Study: Retailers will lead digital ad spend

New York - Digital ad spending in the U.S. will total $58.61 billion this year, and retailers' ad outlays will comprise 22% of that figure, or $12.91 billion, by far outpacing all other U.S. industries. According to new figures from eMarketer.



Retailers will spend nearly twice as much as any other industry on mobile advertising in 2015, and the sector's $6.65 billion will represent 23.2% of the $28.72 billion that advertisers in the U.S. will spend to reach consumers on mobile devices this year.



A vast majority of retail sales are still occurring in-store -- just 7.1% of US retail sales will come via ecommerce in 2015, eMarketer estimates -- so omnichannel efforts are often bolstered by mobile ad spending directed at driving visits.



In terms of programmatic advertising, retailers will take an even larger share of the overall market. In 2015, the U.S. retail industry will spend $3.71 billion to purchase digital display ads programmatically, which accounts for 24.9% of the $14.88 billion US advertisers will spend on programmatic buys this year.



The CPG and consumer products category is the second-largest sector for programmatic buying, and 63% of digital display ads among advertisers in that industry are purchased programmatically, according to eMarketer. With more than $2 billion in programmatic spending this year, CPG will account for 14.1% of all programmatic display dollars in 2015, compared to only 8.5% share of digital advertising overall.



When it comes to digital video, the retail industry will account for 19.9% of the $7.77 billion to be spent on digital video ads in the U.S. this year, less than its overall share of the digital ad market.