A good ROAS is any figure above your break-even point. At gross margins of 30% to 70%, break-even sits somewhere between 3.3× and 1.4×. The number that matters is yours, not an industry average.
What ROAS means.
ROAS is return on ad spend: the revenue your ads bring in, divided by what the ads cost. Spend £1,000, take £4,000 in sales, and your ROAS is 4×.
It measures revenue, not profit. That is why the same ROAS can make one brand money and lose it for another.
Work out your break-even ROAS first.
Break-even ROAS is 1 divided by your gross margin. Gross margin here is the share of each sale you keep after product cost, shipping, payment fees and returns.
| Gross margin | Break-even ROAS |
|---|---|
| 30% | 3.33× |
| 40% | 2.5× |
| 50% | 2× |
| 60% | 1.67× |
| 70% | 1.43× |
Take a £60 order at a 40% margin. You keep £24 before ad costs. At a 4× ROAS the ads cost £15 and you make £9. At 2× the ads cost £30 and you lose £6.
So a 2× ROAS is a loss for that brand. For a brand on a 70% margin, the same 2× is comfortably profitable.
What the 2026 benchmarks say.
Triple Whale tracks ad accounts for tens of thousands of e-commerce brands. Its latest figures cover August 2025 to July 2026.
| Platform | Median ROAS, all brands | Apparel and accessories | Sports and outdoors | Food and beverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meta ads | 1.88× | 2.24× | 2.35× | 1.61× |
| Google Ads | 3.27× | 3.99× | 4.35× | 3.18× |
Two things stand out. The often-quoted "aim for 4×" is more than double the median on Meta. And Google runs higher than Meta in every category shown, because it reaches people who are already searching.
A median is the middle of the pack, not a target. Half of those brands do better.
Why a lower ROAS can be the better result.
ROAS usually falls as you spend more. Your first pounds reach the people most likely to buy. Every pound after that reaches someone a little colder.
Picture a brand on a 50% margin. At £1,000 a month and a 6× ROAS, it makes £2,000 after ad costs. At £10,000 a month and a 3× ROAS, it makes £5,000.
The lower ROAS made more money. Chasing the highest possible ROAS often means spending too little.
Repeat purchases change the sum too. If customers come back and buy again, you can afford a lower ROAS on the first order.
Where the number can mislead.
- Platforms mark their own homework. Meta and Google can both claim the same order. Add their reports together and you may get more sales than your store took.
- Warm audiences flatter the figure. Retargeting and brand search show a high ROAS because many of those people were going to buy anyway.
- Short windows hide costs. One good week tells you little. Look at a full month, including returns.
Check platform ROAS against a blended figure: total store revenue divided by total ad spend. If the platforms say 5× and the blended figure says 2×, believe the blended figure.
Where our numbers sit.
Our case studies show results well above those medians. Silverstone Museum returned 33.6× on Meta. LN4 returned 15× on Google. WXM Clothing returned 13.08× on its SS24 launch.
Those are real figures from the ad accounts, and they need context. They come from specific campaigns, at ad spends between about £1.2K and £3.9K, for brands people already wanted to buy from. A museum at the home of British motor racing starts with demand most brands have to build.
What they show is what happens when the offer, the timing and the creative line up. Set your target from your margin, then try to beat it.
How to set your target.
- Work out your gross margin per order, after product cost, shipping, fees and returns.
- Divide 1 by that margin. That is your break-even ROAS.
- Add the profit you need on top. If you break even at 2.5×, a target of 3× or more gives you room.
- Set separate targets for finding new customers and for retargeting. New customers will always cost more.
- Check the blended figure every month, and move budget towards what holds up.
Common questions.
Is a 2× ROAS good? It is profitable if your gross margin is above 50%. Below that, you lose money on the first order.
What is a good ROAS for Meta ads? The median e-commerce brand gets 1.88×. A good result is one above your break-even that holds as you add budget.
What is a good ROAS for Google Ads? The median is 3.27×. Expect it to run higher than Meta, because Google reaches people who are already looking.
What is the difference between ROAS and ROI? ROAS compares revenue with ad spend alone. ROI compares profit with every cost in the business.
Sources.
- Triple Whale: Facebook Ad Benchmarks by Industry, August 2025 to July 2026
- Triple Whale: Google Ads Benchmarks by Industry, August 2025 to July 2026