In Southeast Asia, total media ad spending snapped back to pre-pandemic levels in 2021 and will continue rising strongly this year. The growth in digital ad spending, though tamer in 2022, will again outpace that of the overall ad market.

That’s the slowest-ever expansion in digital spending in the region, with China almost entirely responsible. China’s ecommerce sales will grow by 11.9% this year, its slowest-ever rate. For most of the past decade, China saw annual growth rates in the 40% range. But China’s digital transformation is rapidly reaching a point of maturation, and the standout growth figures of yesteryear are long gone.

As a result, advertising on desktops and laptops will still contribute significantly to digital ad spending overall. And digital ad spending—unlike outlays on traditional media—is set to climb this year despite the massive market impact of the pandemic. eMarketer estimates that digital ad spending worldwide will rise 2.4% this year to $332.84 billion and make up 54.1% of total media ad spending.