Serbia’s Digital Landscape: The Mobile Advertising Advantage for Advertisers

Serbia is a country in the Balkan Peninsula where technologies are becoming more and more digitized each year. People are increasingly turning to digital platforms as their primary sources of information and entertainment. This trend has led advertisers to invest more in online advertising.

Today we will take a look at the digital market in Serbia, especially focusing on the mobile segment. We will find out how much time people spend online, which types of ads are considered the most promising, and which products are most in demand online.

Population of Serbia in 2024

As of January 2024, the population of Serbia stood at 7.12 million people, indicating a decrease of 64 thousand individuals over the past year.

In terms of gender distribution, women make up 52.0% of the population, while men account for 48.0%. Geographically, as of the beginning of 2024, 57.3% of the population resided in urban centers, while 42.7% lived in rural areas.

The average age of Serbia’s population is 43.3 years. The distribution of the population by age groups is as follows:

• Children and adolescents (aged 0 to 17 years) constitute 17.3%.
• Young adults (aged 18 to 34 years) – 19.3%.
• Individuals aged 35 to 54 years – 29.4%.
• Individuals aged 55 years and older – 33.9%.

Internet use in Serbia

In Serbia, the steady growth of internet users continues. According to the latest data, the number of registered internet users in Serbia reached 6.4 million people. This figure indicates that the internet covers 90% of the country’s population, confirming the trend towards increasing digitization of society.

Despite the overall positive trend, there has been a slight decrease in the number of internet users over the past year. During this period, the number of users decreased by 58 thousand people, approximately 0.9% of the total.

Internet connection speeds in Serbia

Data provided by Ookla serves as the most important indicator of the expected internet connection speed in Serbia. According to this data:

• The median speed of mobile internet via cellular networks is 50.43 Mbps.
• The median speed of fixed internet reaches 71.72 Mbps.

This indicates positive dynamics in Internet speed growth in the country over the last year. Specifically, the median mobile Internet speed increased by 3.93 Mbps, corresponding to a growth of 8.5%. Additionally, fixed internet speeds grew by 11.29 Mbps, or 18.7%, over the same period.

Social media statistics for Serbia in 2024

Serbia currently has 5 million registered active users on social media platforms. However, Kepios analysis shows that this number has decreased by 0.2% since the beginning of 2023.

The proportion of social media users relative to Serbia’s total population stood at 70.3%. However, marketers should keep in mind that these numbers can include not only unique identities, but also multiple accounts belonging to the same user.

Mobile connections in Serbia

According to GSMA Intelligence, Serbia had 8.89 million registered mobile subscribers at the beginning of this year.

In addition, the data shows that in January 2024, the number of mobile connections in Serbia was 124.9% of the total population. This percentage is due to the fact that many people use multiple mobile connections for different purposes, from personal to work. Therefore, the number of mobile connections may exceed the population.

Another interesting fact: from the beginning of 2023 to the beginning of 2024, the number of mobile connections in Serbia increased by 89 thousand. Certainly, this confirms the widespread use of mobile technologies among the population.

Digital advertising market in Serbia

Serbia is considered one of the rapidly growing markets in the digital technology sphere. Over the past year, expenditures on online and offline advertising amounted to $347.7 million, reflecting a 3.2% increase in funding.

It is interesting to note that according to DataReportal, $155.7 million was allocated for digital advertising, which is 7.7% more than the previous year. Overall, digital advertising accounted for 44.8% of all advertising expenditures.

By 2024, banner advertising is expected to become the leading segment in the advertising industry. It is projected that the volume of this sector will reach $64 million. Mobile banners are anticipated to become more popular than desktop ones.

Average advertising expenditures per user in this segment are estimated to be around $11.1 in the same year. Consequently, this market represents an attractive opportunity for advertisers, especially considering that in other countries, the cost per user is significantly higher.

Consumer product categories in the Serbian e-commerce market

E-commerce plays a crucial role in the digital market. It is critically important for marketers to track it in order to understand which product categories online users spend on most frequently and adapt their strategies accordingly.

Over the past year, the most profitable category has been fashion, with a total budget of $234.4 million and a growth of 25.6%. The subsequent results are as follows:

• Electronics: $206.9 million
• Beauty and Personal Care: $90.39 million
• Toys/Hobbies: $81.20 million
• Food: $75.34 million

Additionally, over-the-counter medications ($35.87 million) and furniture ($26.40 million) have also proven to be popular categories.

Mobile advertising in Serbia and the programmatic market

According to the data obtained, expected spending on programmatic advertising in Serbia will reach $115.7 million, which is 7.4% higher than last year. This segment holds a significant share of the total digital advertising volume, accounting for 74.3%.

Such a high percentage underscores the pivotal role of programmatic advertising in brand and product promotion strategies in the market.

Given that programmatic advertising enables more efficient use of advertising budgets and allows for a high degree of personalization in consumer interactions, it is becoming increasingly popular with each passing year.

Special attention is paid to mobile programmatic advertising, which is becoming increasingly important. Statista forecasts show that by 2028, 60% of all programmatic advertising spend is expected to be on mobile devices.

If you want to promote your products in mobile apps in the Serbian market, now is the time! Favorable price per in-app user, rapid digitalization and audience loyalty to online advertising make mobile promotion a great choice for advertisers all over the world.

To start your first media campaign, we suggest you turn to the leading programmatic platform – BYYD.

For the past nine years, we have been effectively assisting brands in promoting their products and services within mobile applications. Our client portfolio includes industry giants such as Pepsi, Mars, Nestle, Dell, and many others.

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