December delivered a near-universal online shopping moment, closing out an extended end-of-year sales period that began in October, as sustained promotional activity and Christmas demand saw 21.79 million Australians, or 98.5 per cent of the online population aged 14 plus, flock to retail and commerce websites and apps, according to Ipsos iris data.
Australians spent around 7.9 hours, or more than 15 minutes a day, consuming retail and commerce online content and services last month.
The retail and commerce category experienced strong engagement in December, following elevated audience levels across the October to December period. The category includes a wide range of retail sub-categories, including beverages which soared from 7.6 million in November to 9.1 million in December, an increase of just under 20 per cent month on month, and Beauty, where the audience grew from 8.1 million in November to 8.4 million in December, an increase of just over 4 per cent month on month.
Online content consumption also showed that books are back, with the Books (including e-books) and Literature sub-category audience surging by 6.4 per cent month on month, as summer reading and gifting over the festive season became popular.
Women drove the growth of the overall retail and commerce category, comprising 52.4 per cent of the audience, compared to men at 47.6 per cent of the audience.
The chart below shows the Retail and Commerce brands’ ranking during December 2025 by online audience size.
More than nine in 10 Australians consumed online news content in December
A total of 21.3 million people used a news website or app in December 2025, reaching 96.5 per cent of online Australians aged 14+, and spent an average of 3.3 hours per month consuming online news content.
Major local and international news events continue to see Australians turn to news websites and apps for major local and international news events. Locally, online news was dominated by the Bondi Beach terror attack which generated immense and sustained coverage across all news platforms. The narrative evolved from initial breaking news and live updates to stories focusing on the victims, the heroic actions of bystanders, and the political and social fallout. The sheer volume of articles and time spent as the tragic event unfolded indicated that this story captured the nation’s attention more than any other.
Other local news driving consumption was the ongoing trial of Tom Silvagni and his rape conviction, the personal life of AFL player Lachie Neale and his marriage breakdown, plus sporting events including the Ashes cricket series and the AFL trading season and draft picks.
Globally, stories related to the British Royals garnered interest, as well as the death of film director Rob Reiner and his wife Michelle, the continuing release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, live scores, fixtures, and league tables for the Premier League football, and major boxing events, including the Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua fight.
The chart below shows the News brands’ ranking during December 2025 by online audience size.
Career, Homes and Property see biggest audience increases in December
The Career category topped year on year growth for December, rising by 6.6 per cent and was followed by Homes and Property (6.2 per cent), Health (3.9 per cent), Social Networking (3.4 per cent) and Entertainment (3.4 per cent).
Ipsos iris, Australia’s digital audience measurement currency endorsed by IAB Australia, showed that a total of 22.127 million Australians aged 14 plus used the internet in December and spent 4.68 hours per day on average online, which was up 1.7 per cent compared to the same time last year.
The most consumed categories in September were Search Engines (22.05 million), Social Networking (22.04 million), Online Media (21.9 million), Technology (21.9 million), and Retail and Commerce (21.8 million).
