With Holidays Approaching, Retail Ad Spend Gains Momentum

Prior to the 2015 holiday season, Pixability took a closer look at how the world’s leading retailers are spending on YouTube’s skippable TrueView ads. We weren’t surprised to find TrueView spend increasing–the top 100 retail brands (as per the National Retail Federation) are on track to spend more than $41 million in Q4, 200% more than in last year’s holiday season.
This increase follows retailers gearing up for the holiday season in Q3, spending $31 million, a 77% increase from Q2. That trend is projected to continue as the holiday season peaks in December.
By analyzing video engagement data, Pixability identified several key insights around TrueView spend by sector, and striking investment differences between competitor brands. Leading the charge on TrueView spending is Walmart, projected to spend $17.6 million on TrueView this year. Amazon ($9.8 million) and Apple ($5.8 million) are also forecasted to lead their categories–however, it’s worth noting that Apple generates organic views comparable to Walmart’s paid views. Online Stores lead in average annual TrueView spend as a category at $13.2 million, trailed by Consumer Electronics ($5.4 million) and Big Box Stores ($5.2 million).

Last year, Walmart took advantage of the TrueView ad format with a sophisticated digital strategy. This year we’re seeing more retailers leveraging the more engaged viewership that TrueView offers over traditional 15-second pre-roll or television ads. Check out stories in AdAge and Digiday that include our analysis of retailers’ holiday ad spend.

Pixability utilizes its premium video advertising technology to generate these and other insights. Learn more about Pixability and our platform here.
Image courtesy of Flickr.