from the AdRoll platform, derived from the analysis of over 20,000 online businesses, reveals that the cost of ad impressions for targeting new customers (Prospecting CPM) has dropped by a record 45% compared to the previous year. Alongside this, the cost of re-engaging customers who have previously visited a website (Retargeting) has decreased by 29.1%.

This shift in pricing presents a new strategy for business owners. If $10 was previously spent per thousand ad impressions, the same level of visibility can now be achieved for $5.50. This allows brands to build a broad base of potential customers before the congestion and rising ad costs of the Black Friday season. Brands can now introduce their products and capture user attention at a low cost, enabling them to convert that interest into actual purchases through Retargeting campaigns with special offers once the discount season begins. However, lower costs alone do not guarantee success; consumers in 2026 are highly cautious and price-sensitive. Therefore, advertising messages must clearly demonstrate the product's value and benefits to ensure that cheap clicks translate into valuable sales.