Solid gains signal confidence in a notoriously tricky trading month. Find out more in PH Digital’s August Market Report.
PH Digital’s August Market Report – Overview
With YoY sales up 7.21% and MoM revenue only -1.72% after July’s surge, August proved the engine is healthy: AOV +9.57% MoM, discounting -11.03% MoM, and customer count +9.63% MoM signal margin discipline and fresh audiences heading into peak.
Based on anonymised performance data from leading ecommerce clients across New Zealand and Australia, PH Digital’s Monthly Market Report offers a clear, actionable snapshot of what’s working right now across Shopify, Google, Meta, SEO and CRM.
Released today, the August Market Report shows steady demand with improving quality: AOV +5.88% YoY, returns essentially flat, and promotions still doing the heavy lifting YoY (+23.3%). The job for September is conversion and BFCM readiness – locking offers, warming lists and pressure-testing creative and PDPs so higher Q4 ad costs still pay back.
Key insights from August:
- Promo smarter, not harder: Discounts down 11% MoM while sales held – evidence that value messaging is landing and margin can be protected through BFCM.
- Google Ads momentum: Spend +21.6% YoY drove revenue +25% YoY with PMax, Generic and Brand all in growth – our mix remains a strength heading into peak.
- Meta reality check (with upside): August ROAS softened amid pricier auctions, but CTR hit a month high, reinforcing that creative is working; now we convert it before November.
Other highlights include: tactical SEO notes on Google’s August Spam Update and expanding AI Overviews, practical platform updates (Google, Instagram, TikTok), Mailchimp reliability/attribution changes and this month’s PH Lab Report on culture, creative speed and logistics-as-brand.
With BFCM front and centre, September is the moment to sharpen strategy, confirm budgets and offers and turn resilient demand into margin-positive growth. PH Digital’s August Market Report gives you the insight – and the plan – to do exactly that.
Missed previous reports? Check out the archive here.
About PH Digital’s Market Report
PH Digital’s Market Report is an essential source of clarity, context and actionable insight. It’s built for business owners and marketing managers navigating a fast-changing digital landscape.
Released monthly, the report distils anonymised performance data from PH’s client portfolio across Shopify, Google, Meta, email and SEO into an easy-to-read snapshot of what’s really happening in the market, and what to do about it.
Designed for busy people, each section pairs hard metrics with clear takeaways. Skim it like a newsletter or deep-dive like a strategist. And because PH works with premium ecommerce and service brands across New Zealand, Australia and beyond, the insights are hyper-relevant to local businesses, while also looking beyond the algorithm to consider broader consumer, cultural and economic trends.
Grounded in real data, the report doesn’t just show what’s working – it explains why, and how you can apply it. Whether you’re chasing conversions, trying to cut wasted spend, or planning your next brand push, it connects short-term performance with long-term brand strategy.
