Retail rules: Australia’s digital advertising outpaces overall ad market

The Australian digital advertising market continued its strong growth trend with 25.8% year-on-year growth to hit A$2,883 million for the March quarter of 2021.

Data from the IAB Australia Online Advertising Expenditure Report shows that surging retail advertising and a rebound in classified advertising are a reflection of the healthy Australian economy and increasing consumer confidence.

Why it matters

Digital advertising in Australia is outpacing the overall ad market, with a diversification of adspend across different digital offerings. As borders re-open and supply chains improve, both the travel and automotive categories are expected to increase investments in digital advertising.

Key insights

• All categories posted double-digit growth for the March quarter 2021, with search and directories up 26.5%, general display increasing by 28.9% and classifieds up 18.5%.
• Retail advertising continued to grow, representing 16.4% of display investment and leading video advertising investment. 
• Total video advertising expenditure fell slightly to A$572 million in the March quarter, following a record spend of A$645 million in the immediately preceding December 2020 quarter. 
• Travel advertising is beginning to recover amid the domestic tourism boom and, together with automotive advertising, is slightly up from preceding quarters.

Sourced from IAB Australia