oOh!media Data Shows Australian Summer Spending Up 5.4%, Boosting OOH Investment
2026-08-27 · via DailyDOOH
Australians spent $175 billion during the 2025/26 summer season, up $9 billion or 5.4 percent on the previous year, according to analysis from Westpac DataX released by out-of-home media company oOh!media (ASX:OML). For operators and advertisers working in out-of-home and digital signage, the data is being used by oOh!media to argue that brands should shift more ad spend toward summer and toward formats tied to travel and movement.
The company says discretionary spending reached $91 billion over the period, with consumers continuing to prioritise experiences over goods despite ongoing cost-of-living pressure. Theme park visits rose 30 percent year on year, according to the release, and long-distance road trips grew by 485,000 more travellers compared to the prior year. Regional travel spending hit almost $6 billion, with metro travel spending at $7.8 billion.
oOh!media also pointed to specific spending events as proof that seasonal moments are becoming more concentrated and arriving earlier. Black Friday and Cyber Monday generated $9.5 billion in spending over four days in 2025, up 4.5 percent year on year, which the company says works out to $1.65 million spent every minute. The Australian Open reportedly drove $2.8 billion in spending across Greater Melbourne during the tournament.
Grocery spending also rose, hitting $21 billion for the summer period, up $677 million compared to winter months, which oOh!media attributes to Christmas, barbecues and long weekend entertaining.
What it means for OOH formats
The headline figure for signage and out-of-home operators is what oOh!media says happened to its own "brief value", the term it uses for the size of advertising briefs coming into the business. The company reports this rose 21 percent over the summer period, with growth concentrated in formats linked to travel: Rail briefs up 29.1 percent, Airports up 23.8 percent, and Street up 16.4 percent year on year.
Mel Duffy, oOh!media's head of POLY strategy and partnerships, is quoted saying the data shows a gap between consumer behaviour and media investment, and that brands are increasingly planning earlier to capture summer spending moments.
The release does not disclose methodology details beyond crediting Westpac DataX with de-identified transaction data, nor does it say how this compares to other seasons beyond summer. It also does not address digital versus static inventory performance specifically, only broad format categories. For operators running airport, rail or street-level digital displays in Australia, the report is best read as oOh!media's pitch to advertisers ahead of the next summer buying cycle rather than independent market research.
The announcement in full
Reproduced from DailyDOOH for reference. Digital Signage Magazine did not write the text below.
Australians Spent $175 Billion Last Summer
Australians spent $175 billion during summer 2025/26, up $9 billion (5.4 per cent) on the previous year, according to new analysis from Westpac DataX released by oOh!media Limited (ASX:OML) . The findings build on oOh!’s proprietary research, which shows summer is Australia’s biggest spending season, with this trend continuing despite cost-of-living pressures.
Mel Duffy , head of POLY strategy and partnerships, oOh!media, told us “This data shows there is a clear gap between consumer behaviour and media investment. Despite cost-of-living pressures, people haven’t stopped spending, travelling or seeking experiences during this period, and brands need to be present when those moments happen. oOh!’s network connects brands with Australians across the places, journeys and moments that define the season. We’re seeing more brands come to us earlier to plan for these key opportunities.”
Discretionary spending hit $91 billion across the last summer season as consumers continued to prioritise experiences and activities. As the mercury rises during the warmer months, more Aussies headed outside, with visits to theme parks seeing one of the most significant rises, increasing 30 percent year-on-year.
The great Australian road trip also showed no signs of slowing, with 485,000 more people travelling long distances compared to the previous year. Travellers spent almost $6 billion in regional Australia and $7.8 billion across metro areas, recognising the scale of how Australians move and spend in summer.
Lila Conomos , head of Westpac DataX, said “Summer spending habits are remarkably resilient, even as cost-of-living pressures continue to weigh on household budgets. We’re seeing people prioritise experiences and moments that matter, from road trips to major cultural events. De-identified data gives us a unique view into how spending patterns shift across the year, and for brands and marketers, that’s an incredibly valuable insight to pinpoint the right time and place to influence purchase decisions.”
Major spending moments are also arriving earlier in the season, prompting marketers to rethink when and where they invest. Black Friday and Cyber Monday delivered $9.5 billion in spending across four days in 2025, up 4.5 per cent on the previous year, with shoppers spending the equivalent of $1.65 million every minute.
Meanwhile, during the Australian Open $2.8 billion was spent in Greater Melbourne, as local and international tennis fans are drawn to the first Grand Slam of the year, further highlighting the role major cultural moments play in driving seasonal spending.
Fashion, hospitality, travel and beauty continued to drive spending, alongside everyday categories such as supermarkets, according to Westpac DataX. Grocery spending hit $21 billion last summer, up $677 million on winter months as Aussies continue to be drawn to the rituals that define the season, including Christmas, barbecues, long weekends and entertaining at home.
Over the past summer, oOh!’s brief value rose by 21 per cent, with stronger investment flowing into formats synonymous with seasonal movement and travel, including Rail, up 29.1 per cent, Airports, up 23.8 per cent, and Street, up 16.4 per cent year-on-year.
This entry was posted
on Thursday, August 27th, 2026 at 00:37 @067 and is filed under DailyDOOH Update . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response , or trackback from your own site.About DailyDOOH Editorial Team Technology Team
AdAI: OOH – Conference Series 2023/2024 2025
AdTECH: OOH Conference Series 2016 – 2022 2022. (Our Eight Events) 2023 2024
Past Events CITY BRIEFINGS The DailyDOOH Gala Awards Returns To New York Thought Leadership Summits
The DailyDOOH Gala Awards Returns To New York
The Software Holocron (Digital Signage, Gesture, Kiosk and Touch)
Categories CEO SPOTLIGHT (101) DailyDOOH Update (15,133) DailyDOOH.net (16) Events (694) Guest Contributions (15) Housekeeping (59) Jobs (81) Scuttlebut (10,348) The Hub (5) Vlog (34) Will Work For Love (42)
Recent Entries Australians Spent $175 Billion Last Summer Firefly se expande a Colombia STRATACACHE Sells PRN To @PerionNetwork The Digichief Health Intelligence Platform Get Ready to Register for #CES2027 ARF Creative Effectiveness Conference, October 14, 2026 The Future of Media Canada, September 29 2026 VIOOH in US Screenverse Partnership Integrate Expo, Sydney, Sept 2-4 2026 Get Your Passes, @DPAAGlobal Video Everywhere Summit
Australians Spent $175 Billion Last Summer
The Digichief Health Intelligence Platform
ARF Creative Effectiveness Conference, October 14, 2026
The Future of Media Canada, September 29 2026
Get Your Passes, @DPAAGlobal Video Everywhere Summit
Meta Register Log in Valid HTML5 WordPress