Australians stock up on gear and game day essentials as the NFL kicks off in Melbourne.

NRL Grand Final caps the footy finals with strong spending and fan engagement.

Updated by ADI: 6 October 2026

This is the third and final of our updates on a blockbuster month of football, following the NFL’s Melbourne debut and the AFL Grand Final. The NRL Grand Final on October 4 brought the run to a close, with the Sydney Roosters beating the Newcastle Knights by a point at Accor Stadium to claim their first premiership since 2019. ADI’s data for NRL Grand Final weekend (October 2 to 4) shows the occasion reaching well beyond the game, with Australians spending on the watch party, searching to learn more, and creating to back their clubs.

Australians stock up for the decider.

• Team merchandise: Supporters showed their colours ahead of the decider, with online traffic for NRL team merchandise up 37% YoY and 158% above average August levels.
• Food and drink: The game-day menu got stocked, with online spending up on beer (+18%), soft drinks (+5%), sausages and beef patties (+26%), pizza (+28%), and corn chips and dip (+23%).
• Screens: Households upgraded their viewing, with spending on screens up 17% above average August levels, including streaming devices (+11%), projectors (+12%), and TVs (+21%).
• BBQs and cookware: Backyard hosts prepared for the night, with outdoor BBQs, grills, and smokers up 29%, small kitchen appliances up 33%, outdoor furniture up 12%, and cookware up 8% above August levels.
• Cleaning supplies: Hosts got ready for the clean up, with spending on cleaning supplies up 26% above average August levels, including vacuum cleaners, mops, and brooms.

A Grand Final tribute raises awareness of MND.

The Grand Final paid tribute to Jai Arrow and Nathan Charles, who were both diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) this year. Many Australians went online to learn more, with MND search traffic up 23% YoY over the weekend.

Fans turn to generative AI to back their club.

Adobe Firefly prompt data shows rugby-related prompts building throughout the finals series: 50% above the 2026 average in the week of 14 September, 141% above in the week of 21 September, and 154% above in Grand Final week. Club prompts followed the two finalists, with prompts for the Knights up 94% and prompts for the Roosters up 117% on the previous week.

Fan enthusiasm goes well beyond game day.

A month of football showed the value of looking beyond the game itself to understand how Australians shop, create, and connect with brands. For brands, the opportunity lies in knowing what matters to their audiences and delivering experiences that feel personal and timely. With a big summer of sport on the horizon, the next chance to connect with fans isn’t far away.

AFL Grand Final delivers watch party spending, Kylie fever and fan content creation.

Updated by ADI: 30 September 2026

The AFL Grand Final delivered on field and online. ADI's data for Grand Final weekend (September 25 to 27) shows the moment carried into merchandise, watch party essentials, and even pop culture search.

As households gathered to watch the big dance, spending on watch party essentials surged well above August levels:

• Team merchandise: Online traffic for AFL team merchandise up 47% YoY and 273% above average August levels.
• Food and drink: The fridge and the table were stocked for the big day, with online spending on drinks and snacks up 16%, including beer (+29%), soft drinks (+9%), sausages and beef patties (+16%), and pizza (+14%).
• Screens: A big game called for a bigger view, with spending on screens up 36% above average August levels, including streaming devices (+20%), projectors (+24%), and TVs (+43%).
• BBQs and cookware: Backyards became the grandstand, with outdoor BBQs, grills, and smokers up 11%, outdoor furniture up 14%, and cookware up 22% as households prepared to host watch parties.
• Cleaning supplies: Pre- and post-event clean-up drove a 32% increase in spending on cleaning supplies, including vacuum cleaners, mops, and brooms.

Kylie fever takes hold.

Australians couldn't get her out of their heads, with Kylie Minogue-related search traffic up 530% YoY, 370% above August levels.

Fans turn to Adobe Firefly generative AI to show their colours.

Adobe Firefly prompt data shows prompts related to Australian rules football rising 73% through Grand Final week, peaking at 125% above the previous week's average over the weekend itself.

Club-specific prompts followed the storyline: prompts for the Dockers rose 819% on the previous week as Fremantle chased a maiden premiership, and prompts for the Lions rose 374%. After Brisbane's comeback win, Lions-related prompts climbed a further 310% above the week's average, 277% higher than Grand Final day itself.

Australians gear up for the AFL and NRL Grand Finals.

Updated by ADI: 18 September 2026

The footy finals are in full swing, with a blockbuster AFL grand final approaching this Saturday and the NRL grand final still to come. Australians are already shopping for the occasion. Over the September 11 – 13 weekend, ADI saw:

• AFL merchandise: Team merchandise traffic up 84% above August levels (+17% YoY).
• NRL merchandise: Team merchandise traffic up 33% above August levels (+16% YoY).
• BBQs and cookware: Outdoor BBQs, grills, and smokers rose 38%, and cookware rose 24%, as Australians prepare to host backyard watch parties.
• Screens: Screens: Online spending on screens grew 41% above average August levels, including streaming devices (+23%), projectors (+47%), and TVs (+49%).

NFL debut weekend delivers a real shopping surge.

Australia's NFL debut is officially in the books, and the numbers back up the hype. ADI forecast a strong showing ahead of opening weekend. The actual data confirms Australians turned up for it.

AI-driven shopping and social engagement build momentum.

The finals aren't the only story. Beyond the footy field, ADI's August data shows the shift in how Australians shop accelerating alongside the shift in what they're watching:

• AI traffic: AI-driven retail traffic up 228% YoY.
• Affiliate traffic: Up 21% YoY and 27% since July, now 8% of total retail visits.
• Social traffic: Up 20% YoY.

The predictions: what ADI expected ahead of kickoff.

Updated by ADI: 3 September 2026

Australians are shopping. Through the first seven months of the year, consumers spent a record $39.3 billion online; tailwinds are only expected to increase with three blockbuster games of footy still ahead on the calendar.

The State of Origin series and the Socceroos’ run at this year’s World Cup set the spending stage. Now, upcoming sporting staples like the AFL and NRL grand finals are sharing the field as the NFL brings its distinctly American brand of football to Australia for the first time.

Ahead of kickoff, data from Adobe Digital Insights (ADI) points to unmistakable yet familiar shopping signals and online activity among Australian fans: upgraded screens, stocked fridges and pantries, and special game day outfits as millions of households and workplaces prepare for epic watch parties.

Merchandise, major sporting events hint at consumer behaviour ahead of NFL debut.

While the AFL and NRL sit comfortably atop Australian fandom, the NFL is gaining yards, especially with younger generations where ADI survey data shows nearly a third (31%) of fans under 35 follow the sport. This mirrors how Australians are prompting as well. Only the U.S. and Mexico create more American football imagery than Australian creators on Adobe Firefly, although it still lags significantly behind Aussie Rules and other popular sports.

But for 100,000 spectators at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and millions more around the country, the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers are poised to inspire even greater NFL momentum in Australia. In the last three months, as game day anticipation grows, online traffic in Australia for NFL team merchandise has been steadily climbing. In June and July, online traffic surged nearly 250% year-over-year (YoY). In August, it’s projected to top 300% YoY. Over opening weekend (Sept. 11 to 13), online traffic is expected to rise 85% YoY, reaching more than 400% above average August levels as Australians embrace the NFL's historic debut.

It’s not just merchandise. In the three days leading up to kickoff, ADI expects a 20% online spending lift on screens and a 15% lift on snacks compared to average levels in August as fans prepare the perfect watch parties. This includes streaming devices (+27%), projectors (+22%), and TVs (+18%) on the wall, beer (+25%) and soft drinks (+10%) in the fridge, and corn chips and dips (+16%) and pizza (+12%) on the table.

These spending patterns are expected to match online shopping behaviour tied to other major Australian sporting events this year. In the 72 hours leading up to the first State of Origin match in May and the Socceroos’ first World Cup game in June, viewing platforms like streaming devices spiked as high as 74% above average levels while grocery items like beer surged as much as 34%.

NFL enthusiasm reflects Australians’ willingness to spend in 2026.

From established, culturally embedded moments like footy grand finals to new global imports like the NFL vying for hearts, minds, and wallets, Australian consumers have shown a record appetite to spend so far this year. This is especially true in recent months, where monthly online spend surpassed $6 billion in May and June and is expected to do the same in July and August.

Through July, Australian consumers have spent nearly $40 billion online, up 8.6% YoY compared to $36.2 billion spent during the same period in 2025. This includes an estimated $6.9 billion in July alone, the most of any month this year to date.

Traditional digital channels still outpace AI for visit share, but the gap is closing.

It’s not just what or when Australian consumers are buying that’s influencing their purchasing decisions, but increasingly how they’re buying as well. AI-driven retail traffic continues to see unrestrained momentum, up 108% YoY in July, suggesting more high-intent shoppers are turning to and trusting these models for product discovery, comparisons, recommendations, and even purchases.

That said, traditional digital channels are still capturing most demand. While natural search (45%) and direct traffic (29%) are driving more than two-thirds of online visits, social networks saw the largest YoY growth (22%) despite only accounting for 5% of total traffic share. This is notable ahead of a three-week footy blitz, starting with the NFL showcase and AFL Grand Final in September and the NRL Grand Final in early October.

ADI survey data reveals that while older Australians are more likely to describe themselves as dedicated fans, younger generations are showing it: wearing team colours, buying tickets, and supporting local venues and hospitality at 2x-4x the rate of older fans. This participatory energy is particularly evident on social media, where fans under 35 are 6x more likely to post while watching games and more than twice as likely to message friends about the games than those 65 and over. This suggests that despite a relatively minor share of traffic, social isn’t just a bench player, especially if brands want to reach, engage, and influence younger consumers during these high-stakes cultural moments.

Australian online retail spend on track for potentially historic year.

With the NFL, AFL, and NRL all planting their respective flags in Australian fandom over the next few weeks, surging merchandise traffic and watch party wish lists suggest online spending momentum is likely to carry through the spring and toward the holidays.

In American football, the difference between a touchdown and a turnover can quite literally be blades of grass or tips of toes. The same margins apply to brands eager to capitalise on these high-stakes, high-velocity events. Those that can capture demand and convert attention with timely promotions, targeted outreach, and frictionless paths to purchase will be the biggest winners when the final whistles blow.