Advertisement

Retailers Fail To Capture Consumer Eyeballs Via YouTube Ads

The retail industry has some catching up to do if it wants to engage its audience via YouTube advertisements. Retailers finished with a 15.7% average view ratedead last among 25 industries and more than 8% behind the next-closest industry — according to the 2017 YouTube Advertising Benchmark Report.

View rates on YouTube advertisements average 27.7% across all industries, meaning retail falls 76% below the average.

Strike Social used its data science tools to measure view rates, cost-per-views (CPV) and click-through rates (CTR), and compare how these factors vary across variables such as gender, age and season. The study concluded that most YouTube advertisers miss the mark, despite the fact that Internet users watch more than one billion hours of video on YouTube every day.

Advertisement

With so many advertisers on YouTube, there is stiff competition to capture view rates. Education has the highest average view rate (35%) across the 25 different verticals. Fashion does a much better job attracting eyeballs than its retail counterpart, generating a 32% view rate, tying for second-highest percentage.

Retail’s cost-per-view ($0.045) performs slightly above average compared to the all-industry average of $0.044, while its average view click-through rate (0.84%) stands well above the average of 0.532%.

Seasonality Plays Big Role In View Rates, CPV

Retail advertisers should keep in mind that seasonality strongly influences YouTube view rates and CPV. December has one of the lowest view rates, at 25.4%, while demanding a CPV that is 36.4% higher. This can be attributed to the crowded market associated with the holiday season, leading to higher costs and decreased engagement. The report discovered the following data about other months:

  • January is the best month to advertise. View rates are 28% higher than average at a 23% lower cost;

  • June mirrors December in its lower-than-average VR and higher CPV; and

  • July and August maintain near-average VR and a significantly lower CPV (15.9%).

The report, conducted by social advertising software and management company Strike Social, examined a year’s worth of YouTube campaigns across 25 industries ranging from education to entertainment to electronics.

 

Featured Event

View the Retail Trendcaster Webinar Series on-demand to uncover key 2025 retail trends, from AI and personalization to social commerce. Gain expert insights, data-driven predictions, and actionable takeaways to stay ahead in a rapidly evolving market.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Retail Trendcaster Webinar Series
Days
Hours
Minutes
Seconds

Uncovering What’s Next in Retail

On-Demand Limited Video Series

Q1 is a pivotal time for retail, with experts analyzing holiday sales and forecasting trends. View the full lineup of the Retail Trendcaster video series for insights on consumer spending, AI, personalization, social commerce, and more—helping you focus on what truly matters in 2025.

Brought to you by
Retail TouchPoints
Access Now
Retail TouchPoints is a brand of Emerald X LLC. By clicking the button and submitting information, you acknowledge and agree that your information may be shared with corporate affiliates of Emerald X LLC, and other organizations such as event hosts, speakers, sponsors, and partners. Please read our Privacy Policy and our Terms Of Use for more information on our policies.

Access The Media Kit

Interests:

Access Our Editorial Calendar




If you are downloading this on behalf of a client, please provide the company name and website information below: