JOLT Data: Australian Consumers Most Likely to Switch Brands in Summer
2026-08-13 · via DailyDOOH
JOLT, the Australian digital out-of-home and electric vehicle charging network, has published new first-party data suggesting that summer is when its audience is most likely to switch brands and providers, a finding the company is positioning as a case for seasonal ad spend on its network.
According to JOLT, 82% of respondents said they are open to trying new brands or switching providers in the next six months, and more than a quarter said they are actively reassessing brands right now. The company says 85% of its audience switched at least one household provider in the past 12 months, with 54% changing two or more, and users switching across an average of 2.18 categories over the year.
For media buyers, the category breakdown is the part worth noting. JOLT says streaming (43%) and energy/utilities (41%) see the most switching, with insurance, mobile/internet and banking also seeing meaningful movement. JOLT frames this as evidence that its screens, sited at EV charging locations, reach people at a moment of high "switching intent" rather than passive brand loyalty.
The data comes from a survey of JOLT's urban users conducted in June, described by the company as its 2026 Summer Spending Intentions report. JOLT also highlights a segment it calls "selective upgraders," people it says are willing to spend on quality and experience for specific categories while cutting back elsewhere, with quality groceries and food cited as the top protected spending category.
What this means for operators and buyers
This is audience research from a single DOOH network, not independent third-party measurement, and the release does not disclose sample size, methodology detail beyond "survey of JOLT's urban users," or margin of error. Buyers evaluating the claims will want that detail before treating the percentages as representative of the broader Australian population rather than JOLT's specific charging-location audience.
JOLT says the insights are drawn from its own first-party data and powered by Spark Intelligence, its in-house audience intelligence platform, which the company says helps brands discover audiences, target high-intent consumers, and measure campaign impact. That positions the report as much as a sales tool for JOLT's ad inventory as a piece of independent consumer research.
For operators running DOOH or retail media networks elsewhere, the release is a reminder that charging infrastructure and other dwell-time locations are increasingly being sold on behavioural and seasonal targeting narratives, not just footfall or screen counts. Whether advertisers see comparable switching data from JOLT's competitors, and whether independent verification of these figures exists, is not addressed in the announcement.
The announcement in full
Reproduced from DailyDOOH for reference. Digital Signage Magazine did not write the text below.
JOLT , Australia’s digital out-of-home and electric vehicle charging network, today released new first-party data insights, revealing that summer is switching season for Australian consumers, with 82% open to trying new brands or switching providers in the next six months and more than a quarter actively reassessing brands.
JOLT National Sales Director, Tim Debenham , told us “Cost-of-living hasn’t made Australians loyal, it’s made them selective. They’ll keep the same everyday brands but switch their bank, energy and streaming providers in the same year. In fact, 36% of JOLT users switched providers three or more times in the past year, and moving between two-plus brands a year is now normal behaviour for JOLT’s audience. Summer is when those decisions get made, and they get made on the street, not in front of the TV. Our audience is willing to spend on quality and experience, and is highly open to new brands. Summer is the window when plans around switching providers turn into action. We know that people are more receptive to brands in summer. Our insights show that eight in 10 of our audience is open to trying new brands, while out-of-home effectiveness and brand advocacy also increases in the warmer months. The JOLT network is embedded into the everyday lives of these high value switchers.”
The new 2026 Summer Spending Intentions data, collected via a survey of JOLT’s urban users in June about their planned financial habits, also revealed the rise of ‘selective upgraders’ – a new wave of customers who are willing to spend selectively on quality and experience, and have high switching intent, particularly around big-ticket purchases.
More than eight in 10 (85%) of JOLT’s audience have switched at least one household provider in the past 12 months, and more than half (54%) have changed two or more.
The categories most likely to change hands are streaming (43%) and energy/utilities (41%), with nearly half planning to review or change their energy provider within six months, health insurance (25%), home & contents insurance (22%), mobile/internet (21%), car insurance (21 %) and banks/mortgages (17%). Many respondents revealed they had already made the move, with JOLT users switching across 2.18 categories on average in the past year.
JOLT’s data found that this new wave of customers are not retreating from spending over summer but have become more selective. Almost half (46%) describe themselves as selective spenders – spending well in the categories that matter and keeping watch on the rest.
Quality groceries and food (46%) are the single thing they protect first, ahead of travel, fitness and home comforts.
JOLT collects and utilises first-party data, providing brands with unparalleled audience connection and actionable insights. It is powered by Spark Intelligence, JOLT’s data-powered audience intelligence platform that helps brands discover audiences, engage high-intent consumers, and measure the impact of their JOLT campaigns.
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