In the Retail sector, television (TV) ad volumes increased by 65% in the year 2024 compared to the year 2020. The third quarter of 2024 recorded the highest growth, with a 25% increase compared to the first quarter of the same year.
Within TV advertising, the Retail Outlets – Electronics/Durables category retained its leadership position with a 40% share of ad volumes in 2024 compared to 2023. The News channel genre was the most preferred by retail advertisers in 2024, according to a TAM AdEx report.
In terms of print advertising, ad space for the Retail sector grew by 79% in 2024 over 2020. Notably, the fourth quarter of 2024 witnessed a significant 49% growth in ad space compared to the first quarter.
Among the four geographic zones, the South Zone had the highest share of retail advertising in print, accounting for 50% in 2024. Sales promotion activities contributed 80% of the total ad space in print. Within this, multiple promotions made up 78%, followed by discount promotions at 17%.
Radio advertising for the Retail sector in 2024 experienced substantial growth- 2.36 times higher than in 2020. Within 2024, ad volumes in the fourth quarter increased by 40% compared to the first quarter. The South Zone once again led in print ad space, maintaining a 50% share.
Maharashtra emerged as the leading state in terms of ad volumes, contributing 19%, followed by Kerala with 13%. On radio, advertisers in the Retail sector preferred the Evening and Afternoon time bands, which together accounted for 70% of ad volumes.
In digital advertising, the Retail sector witnessed exponential growth in ad impressions, which are 13.7 times in 2021, 37.5 times in 2022, 38.3 times in 2023, and 33.6 times in 2024 compared to 2020. However, there was a 12% decline in ad impressions in 2024 compared to 2023.
The top 10 advertisers collectively contributed 66% of ad impressions on digital, with Ikea Services (India) leading the list with a 27% share. Programmatic advertising was the dominant transaction method, accounting for 78% of impressions.
TV ad volumes for the Retail sector showed consistent growth year-on-year: 56% in 2021, 87% in 2022, 84% in 2023, and 65% in 2024. Despite this upward trend, there was a 10% decline in 2024 ad volumes compared to 2023, indicating a shift in advertising strategies. Quarterly growth in 2024 showed increases of 8% in Q2, 25% in Q3, and 11% in Q4 over Q1.
In 2024, the top retail advertising categories varied by medium. On television, Retail Outlets – Electronics/Durables led with a 40% share, followed closely by Clothing/Textiles/Fashion at 35%. Home/Interiors/Furniture and Departmental Stores contributed 11% and 9% respectively, while other categories made up the remaining 5%. In print, Electronics/Durables again dominated with a 44% share of ad space.
When examining top advertisers and brands by medium, TV saw the top 10 advertisers contribute 59% of total ad volumes. Vasanth & Co and Reliance Retail each held a 10% share, while Vasanth & Co also led the brand list with a 10% share, followed by Sathya (9%) and Pothys (5%).
In print, Reliance Retail was the leading advertiser with a 13% share, and Vishal Mega-Mart was the top brand with a 5% share. The top 10 advertisers and brands accounted for 38% and 31% of ad space respectively.
In terms of TV channel and program preferences, News was the most favored channel genre, securing a 49% share, followed by GEC (General Entertainment Channels) at 26%. Together, these two genres accounted for 75% of TV ad volumes. Regarding program genres, News Bulletins dominated with a 41% share, followed by Feature Films at 19%. These two genres together comprised 59% of retail sector ad volumes on TV. Ad durations between 20 to 40 seconds were most preferred, with shorter ads under 40 seconds making up 98% of total TV ad volumes.
From a regional and language perspective, the South Zone was the leading territory for both print and radio advertising, holding a 50% share in print. In terms of language, Hindi was the most used in print advertisements, accounting for 26% of ad space. The top five publication languages contributed 80% collectively. General Interest publications were the dominant type, holding 98.4% of ad space. Among cities, Hyderabad and Kolkata stood out as the top two for retail advertising in print during 2024.
