October saw a surge in Australia’s housing interest, according to Ipsos iris, Australia’s digital audience measurement currency endorsed by IAB Australia. 12.9 million individuals were engaged with homes and property content, marking a 2.9% increase from the previous month.
Simultaneously, major global and local events, including the Voice referendum, the NRL Grand Final concluding the footy season, the Hamas attack on Israel, and unfortunate passings of notable figures like Friends star Matthew Perry and comedian Cal Wilson, contributed to a significant spike in online news consumption.
The month’s total online news content consumption reached 20.3 million.
The News category, including general and diverse content such as weather, sport, lifestyle, entertainment, and business news, played a pivotal role in shaping online engagement.
Ipsos iris News Ranking Report Oct 23
In October, the property search subcategory within the Homes and Property segment saw a 3.4% rise, reaching over 12.3 million Australians using property search websites or apps. Notably, 98% of this audience focused on residential property, indicating stability in the Australian housing market despite interest rate hikes.
Women demonstrated a higher engagement with residential property search platforms, dedicating almost double the time per month compared to men. Individuals aged 25 and over were the primary users of residential property search websites, with those aged 65 and over spending the most time.
This demographic also displayed interest in commercial property search sites, particularly Boomers exploring investments in both residential and commercial sectors.
Ipsos iris Homes and Property Ranking Reports Oct 23
Overall, in October, Australians aged 14 and above increased their online time by 3.3%, totalling 3.8 hours or 119 hours per month. The most frequented website and app categories were social networking (21 million), followed by search engines (20.9 million), technology (20.9 million), retail and commerce (20.8 million), and entertainment (20.7 million).
Games emerged as the fastest-growing category in October, up 4.2%, followed by Homes and Property (up 2.9%) and Health (up 2.5%). The largest online cohort was aged 25-39, while individuals aged 40 to 54 spent the most time online in October.
See Also: News.com.au holds top spots in digital news according to latest Ipsos iris report