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Canadians continue to embrace online shopping
January 18, 2013 By Canadian Garden Centre & Nursery
Jan. 18, 2013, Toronto — Canadians were enthusiastic online shoppers during the 2012 holiday season, clicking through on $2.8 billion in purchases, according to the MasterCard SpendingPulse report.
December online sales rose 26 per cent in 2012 over 2011 – much faster than the 12.6 per cent growth posted in the United States – reaching a total of 6.6 per cent of all December retail sales.
Overall, online shopping has now enjoyed 15 consecutive months of growth over 20 per cent, and 43 consecutive months of year-over-year growth.
“More and more Canadians are moving from researching online and then buying in stores. Instead, they are taking advantage of the convenience, safety and security of online shopping. You can browse, price compare, find the best deals and check out with your credit card, all in the comfort of your home. During the busy holiday season, that’s an attractive proposition for shoppers,” said Richard McLaughlin, senior vice-president of global products and solutions for MasterCard Canada.
“You can’t shop online with cash and that’s one of the benefits of electronic payments. It makes things easy for consumers and opens new doors for merchants.”
Total Canadian retail sales were up 1.6 per cent in December, for a total of $42 billion.
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