NFL Australia drives 400 per cent traffic increase in merch sales

By Harry Booth September 15, 2026

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The NFL’s inaugural regular-season fixture Down Under has been and gone, with more than 100,000 fans filling the MCG for a game between the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers.

The match capped a week filled with events, retail activations and a kick-off festival in Melbourne. As part of the ongoing global ambitions of the US’ favourite sport, NFL Australia focused on making an impact off the field.

In an event hosted by official sponsor Adobe at the NFL Kick-Off Festival ahead of the game, Inside Retail heard how the game had influenced the Australian consumer.

Carly Lynch, the principal strategist of retail, media and travel at Adobe’s digital strategy group, Apac, drew parallels between the NFL Australia event and the looming AFL Grand Final in Melbourne.

She said the Grand Final and wider footy finals will see 79 per cent of households make purchases related to the sport. Key spending areas included electronics to improve the watching experience, along with food and beverages.

Spending on streaming devices alone, Adobe said, increased by 74 per cent in the build-up to similar sporting events.

These habits have become entrenched in Australia; only 1 per cent told Adobe that they don’t plan to take part in the footy finals season.

And this is what the NFL was targeting. Adobe said the month before the flagship fixture was expected to cause a roughly 400 per cent increase in online traffic related to NFL merchandise. The year leading up to the fixture, ending in August, saw a 310 per cent increase, more than usual.

But it wasn’t just a merchandise-selling operation. Adobe said that 72 per cent of brands that had targeted investment in the event expect a 1.5-times return on their investment, and 30 per cent expect to double their money.

In the eyes of Charlotte Offord, the general manager of NFL ANZ, the MCG fixture was just the beginning. The sporting organisation currently has an agreement with the Victorian Government to deliver three games over four years. Offord said, if it were up to her, the MCG curtain raiser would become a permanent fixture.