82% of Online Canadians Shopped Online Recently

The latest Ipsos Canadian Inter@ctive Reid statistics indicate that 82% of all online Canadians have shopped online in the past year, spending an average of $954. Older Canadians are joining the younger generation in online shopping, but young Canadians are more likely to use mobile devices. The report brings encouraging news for eCommerce in this country as we head into the 2014 holiday shopping season.

Leading the online shopping spree were young adults, but the gap is closing:

  • 92% of 18-34 year old Canadians shopped online in the past year.
  • 82% of 35-54 year old Canadian consumers shopped online.
  • 74% of online Canadians over 55 made online purchases.

“The majority of Canadians feel comfortable about spending their money online,” says Karen Beck, Associate Vice President at Ipsos Reid, of this year’s study. “And this is particularly true for Millennials, who greatly surpass all other generations when it comes to buying a product or service online.”

What & Where Canadians Buy Online

There are no big surprises in these statistics, but there is notable growth in some eCommerce categories.

  • Beauty and Cosmetics accounted for 29% of Canadian online shopping (up 6%).
  • Household Goods were purchased online by 23% of Canuck consumers (up 5%).
  • Pet Products were bought online by 17% of Canadian Internet shoppers (up 6%).
  • Groceries were ordered online by 15% of Canadians (up 5%).
  • Prescription Eye Wear accounted for 15% of online purchases in this country (up 4%).
  • 24% of Canadians love to shop at Amazon most (up 4%).
  • 10% enjoy shopping at eBay (unchanged from from 2013).

Don’t let those top shopping destinations fool you, Canadians are noted for preferring to shop within their own country. Even B2B sales reflect that preference.  80% of online sales from Canadian businesses came from within the country, according to Statistics Canada.

Device Preferences of Online Shoppers in Canada

What device Canadians use to shop online is also influenced by age, according to the poll. 33% of 18-34 year old Canadians have made purchases using their SmartPhone while only 8% of those over 55 have done so.

  • 88% of web-wise Canadians prefer to shop online from home using their desktop or laptop.
  • 20% of consumers shopped online using their mobile SmartPhone.
  • 19% purchased products or services with a Tablet.

“We’re seeing that today’s consumer is approaching shopping from a variety of ways. While PC’s clearly remain a pervasive component of online shopping, this fast-growing enthusiasm for mobile stresses the importance of delivering an enhanced and consistent experience across all devices, whether through mobile websites or apps,” adds Karen Beck.

82% of Online Canadians Have Shopped Online in the Past Year Infographic

Getting your Piece of the Online Shopping Pie

There are a number of ways Canadian business owners can take advantage of this wave of online shopping.

  1. If you sell products from your own inventory, you can build an eCommerce website or add a shopping cart to your existing website. You’ll need a Canadian-friendly website host or eCommerce platform.
  2. Easily recruit an online sales team by starting an affiliate program through a network.  In a very short time you can have your products or services advertised on countless websites and you’ll only have to pay a small percentage when they make a sale.
  3. You could sell in online marketplaces or use Fulfillment by Amazon, either exclusively or in combination with your own website sales.
  4. If you’re an aspiring online entrepreneur, you could try skipping the inventory through drop-shipping or affiliate marketing.

How are you grabbing Canadian consumers online? We’d love to hear about it in the comments below.

Sources:
2014 Ipsos Canadian Inter@ctive Reid Report
Statistics Canada: Digital Technology and Internet Use, 2013 (June, 2014)

You may also be interested in reading:
Online Marketplaces for Canadian Sellers
Help for the 54% of Canadian Small Businesses Without a Website (Statistics)
Canadian Internet Shoppers Spend More, Both Online & Offline

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Digital Business & Marketing Manager at Online Business Canada | Website | + posts

Melody McKinnon is an internet entrepreneur with 25 years of experience in a wide range of online business models, backed by a formal business education and enhanced by training and mentorship. She has owned or managed both educational and ecommerce websites. Her book, 7 Recession Proof Online Businesses to Start From Home, is available from all major ebook retailers.

Melody has worked with many businesses & brands in a multitude of capacities. She can often be found on CanadianDigitalMedia.com, CanadiansInternet.com, CanadianFamily.net, and AllNaturalPetCare.com, as well as other quality digital publications. Her content has earned reference links from highly-respected websites, magazines and university textbooks.

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Randy

I hope even more do over Christmas. In fact we’re betting on it via the Amazon marketplace,

joseph

Good news for the economy.

Derek C

That’s HUGE!!! Very encouraging stats, thank you!