LoopMe, a technology company that utilises AI to enhance brand advertising performance, recently conducted a survey of 1,292 Australian consumers. The survey, which ran from 15-23 September 2024, aimed to understand sentiment towards online advertising and to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the first online ad.

The survey's key findings reveal that 18% of Australian consumers make a purchase from an ad on a webpage every few months. Interestingly, 18% of Millennials (ages 35 – 44) are willing to buy from online ads each week.

The survey also found that 23% of respondents are happy to see non-intrusive ads if they keep online journalism free. This indicates a level of acceptance towards advertising as a necessary part of accessing free content online.

In terms of device preference, 14% of consumers interact more with ads on mobile, compared to only 7% interacting more on desktop or laptop. This suggests a shift towards mobile as the preferred platform for online advertising engagement.

One surprising finding was that 54% of Australian consumers today don’t notice the actual placement of an ad on the webpage. Ads embedded in the content draw 17% of attention, while bottom-of-the-page ads are noticed by 7%, and the banner ad at the top of the page by 6%.