New research from PPAI and Oxford Economics, produced in partnership with APPA, puts a dollar figure on the size and economic footprint of branded merchandise across Australia and New Zealand.
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$9 billion spent on branded merchandise in Australia and New Zealand in 2025 |
In 2025, $9 billion was spent on branded merchandise in Australia and New Zealand, accounting for around 2% of global branded merchandise spending. That is one of the headline findings of the Branded Merchandise Australia & New Zealand Market Report, part of the global economic impact study commissioned by the Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) and conducted by independent global advisory firm Oxford Economics.
The study measures the industry end to end, from the design, manufacture and decoration of branded products through to the distributors, agencies, e-commerce platforms, retailers and corporate buyers that put them in people’s hands.
The ANZ total combines two categories:
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$3.8 billion Promotional products Nearly $4 billion – the traditional heartland of APPA’s members. |
$5 billion Licensed merchandise Physical products sold under licensing agreements. Royalty payments to trademark and copyright owners are excluded from this figure. |
To put the promotional products figure in context, Australia’s $3.5 billion in promotional product spending was equivalent to around 14% of total Australian advertising spend, which Oxford Economics estimates at $25 billion in 2025.
APPA’s previous industry benchmark, the 2018 Promotional Products Industry Stats, captured initial distributor sales of $2.2 billion (adjusted to 2025 prices). Oxford Economics used that as a starting point, then added spending that flows through channels beyond traditional distributors, including third-party sellers on e-commerce platforms, artisan producers, and direct purchases from manufacturers and suppliers. The result is an estimate of $3.8 billion in promotional products spending.
In other words, the gap between the two figures reflects a wider lens on the market rather than growth in the industry itself. The traditional distributor channel remains at the core, but buyers are now sourcing branded products in more ways than our earlier research could see.
The $9 billion tells us what was spent. The report also measures what that spending contributes to the economy as it flows through businesses, supply chains and wages. In 2025, the ANZ branded merchandise sector supported:
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$11B in GDP $1 in every $300 of economic output |
55,000 jobs 1 in every 320 jobs across both countries |
$4B in tax revenues across Australia and New Zealand |
Around $3 billion of that GDP comes directly from the industry’s own operations. In Australia, that’s more than the petrol and coal product manufacturing or textile manufacturing industries. The effect also spreads: every job in the industry supports another 1.5 jobs elsewhere in the economy.
Of the 22,000 people employed directly by the industry, around three in four work in downstream, buyer-facing roles such as distribution, retail and agency work. With manufacturing largely outsourced, a further 3,000 work in sourcing and decoration, and 2,000 in manufacturing.
| Distribution, retail and agency (buyer-facing) | 16,000 |
| Sourcing and decoration | 3,000 |
| Manufacturing | 2,000 |
| Total direct employment | 22,000 |
For the first time, Australian and New Zealand businesses have independent, economist-backed evidence of what branded merchandise contributes to the economy.
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“This research changes the conversation. For years our members have known the value branded merchandise delivers for their clients. Now we can show that it’s a $9 billion market that supports 55,000 jobs across Australia and New Zealand. That gives members the evidence to position merch as a serious part of the marketing mix and gives APPA a stronger voice when we advocate for the industry.” Mark Kindness, CEO, Australasian Promotional Products Association |
Members can use these figures in conversations with clients making the case for merch in their marketing mix, and APPA will use them to strengthen its advocacy for the industry.
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Members can access the full report, the member toolkit and the launch webinar recording in the APPA Research Hub. |
All figures are in Australian dollars and relate to 2025. Source: Branded Merchandise Australia & New Zealand Market Report, 2025 (PPAI, Oxford Economics and APPA, September 2026).
