Jan 10 2023
The growth of e-commerce has drastically changed Canadians’ shopping and consumption habits and reshaped the market. The shift from brick-and-mortar retail to online marketplaces has allowed Canadians to shop with a click or tap, and get exactly what they need hassle-free. For brands, this also means a smaller footprint and a wider reach, with a much lower investment and startup cost.
But there is an under-explored dimension to the rise of online shopping among consumers. To shop online from your couch, hassle-free, you need the fastest and cheapest internet at home. With a reliable internet provider like Comwave, you can browse your favourite brands, unlock exclusive deals, track shipping and rewards, and more, particularly during the busiest shopping seasons of the year.
Did you know that Canadians coast-to-coast have largely changed the way they shop, thanks to the growth of e-commerce? Check out these top stats and facts about e-commerce in Canada.
Did you know that by early 2022, e-commerce retail in Canada has amounted to $3 billion monthly? Approximately 29 million Canadians were projected to shop online by the end of the year. By 2025, e-commerce revenues are expected to exceed $90 billion. Canadians contribute significantly to the global e-commerce market which is expected to earn approximately 6.3 trillion dollars by 2023.
While Canada isn’t leading the production of e-commerce retail (Turkey’s compound annual growth rate or CAGR is 14.59%), Canada’s e-commerce sales are growing at a steady rate of 5.61% from 2021 to 2025.
The growth of e-commerce is credited not only to convenience but also to lower prices on some retailer sites, especially during the busiest shopping seasons. 80% of Canadians do their Black Friday shopping online and also splurge on Cyber Monday and Boxing Day.
It’s widely known that young people are often early adopters of new technologies, but that’s not so true anymore, especially in e-commerce.
Did you know that as early as 2018, online shoppers spanned all ages, from 18 to 74? Even if Gen X-ers comprised 34% of e-commerce buyers, millennials amounted to 30% and only 5% were over the age of 75, these stats are certainly promising, indicating a rapidly evolving demographic that prefers convenience, a wider range of choices, and access to exclusive deals.
In terms of marital status, 42% of online shoppers were kid-free couples, while 23% had children. As for location, 41% of Canadian e-commerce shoppers were in urban centres, while 38% were in the suburbs and 21% were in rural communities.
It’s a well-known fact that the COVID-19 pandemic drastically altered lifestyle habits, especially the way Canadians shopped. With brick-and-mortar retail on lockdown, even those who didn’t shop online or only did so infrequently had to adapt. This is why e-commerce sales have doubled, despite overall retail sales plummeting by 17.9%.
Deep into the pandemic, e-commerce entered all aspects of life, including trips to grocery stores. Despite being one of the essential retail sectors that had to stay open, a lot of Canadians turned to online grocery shopping platforms to get their essentials, resulting in a 54% increase in 2020 alone. Valued at a growth of $95.82 billion, online grocery shopping rose from 5% to 17% between 2016 and 2020, and only continues to grow.
Long hailed as the king of e-commerce, Amazon’s sales only skyrocketed over the past few years, particularly during the pandemic. 50% of millennials prefer shopping on Amazon, and 72% of Canadians across age groups. Meanwhile, only 9% prefer eBay, 7% Walmart and just 3% Etsy.
When it comes to online shopping, certain e-commerce goods are far more popular than others. While grocery shopping was an interesting new trend, traditional e-commerce goods have yet to be dethroned.
For example, 62% of Canadian consumers shop for clothing—and 42% of these were women’s clothing, in contrast to 32% of men’s. Meanwhile, computers and electronics account for 41%, followed by books at 31%. Finally, games and software account for 9%. Interestingly, 17% of Canadians also bought toys online, with Barbie, Star Wars, and Nintendo being some of their favourites.
Canadian consumers are conscious shoppers. This means they prefer responsible and ethical brands that put sustainability at the heart of what they do and strive to reduce their carbon footprint. As a result, 46% of shoppers purchase more frequently from brands that aim to reduce their impact on the environment.
If there’s one marketing strategy that endures, it’s loyalty programs. Even with the shift to e-commerce, 17% of Canadian shoppers continue to place a premium on brands with truly rewarding loyalty programs, making them feel appreciated for their long-term support of the brand and the value they provide through repeat purchases.
Finally, shopping online means contactless and cashless transactions. Since 2017, 40% of shoppers globally already use credit cards to make purchases, a trend that rapidly increased during the pandemic. Meanwhile, 28% of shoppers prefer to use their debit cards instead. Surprisingly, cash on delivery and bank transfers were also popular payment options, amounting to 23% and 20% respectively.
You know the latest deals and biggest discounts and you’ve likely added them to your cart, complete with promo codes and your shipping information, but can you trust your home internet service to complete the purchase?
To shop online and score the best deals, you need the fastest and cheapest internet in Canada. Here’s where Comwave comes in. We bring you fast and cheap internet that you can count on, from browsing items and adding them to your cart, to completing your purchase and tracking the delivery status. With fast and cheap Comwave home internet, you’ll always be online, so you never miss out on the best deals from your favourite brands.
Shopping online? Shop more and save more with fast, reliable, and cheap internet. Get the best Comwave internet plan for hassle-free online shopping.
Comwave offers fast, unlimited internet and special bundle deals at incredible value, giving you the speed you need through a reliable connection that supports all your devices.
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