The most consumed website and app categories in February were search engines (21.4 million), social networking (21.3 million), technology (21.3 million), retail and commerce (21.1 million) and entertainment (21.1 million), found Ipsos iris data.
Most of the top 10 online retail brands have grown their audience year on year with the biggest growth coming from Chinese ecommerce shopping site Temu, increasing its audience by 39.7 per cent, followed by Coles Group, which was up 18.8 per cent.
Just one year after its launch in Australia and amid a cost of living crisis, Temu has more than 11 million Australians using its app or website and is the fifth largest online retail brand in the country, reflecting consumers’ desire to hunt down a bargain.
Almost 21.1 million Australians aged 14-plus used a retail or commerce website or app in May.
In the retail sub-categories, the largest growth was for flower shopping for Mother’s Day on 11 May, which jumped by 28.6 per cent compared to April and by 21.2 per cent compared to February 2024 ,which was the next biggest month for purchasing flowers online due to Valentine’s Day.
Restaurants and pubs websites and apps also saw their biggest audiences for 2024 in May, to more than 5.9 million people, up 5.8 per cent on April.
As the winter weather makes its presence known, the energy suppliers/utilities category grew its audience by 5.7 per cent, perhaps as Australians searched for better deals.
The chart below shows the Retail & Commerce brands’ ranking during May 2024 by online audience size.
The Federal and State Governments’ Budget announcements fuelled interest in news websites and apps during May, as readers sought trusted online content to understand the Budget implications on their lives, according to Ipsos iris data.
While Budget news dominated the headlines, other breaking news events locally and globally – from entertainment to natural phenomena – captured the attention of Australians across news websites and apps.
Major stories, including the mid-air turbulence disaster on Singapore Airlines, the tragic double murder of two Australian surfers in Mexico, the appearance of Aurora Australis, and entertainment stories such as the Met Gala in New York, Seven Network’s Farmer Wants A Wife and Eurovision, saw Australians flock to digital News websites and apps as an essential source for big stories.
News.com.au continues to attract the most traffic, followed by ABC News and nine.com.au.
More than 20.7 million people used a news website or app in May, reaching 96.7 per cent per cent of online Australians aged 14-plus.
The chart below shows the News brands’ ranking during May 2024 by online audience size.
Ipsos iris, Australia’s digital audience measurement currency endorsed by IAB Australia, showed that overall, 21.5 million Australians aged 14+ used the internet in May and spent on average 4.5 hours per day, or almost 137 hours for the month, online.
