O Canada!
There’s no denying it, Canadian eCommerce is ramping up, and 2015 was clear indication of that. Data taken from Canada Post reveals that eCommerce continues to grow at double digit rates.
The first 6 months of 2015 saw a 16% increase over 2014 in products ordered online and delivered by Canada Post. While large cities such as Vancouver and Toronto see consistent order volume, it’s the mid-sized cities that are seeing major online shopping expansion.
Canada Post states that in 2015 London and Windsor, Ontario, saw a 29% increase in eCommerce shipment orders, while Kitchener, Ontario, saw a 27% increase. Not far behind was Saskatoon, Saskatchewan with 21%, and finally, Charlottetown, P.E.I., with a 17% increase.
It’s evident that the Canadian shopper is becoming more comfortable making online purchases, and for more than just traditional fashion based items. While clothing is the most popular online buying choice of Canadian consumers, there are a few other industries that are emerging. According to Canada Post, Toys/Hobby purchases increased 21%, Office Supplies 15% and Sporting Goods 11% in 2015.
When Canadian shoppers begin to make consistent online purchases, they see how easy and hassle free it is, and become more comfortable branching out from clothing into other industries.
This point is reiterated by Nathalie Belanger, Vice president of eCommerce at Reitmans Canada. Taken from an interview with Internet Retailer, Natalie states “Once the Canadian consumer understands how easy it is to shop online and how easy returns are, we see a lot of repeat buyers… The nut to crack is to convince Canadian consumers that this is a viable solution and to deliver service in the first few orders so that it becomes a habit to shop online.”
While Canadian businesses are beginning to understand this, they still have some catching up to do. Data from Statistics Canada shows that the majority of Canadian shoppers are making purchases outside of Canada.
In 2012 Canadians spent C$7.7 billion online with retailers based in Canada, while the grand total of which Canadian shoppers spent was C$18.9 billion. This means that 60% of Canadian shoppers made purchases from non Canadian businesses. Which begs the question, why?
On Thursday April 21 at Mobify headquarters, this is exactly what Danielle Doiron, Director of Parcels & E-commerce Market Development at Canada Post, is going to address.
Join us to learn what the Canadian shopper wants and how they are helping drive eCommerce growth. Danielle’s talk will include exclusive Canada post research as well as eCommerce growth insights.
Danielle will also be addressing what the online Canadian shopper has come to expect and what that means for all eCommerce businesses. She’ll be covering common roadblocks shoppers experience along their path to purchase as well as identify how we as a community can work to remove them, drive conversion and provide the best possible shopping experience.
It’s going to be good.
If you wish to attend this informative event, please sign up here. As always, refreshments and beverages will be provided.
Already attending the event? Do you have a burning question you just need Danielle to answer? Submit your questions via Twitter to @eComVAN or by tagging #eComVAN.
We can’t wait to see you there.
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