Global advertising platforms playing a long game in retail, payments, and logistics

Global platforms are expanding across the commerce value chain to integrate advertising, payments, and logistics.

Nitish Kumar, PhD · Venture Insights1 May 2020Period: May 20208 min read

Last updated 10 June 2026

39%↑

Amazon 'Other' category revenue growth (2019)

60.7%↓

Google and Facebook share of US digital ad spending (2020 est.)

Locked

Companies covered:GoogleFacebookAmazonAlphabetInstagramYouTubeReliance JioNineFairfaxSevenTenSBSFoxtelTikTok

Abstract

This report analyses the strategic expansion of Google, Facebook, and Amazon beyond digital advertising into retail, payments, and logistics. While Google and Facebook maintain a 60.7% share of US digital ad spending, Amazon's rapid growth is transforming the duopoly into a triopoly. The analysis explores how these platforms use AI and data to reduce friction in the buying process, and how ANZ media incumbents are responding through addressable media and shared adtech platforms to defend their domestic market positions.

Key Takeaways

Amazon's advertising revenue reached US$14.09 billion in 2019, growing 39% and establishing a global 'triopoly' alongside Google and Facebook.
Google and Facebook remain highly vulnerable to ad-market fluctuations, with advertising comprising 84.5% and 98.3% of their Q1 2020 revenues respectively.
Amazon holds a strategic advantage in the commerce value chain, integrating advertising with logistics and 1-click purchasing that competitors are now rushing to mimic.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Google and Facebook currently control 60.7% of US digital ad spending, but their duopoly is rapidly evolving into a triopoly. Amazon is the primary disruptor, fueled by a 39% growth rate in its 'Other' revenue category as it moves deeper into the value chain.

Amazon alone invested US$35.9 billion in technology and content in 2019 to expand its footprint beyond advertising. This scale of investment allows global platforms to integrate retail, payments, and logistics, creating significant friction-free advantages that smaller competitors cannot easily replicate.

Australian websites outside the major global platforms still capture 50.8% of total time spent online as of early 2019. To protect this position, local incumbents are deploying shared adtech and addressable media to counter the data advantages of the global giants.

Global advertising platforms playing a long game in retail, payments, and logistics

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