Sept. 4, 2014, Vancouver — Consumers in Canada are spending more time on the Internet than ever before — especially to shop.
According to the latest research from the eCommerce chapter of the Ipsos Canadian Inter@ctive Reid Report, about four in five Canadian Internet users (82 per cent) have made a purchase online in the past year. The study also found that the average amount of reported spending annually for online purchases in Canada is $954.
The study revealed that younger Canadians are significantly more likely than their older counterparts to have made an online purchase in the past year. While 92 per cent of consumers aged 18 to 34 years old have purchased online this year, the figure drops to 82 per cent for those aged 35 to 54 years old, and 74 per cent among those 55 years and older.
“The majority of Canadians feel comfortable about spending their money online,” said 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.”
When looking at the most common items purchased online by Canadians and comparing significant changes between 2013 and 2014, the personal products and household goods categories have shown the greatest movement: pet products are up six points to 17 per cent and furniture and housewares are up five points to 23 per cent.
The online survey of 800 Canadian adults was conducted between July 2 and 7. The survey is considered accurate to within +/-3.5 percentage points.
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