Leading Financial Services Brands in Australia: Q1 2025 Analysis

Introduction

In the dynamic realm of financial services, certain brands have distinguished themselves by amassing significant monthly deduplicated audiences across their websites and apps. In this article, we delve into the performance and trends of three leading brands in Australia for Q1 2025: PayPal, Afterpay, and Square Point of Sale. Utilizing Sensor Tower's comprehensive datasets, we analyze audience trends, app engagement, and advertising efforts.

PayPal

Digital Presence

PayPal's digital ecosystem includes its website, paypal.com, and the PayPal - Pay, Send, Save app.

• Audience Trends: From Q4 2024 to Q1 2025, PayPal's website experienced a slight fluctuation in unique visits, hovering around 2.6M to 2.8M monthly. The monthly deduplicated audience remained stable, consistently around 3.8M to 3.9M. Notably, web-only users slightly outnumbered app-only users, indicating a balanced cross-platform presence.

• App Engagement: The app maintained a stable monthly active user base, averaging approximately 1.3M. This consistency suggests a steady interest in PayPal’s mobile offerings.

• Ad Spend & Channels: Advertising activity was minimal, with only a brief increase in monthly spend during December 2024 and January 2025, primarily on Facebook and Instagram. This strategy resulted in modest impressions, indicating a targeted ad approach.

Afterpay

Digital Presence

Afterpay's online presence is centered around its website, afterpay.com, and the Afterpay: Pay over time app.

• Audience Trends: The website's unique visits showed a declining trend from over 1.2M in late 2024 to under 1M by March 2025. The monthly deduplicated audience also saw a slight decrease, settling around 2.5M in March. App-only users consistently outnumbered web-only users, reflecting a strong mobile preference.

• App Engagement: The app’s monthly active users reached a peak of approximately 900K in February 2025, displaying a strong mobile engagement.

• Ad Spend & Channels: Afterpay significantly increased its monthly advertising spend, particularly in March 2025, with expenditures nearing $750K. This resulted in a surge of impressions, especially on TikTok and Instagram, indicating a focus on social media platforms.

Square Point of Sale

Digital Presence

Square Point of Sale is accessible via squareup.com and the Square Point of Sale (POS) app.

• Audience Trends: The website witnessed a noticeable increase in unique visits, surpassing 1.3M by March 2025. The monthly deduplicated audience showed robust growth, reaching over 1.5M in the same period, with web users dominating the audience.

• App Engagement: The app's monthly active users remained stable, around 40K, indicating a niche but consistent user base.

• Ad Spend & Channels: Advertising efforts were steady, with a peak in December 2024. Facebook and Instagram were the primary channels, contributing to a significant portion of impressions.

Conclusion

The financial services sector in Australia continues to evolve with brands like PayPal, Afterpay, and Square Point of Sale leading the charge. Sensor Tower's unparalleled data insights, encompassing web, app, and advertising metrics, provide a comprehensive view of market dynamics. These insights are crucial for understanding cross-platform user behavior and strategizing future growth.

For more detailed insights, explore Sensor Tower's Web Insights, App Performance Insights, and Pathmatics.