With organisations across Australia embracing hybrid work, e-commerce expansion and richer media content, the digital asset management (DAM) industry is entering a phase of strong growth. According to IMARC Group’s recent report, the Australian DAM market size reached USD 88.9 million in 2024 and is forecast to grow to USD 412.4 million by 2033 — representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21.2 % between 2025 and 2033. IMARC Group
In this blog we’ll explore the key drivers behind this surge, what it means for organisations (especially in Australia and New Zealand), and how you should be thinking about your DAM strategy for 2026.
Several inter‐locking trends are fuelling adoption of DAM platforms in Australia:
The rise of remote and hybrid work forces organisations to provide centralised, cloud-based asset repositories so that distributed teams can access, manage and approve content in real time.
The booming e-commerce sector is driving demand for high-volume, rich media content (high resolution images, 360° product views, videos) across multiple channels and platforms. To manage this complexity organisations need DAM systems that can scale, integrate with e-commerce platforms and provide metadata/rights management. IMARC Group
The pressure for brand consistency, content agility, regulatory compliance and data security is greater than ever. Having assets scattered across drives, cloud folders or multiple systems no longer cuts it — organisations need a “single source of truth”.
IMARC’s report breaks the market down by type of DAM, component (solution vs services), deployment model, organisation size and end-use industry.
Some highlights:
Types: Brand Asset Management Systems, Library Asset Management Systems, Production Asset Management Systems.
Deployment: On-premises vs Cloud. The growth in cloud deployments is particularly relevant for Australia’s distributed workforces.
End-use sectors: Media & Entertainment, Retail, Manufacturing, Healthcare & Life Sciences, Education, BFSI, Travel & Tourism, among others.
For organisations like yours (in the education sector, local government, manufacturing, retail or other corporate marketing worlds) this means the market is maturing — solutions are more available, cost models clearer, and use-cases better defined.
If you’re looking at selecting or upgrading a DAM solution in Australia and New Zealand in 2026, here are some practical implications:
Cloud readiness matters: With a high growth rate expected and remote/hybrid work the norm, selecting a cloud-first DAM (or at least one with robust cloud options) will position you well.
Scalability & integration: As e-commerce or public-sector digital demands increase (more assets, more channels), you’ll want a DAM that scales and integrates with CMS, marketing automation, e-commerce platforms, etc.
Focus on services and onboarding: The market growth means more vendors and options — but often the difference is in implementation, adoption and governance. Ensuring onboarding and support (which is a service component) is part of your budgeting is important.
Selecting for your niche: For sectors like education or local government, you may have different asset-governance, archival and accessibility needs (e.g., public-facing media libraries, regulatory access for assets, rights management). Tailor your evaluation accordingly.
Budgeting for growth: The market size growth (from USD 88.9 m in 2024 to USD 412.4 m by 2033) shows there’s significant investment and vendor maturity coming. You’ll want to factor in not just license cost but ongoing services, governance, change management and future asset growth.
Vendor ecosystem: With a growing market you’ll also see more competition, more specialised modules, and potentially more mergers or vendor consolidation. Stay alert to vendor road-maps and ecosystem health.
Given the high CAGR, the next couple of years represent a “window of opportunity” for organisations to get ahead: adopt DAM while the market is still growing, embed governance and processes now, and avoid being reactive later when asset volumes, digital demands and cross-channel complexity increase.
For smaller and mid-sized organisations (SMEs) in Australia & NZ, this means you don’t have to wait until your asset chaos becomes unmanageable — early adoption gives you a competitive edge, smoother operations and better ROI.
Cloud-first is no longer optional when your team is distributed, your content volume is growing, and your brand needs consistency.
Here’s a practical 3-step roadmap:
Audit your digital asset landscape – Where are your images/videos/docs stored? Who uses them? How many channels? What are your pain points (e.g., version control, rights issues, content duplication, slow time-to-market)?
Define your DAM criteria & use-cases – Based on your sector (education/local government/marketing), identify key use-cases (e.g., public asset library, internal marketing collaboration, content reuse across campaigns). Decide whether cloud/on-premises, integration needs, user roles and governance.
Select vendor + plan implementation + onboard – Look beyond the platform: vendor experience in your region (ANZ), support onboarding, change management, training, ROI metrics, and ongoing services. Make sure you plan for the future (scalability, governance, metadata/rich-media support, analytics).
At databasics (which you know offers implementation and services for Canto in Australia/New Zealand) our experience shows that success often comes from aligning the platform with your business workflows and making sure you have adoption and governance rather than just technology.
The Australian DAM market is clearly on an upward trajectory. For organisations in Australia and New Zealand, now is the time to think strategically about how you organise, store, collaborate and distribute your digital assets. With the right roadmap, tools and services, you can turn your digital assets into a competitive advantage.
If you’d like to explore how to evaluate or implement a DAM solution tailored to your sector, feel free to reach out to us at databasics.