Shopify analysis puts grocery retailers' average net profit margin at 1.32%
SHOP•Shopify’s 2027 retail benchmarking analysis found publicly traded grocery and food retailers averaged a 1.32% net profit margin in 2026, compared with 7.84% for building supply retailers. It also reported differing advertising returns and customer acquisition costs across channels.
1. Retail benchmarks
Shopify’s analysis found publicly traded grocery and food retailers averaged a 1.32% net profit margin in 2026, versus 7.84% for building supply retailers. Median advertising returns for apparel and accessories brands were 3.88:1 on Google Ads and 2.26:1 on Meta Ads. Ecommerce customer acquisition costs averaged $64 through organic channels and $68 through paid channels. The analysis said retailers should assess benchmarks against comparable businesses rather than evaluate individual indicators in isolation.
