Retail Category Share of Ad Spend Drops 3.1%

The retail sector has seen a three percentage point drop in its share of total advertising spend in the US, according to WARC Media data.

The retail category took up 16.7% of total ad spend in 2017 in the US but this share has since shrunk to 13.6%, though still ranks top as the sector with the highest share of investment.

Out of the top ten categories with the highest share of ad spend, automotive has seen the biggest decrease, from 9.3% five years ago to 5.1% in 2022. Media and publishing and telecoms and utilities are two other sectors that have experienced a minor decline in the share of ad spend.

In contrast, the technology and electronics sector recorded the highest ad share growth across the past five years, with WARC Media forecasting a 14.3% increase in 2023. This corresponds to a wider global trend where the technology and electronics sector is forecast to lead ad growth this year and next.

Government and non-profit, pharma and healthcare, financial services and business and industrial also see increases in the share of spend since 2017 in the US.