Austrian retail ads achieve 29% recall, exceeding digital ad benchmark

Digital advertising campaigns from Austria's retail sector generated recall rates significantly above industry averages in November 2025. The latest AdSuccess Handel study from IAB Austria demonstrates that retail advertising achieved a 28.6% recall rate, positioning the sector among the strongest performing categories in digital advertising effectiveness.

IAB Austria published the AdSuccess Handel 2025 report on November 18, 2025, providing comprehensive measurement data on digital retail advertising performance. The research, conducted by Reppublika Research & Analytics, examined consumer recognition and recall across multiple retail advertising campaigns deployed throughout Austrian digital media properties.

The 28.6% recall rate for retail advertising surpasses the cross-industry benchmark of 24.5% established through Reppublika's broader AdSuccess measurement program. This performance differential suggests retail sector campaigns maintain above-average memorability with Austrian digital audiences, according to the research findings.

Measurement methodology across three recognition levels

The recall measurement employs a three-tier evaluation structure designed to capture different depths of advertising memory formation. The first component measures spontaneous recall, where respondents identify advertisements without prompting or visual aids. The second tier evaluates aided recall through product category mentions, while the third examines aided recall through brand and company references.

This comprehensive approach enables comparison across different advertising categories and provides granular insight into how consumers retain and retrieve advertising messages. The methodology mirrors standardized digital advertising measurement frameworks increasingly adopted across European markets to enable cross-platform performance comparison.

The retail sector demonstrated particularly strong performance in the Handel category specifically, which encompasses general merchandise retailers, furniture stores, household goods sellers, and automotive dealerships. Within category-specific measurements, Handel achieved the second-highest recall rate at 29% among respondents who had seen at least five online campaigns from retailers within that classification.

Recognition performance approaches benchmark levels

Recognition measurements—which assess whether respondents identified specific advertisements after being shown the creative executions—reached 27.4% for retail advertising. This performance level sits virtually identical to the overall benchmark of 27.5% established across all tested digital campaigns.

Recognition testing operates differently from recall measurements. Researchers present actual advertisement creative to respondents, then ask whether they viewed that specific execution within the previous seven days across digital properties. Positive identification counts toward the recognition metric, providing insight into advertisement memorability when consumers receive visual prompting.

The recognition measurement captures different cognitive processes than unaided recall. While recall tests measure how deeply advertisements embed in memory, recognition assessments evaluate how effectively creative executions register during initial exposure and remain retrievable when prompted with visual cues.

Digital retail advertising in Austria benefits from sophisticated targeting capabilities and closed-loop attribution systems increasingly standard across European retail media networks. European retail media spending grew 22.1% in 2024, substantially outpacing the broader advertising market's 6.1% expansion, as brands redirected performance budgets toward commerce media channels.

Industry-leading sectors show varied performance

The AdSuccess Handel research analyzed advertising performance across 15 distinct retail categories. Television, film, and cinema advertising achieved the highest recognition rate at 36%, followed by furniture and home furnishings at 36%. Telecommunications rounded out the top three categories at 33%.

Body care products, beauty, and cosmetics advertising registered 33% recognition as well, matching telecommunications performance. Financial services and insurance advertising reached 29% recognition rates, while energy sector advertising achieved 28%.

The benchmark-level performance category included general retail at 27%, matching the cross-industry standard. Tourism and travel advertising also reached 27% recognition, alongside household goods at 26% and automotive at 25%.

Health products advertising generated 23% recognition rates, while food and beverage advertising achieved 23% as well. Entertainment and recreation sector advertising reached 20% recognition, with IT and telecommunications rounding out the measurement at 19%.

Austria demonstrated exceptional digital advertising expansion within developed European markets during 2024. The Austrian market achieved 17.8% growth rates despite representing a mature Western European economy, suggesting continued potential for digital advertising share expansion at traditional media's expense.

Recall measurements reveal sector differentiation

When examining recall metrics specifically, furniture and home furnishings led all categories at 31%, surpassing even the retail benchmark. Handel category performance followed at 29%, demonstrating strong memorability for general merchandise retail advertising.

Television and film content advertising generated 28% recall rates, while telecommunications and body care sectors both achieved 27%. Banking, financial services, and insurance advertising reached 26% recall alongside food and beverage advertising at 25%.

Tourism and travel sector advertising produced 25% recall as well, while general retail benchmark performance sat at 25%. Automotive advertising achieved 23% recall, matching health products at 22%.

Energy sector advertising generated 21% recall, with entertainment and leisure reaching 21% as well. IT sector advertising completed the measurement at 18% recall rates.

The measurement differences between recognition and recall metrics illustrate distinct aspects of advertising effectiveness. Recognition measures whether consumers can identify advertisements when shown creative executions, while recall tests whether advertising messages embed deeply enough in memory for unprompted retrieval.

IAB Austria's research provides Austrian retailers and brands with performance benchmarks enabling campaign optimization and cross-category effectiveness comparison. The standardized measurement methodology allows direct performance assessment against both category-specific competitors and broader digital advertising baselines.

European measurement standardization advances

The AdSuccess Handel findings arrive as European advertising organizations pursue comprehensive measurement standardization initiatives across retail and commerce media sectors. IAB Europe released incrementality measurement guidelines on November 3, 2025, establishing frameworks for evaluating causal marketing impact across commerce media campaigns.

European standardization efforts address persistent challenges identified by advertisers operating across multiple retail media networks. Research from IAB Europe indicates 78% of stakeholders identify media measurement as requiring industry alignment, while 69% cite attribution standardization needs as critical priorities.

The measurement framework development reflects commerce media's rapid expansion toward projected $100 billion global spending by 2028. Brands working with four to six retail media networks doubled from 10% to 24% in European markets during 2025, intensifying demands for comparable metrics across platforms.

Albert Heijn became the first retail media network to achieve certification under IAB Europe's measurement standards program in September 2025. The certification process, conducted by independent auditor ABC, validated compliance with standardized measurement protocols for display and sponsored product formats across onsite properties.

Austria's digital advertising market sits within broader European transformation dynamics. The European digital advertising market crossed €100 billion for the first time in 2024, reaching €118.9 billion with 16% year-over-year growth despite challenging macroeconomic conditions.

Digital advertising now commands 67.2% of total advertising expenditure across Europe, representing continued migration from traditional media channels. This digital dominance reflects structural changes in media consumption patterns, with European consumers increasingly engaging with content through connected devices and digital platforms.

Retail advertising leverages purchase intent contexts

Retail advertising effectiveness stems partly from contextual relevance advantages unavailable to many advertising categories. Commerce media placements appear when consumers actively research products or navigate shopping environments, creating natural alignment between advertising messages and immediate purchase consideration.

The ability to advertise at the point of purchase, combined with closed-loop attribution, represents significant advantages for retail advertising performance. Digital retail media captures shoppers in "buy" mode, boosting advertisement relevance and purchase intent while providing direct attribution of sales to advertising activity within reporting systems.

First-party data access remains the dominant driver of buy-side investment in European retail media, with 87% of advertisers in IAB Europe surveys citing this capability as a key opportunity. Point-of-sale consumer reach increased in importance, rising from 74% to 79% of respondents prioritizing this capability between 2024 and 2025.

Austrian advertising infrastructure continues evolving through market consolidation and technology platform integration. Azerion Group acquired Goldbach Austria in November 2024, strengthening its position in DACH region digital advertising markets. The merger combined Azerion's proprietary technology with Goldbach's established presence across television, online, mobile, and digital out-of-home advertising channels.

The AdSuccess Handel measurements provide Austrian retail advertisers with actionable benchmarks for campaign development and media planning optimization. Understanding category-specific performance levels enables more accurate forecasting and budget allocation decisions across retail advertising investments.

IAB Austria members can access the complete AdSuccess Handel 2025 report through the organization's member portal. The research includes detailed breakdowns across all tested categories, demographic segments, and measurement methodologies employed throughout the study period.

Timeline

• September 2024: IAB Europe releases In-Store Retail Media measurement standards for public comment, establishing unified metrics for transparency and growth
• November 2024: Azerion Group acquires Goldbach Austria, expanding digital advertising presence in DACH markets
• March 2025: IAB Europe releases updated retail media definitions for European markets covering on-site, off-site, and in-store formats
• April 2025: European retail media demonstrates 22% growth as sponsored products drive expansion
• May 2025: European digital advertising reaches €118.9 billion with Austria achieving 17.8% growth rates
• September 2025: Albert Heijn earns first retail media certification under new IAB Europe programme
• October 2025: IAB Europe opens public comment on Commerce Media Measurement Standards V2
• November 2025: IAB releases incrementality measurement framework for commerce media campaigns addressing standardization gaps
• November 18, 2025: IAB Austria publishes AdSuccess Handel 2025 report showing retail advertising achieved 28.6% recall rates

Summary

Who: IAB Austria (Interactive Advertising Bureau Austria) conducted the research through partnership with Reppublika Research & Analytics, examining digital advertising performance across Austrian retail sectors.

What: The AdSuccess Handel 2025 study measured advertising recall and recognition rates for retail sector digital campaigns. Retail advertising achieved 28.6% recall rates and 27.4% recognition rates, with retail (Handel category specifically) reaching 29% recall among the highest-performing advertising categories measured.

When: IAB Austria published the AdSuccess Handel 2025 report on November 18, 2025, with data collected through November 19, 2025. The research examined advertisements consumers viewed within the previous seven days across digital properties.

Where: The study focused on Austrian digital advertising markets across multiple retail categories including furniture, telecommunications, body care, financial services, general retail, tourism, household goods, automotive, health products, food and beverage, entertainment, and IT sectors.

Why: The research provides Austrian retailers and advertisers with standardized performance benchmarks enabling campaign optimization and cross-category effectiveness comparison. The measurements arrive as European markets pursue comprehensive retail media measurement standardization to address fragmentation challenges and enable comparable metrics across platforms.