January by the Numbers: How App Behavior and Ad Spend Shifted in Early 2026

January 2026 advertising spend reached $12 billion, flat YoY, but category-level shifts reveal where brands see opportunity and risk. The top six categories accounted for 69% of spend, but rankings changed: Financial Services climbed to third place, overtaking CPG, which dropped to fourth. Gaming surged into the top six for the first time, displacing Food & Dining, with a 42% YoY spend increase.

Health & Wellness spent 12% of total ad dollars in January (vs. 10.5% in other months), reflecting New Year resolution trends. Shopping's share fell from 21% in December to 17% in January, indicating seasonal pullback.

For Gaming, downloads rose only 2% YoY to 21 million, but revenue jumped 5% to $185M, and revenue per download (RPD) improved 8% to $3.14. Health & Fitness RPD grew 6% to $3.39. For ad ops decision-makers, these data points suggest: 1) Invest in Financial Services and Gaming for growth; 2) Monitor CPG and Food & Dining for potential softness; 3) Focus on monetization tactics as acquisition plateaus, leveraging RPD improvements; 4) Capitalize on January's Health & Wellness spike; 5) Plan for Shopping's post-holiday decline.

The overall message: reallocate budgets toward categories with strong RPD growth and consumer engagement trends.