Leading Software Brands in Canada: Q3 2023 Insights

Introduction

In Q3 2023, Canada’s software landscape showcased some of the most influential brands in the industry, with Gmail, Google Workspace, and Microsoft 365 leading the charge. These brands have consistently maintained a significant monthly true audience across both websites and apps. Sensor Tower’s comprehensive data provides critical insights into these trends, offering unparalleled cross-platform analysis.

Gmail

Gmail’s digital presence is robust, with its website, mail.google.com, and the Gmail - Email by Google app forming a powerful duo.

• Audience Trends: From Q2 to Q3 2023, Gmail’s website visits hovered around 1.3B monthly. The monthly true audience remained stable, consistently above 24M.

• App Engagement: The app showed growth in monthly active users, increasing from 19.5M in April to over 20.5M by September.

• Ad Spend & Channels: Gmail’s monthly ad spend fluctuated, with notable spikes in August, driven primarily by Facebook, reaching over $2K and 600K impressions.

Google Workspace

Google Workspace, formerly G Suite, includes a suite of tools such as Google Calendar, Google Docs, and Google Meet (original).

• Audience Trends: Each tool maintained a strong web presence, with Google Calendar peaking at over 200M monthly visits in September. Monthly true audience figures for the suite approached 10M.

• App Engagement: Apps like Google Calendar and Google Docs saw user growth, with Google Calendar reaching over 8.4M monthly active users.

• Ad Spend & Channels: Significant monthly ad spend occurred in August, exceeding $96K on desktop video, generating over 6M impressions.

Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365, including tools like Microsoft Word and Microsoft Outlook, remains a staple in productivity software.

• Audience Trends: The suite’s websites, such as office.com, consistently attracted over 140M monthly visits. Monthly true audience metrics were strong, nearing 10M for Outlook-based services.

• App Engagement: Apps like Microsoft Teams experienced fluctuations, with monthly active users decreasing in mid-Q3 but recovering to over 5.7M by September.

• Ad Spend & Channels: Microsoft 365’s advertising strategy heavily utilized Facebook and Instagram, with monthly spends reaching over $660K and impressions surpassing 160M in May.

Conclusion

The software sector in Canada continues to be dominated by Gmail, Google Workspace, and Microsoft 365, each showing distinct trends in audience engagement and advertising strategies. Sensor Tower’s unique cross-referencing capabilities, leveraging Web Insights, Pathmatics, and App Performance Insights, provide invaluable insights into these leading brands, highlighting their strategies and user behavior across platforms. By utilizing Sensor Tower’s consolidated data, decision-makers gain a competitive edge in understanding and responding to market dynamics.