Millennials more inclined to block ads on desktop

Retale commissioned a study to find out just how many people are blocking ads on various devices (January 2016). Their research comes hot on the heels of other data that delves into the hot topic of ad blocking and how publishers are dealing with the challenge.

Retale’s research involved 500 adults from across the U.S. and found that, overall, 57% use an ad blocker on their PC.

However, when age is taken into consideration the numbers vary wildly. While just 44% of those age 55 and over use an ad blocker, and 57% of those between the age of 35-54, it is the tech-savvy Millennials (18-34 years of age) who are most likely to use an ad blocker (63%).

According to Pat Dermody, President of Retale, Millennials are “more inclined to tune out display and banner ads while on a PC, they’re proactive in blocking them. Only 37% aren’t using some sort of ad blocker today. To more effectively connect with this group, advertisers need to focus on building relevant & engaging campaigns that reach Millennials when they are ready to interact”.

However, when it comes to ad blocking on a mobile device, there is little difference between younger age groups. Among those age 18-54 between 21% and 22% use an ad blocker on mobile devices. Among mobile users age 55 and over that figure drops to just 13%. Across all age groups, an additional 16% of mobile users said they would like to use an ad blocker but didn’t think they could on their particular device.

“Advertisers can’t afford to ignore mobile ad blocking,” added Dermody. “As adoption expands, brands will need to factor these potential obstacles into their digital marketing strategy. In a separate study, we found that 60% of those who’ve clicked on mobile banner ads say they did so accidentally, with nearly 70% calling the clicks were annoying. People want to block mobile banner ads just as they’ve done with desktop ads, but the awareness around mobile ad blocking solutions and the technology itself isn’t quite there yet.”