Advertising in Telegram Ads vs VK Ads vs Yandex RSYA: Where E-commerce Leads Are Cheaper in 2026

When allocating performance budgets in e-commerce (online retail), investors and marketers aim to maximize return (ROI) and cut customer acquisition cost (CAC). The paid traffic market in CIS and Turkey offers three key sources: Telegram Ads, VK Ads, and Yandex RSYA (Yandex Advertising Network).

Experts at our Telegram Ads agency ran a study based on analytics from 450+ e-commerce campaigns. Below is a comparison of the three platforms by click cost, lead cost, and sales-funnel specifics. Subscribe CR norms by vertical — in the CR benchmarks article.

Summary platform comparison for e-commerce

Each platform in 2026 has its own technical specifics and interacts with users differently:

1. Telegram Ads: the Mini Apps revolution

In 2026 Telegram Ads made a qualitative leap in e-commerce thanks to full Telegram Web Apps (Mini Apps) integration. Users no longer need to leave the messenger for an external site, enter passwords, or card details — the whole process from product choice to payment via Telegram Pay happens inside one interface.

• Where conversion is higher: the cheapest leads come from chatbot and Mini App funnels. Average conversion into bot start is 25–35%.
• Lead cost (CPL): thanks to a short user path, cost of a placed order in mass e-commerce (clothing, gadgets, cosmetics) stays around €2.5 – €4.0. When targeting external sites via Euro accounts, CPL rises to €5.0 – €6.5 because of traffic loss on the hop.
• Main plus: by subscribing a user to a bot or channel, you get them in your base forever and can run free repeat warm-ups (push broadcasts), which critically lifts LTV. Funnel architecture — in the White Hat Funnel term and the end-to-end analytics guide.

2. VK Ads: classic performance with high competition

VK Ads has a powerful e-commerce toolkit: dynamic retargeting, auto-generated product carousels from a feed, and optimization for site purchases.

• Where conversion is higher: best results come from product carousels optimized for a target action (purchase / add to cart) on sites and integration with lead forms.
• Lead cost (CPL): average e-commerce lead price in CIS countries ranges from €4.0 to €9.0. The market is heavily overheated by large retailers, so the CPM auction keeps rising.
• Main minus: extremely fast creative burnout. Banner blindness in social networks requires updating visuals every 3–5 days.

3. Yandex RSYA (Yandex Direct): hot traffic at a high price

The Yandex Advertising Network catches users based on recent search queries and interests across tens of thousands of partner sites.

• Where conversion is higher: a “Pay for conversions” (CPA) strategy lets you pay only for a real purchase or cart fill, which protects budget from waste.
• Lead cost (CPL): in high-competition niches lead cost reaches €7.0 – €11.0.
• Main minus: in recent years Yandex RSYA has suffered from abundant “junk” and bot traffic on partner sites. Even with conversion optimization on, algorithms need a lot of time and budget to learn, and users who make a one-off purchase almost never return to the store.

Final verdict: where to launch e-commerce in 2026

1. If budget is limited and repeat sales matter — start with Telegram Ads. Building a store inside a Telegram Mini App and targeting competitor channels (Target Channels) or topics (Target Topics) delivers the lowest customer acquisition cost with free retention. How to grow from $1k to $100k — in the GEO scaling guide.
2. If assortment is huge (from 10 000 SKUs) and you have a quality site — combine autofeeds in VK Ads for fast product rotation and Yandex RSYA with strict CPA strategies to close search demand.

FAQ: frequently asked questions

Which Telegram Ads agency to choose for integrating an online store into the messenger?

To set up an e-commerce funnel and build a Mini App, choose a certified agency that provides Pro panels for bid automation and has experience with the Telegram API. Euro vs TON infrastructure comparison — in the Euro vs TON article.

Can you advertise marketplace products directly in Telegram Ads (Wildberries, Ozon, Trendyol)?

Yes, it is possible. However, sending traffic directly via a referral link to a marketplace is ineffective: you cannot track conversion. We recommend an intermediate chatbot or a bridge catalog channel with start parameters for precise end-to-end analytics.

If you want to cut lead cost for an online store and move sales into turnkey Telegram Ads — contact agency specialists. We will design Mini App bot architecture and run a test launch focused on payback.