Official Google Canada Blog: 2016

How Canadians are shopping this holiday season

Thursday, December 15, 2016

Are you a last-minute shopper? Well, you’re not alone. With only 10 days until the holidays, a new study tells us that Canadians have completed less than half of their holiday shopping!1 But these last-minute shoppers aren’t panicking.

We partnered with Ipsos to survey Canadians on how they’ve used technology to shop this holiday season, and we found that holiday shoppers are using their smartphones, search and online video to be savvier than ever. This year, 34 percent of Canadian shoppers say they always do research or check digital sources before going to the store. Canadians may be last-minute shoppers, but they certainly have a game plan for when they hit the mall.

Today we’re sharing three trends that surfaced during Canada’s peak shopping season:

Smartphones are the ultimate shopping companion
The smartphone is a ubiquitous part of Canada's shopping experience, and when Canadians incorporated smartphone searches into their holiday shopping activities it resulted in a purchase 49 percent of the time. Savvy shoppers are turning to their smartphones to make purchases. Of the transactions that were made online this holiday season, 33 percent were purchased via smartphone.

While more people are willing to buy on mobile, we know that mobile is still used as a personal research assistant in and out of the store. This year, 38 percent of Canadian shoppers that bought in-store used their smartphone to search for products and services, and 74 percent used mobile apps as part of their holiday shopping experience.

Digital research influences purchases
Digital tools like smartphones and online search are friends, not foes, to in-store shopping. Canadian shoppers are conducting online research before they hit the mall to determine what they want to buy, the best products in a given category and which stores to visit to find that they need. We’ve seen mobile searches related to “best” products in the top retail categories grow by more than 44 percent in the last year.2

This year, shoppers are prepared, as one in five Canadian holiday shoppers say they’ve checked prices online before going in store. Almost half (43%), wish retail stores would do a better job of sharing inventory information.

YouTube is the new gift guide
Whether it’s watching a product review or learning how to bake gingerbread cookies, Canadian shoppers look to video in countless moments throughout to the day to help get things done. And this includes shopping. This holiday season, shoppers will turn to devices to learn more, make a decision or purchase a product. This year, 26 percent of holiday shoppers used online video to look at products and services

Whether you’re a last-minute shopper or you’ve checked off your whole list, have a happy holiday!

Posted by Sarah Bradley and Naumi Haque, Research and Market Insights Managers, Google Canada.

1 Google/Ipsos, 2016 Holiday Shopping Study, Nov 17 to Dec 9, 2016, with n=1,387 Canadian shoppers 2 Google internal data, Canada searches related to apparel, home & garden, beauty & personal care, computer & electronics, and gift (excluding terms “best buy,” “best man,” and “best friends”). Jan-March 2015 vs. Jan-March 2016

2016: Canada’s #YearInSearch

Wednesday, December 14, 2016

A teenage swimming sensation that had Canadians cheering Go Penny Go! Donald Trump’s US Election win. Andre De Grasse’s blistering race against the World’s Fastest Man. A nation-wide Canadian goodbye to The Tragically Hip. The search for who, in fact, really is Becky With The Good Hair. And, a devastating fire that brought the country together to support one community. The 16th Annual Year in Search is here! It's a look back at the moments, newsmakers, athletes, musicians, toys, politicians (and more!) that sent Canadians searching in 2016.

The Year in Search is Google’s annual analysis of trillions of searches performed globally throughout the year. View all of Canada’s Trending Searches here. Here’s a peek at five trending topics that caught our attention in 2016.

Canadians: We sang along with Drake, Downie and Dion. We cheered for Penny, Andre and Sid. We had a chuckle thanks to Samantha Bee. And we remembered a poet named Leonard. These are the Canadians who defined 2016 according to Google Search.

The Tragically Hip: News of Gord Downie’s cancer diagnosis and The Tragically Hip’s summer tour generated an enormous amount of interest online. The final concert from Kingston, Ontario was the largest livestream of Canadian content in YouTube history as fans from across the country and 188 countries around the world tuned in to watch The Hip one last time.

Pokémon Go: Canadians sought to catch ‘em all in 2016! The card game from the ‘90s made a big return this year as location-based augmented reality app Pokémon Go, and was one of the top trending searches of the year.

Beyoncé: Becky With The Good Hair: Five words set Searches ablaze when Beyoncé dropped her sixth studio album Lemonade and Canadians turned to Google to ask “Who is Becky with the good hair?”. The mystery remains... Do you know who Becky with the Good Hair is? We sure don’t, but it’s #6 on our top trending “Who is?” list!

Hatchimals! Two years ago, a few toy developers at the Canadian-based Spin Master chatted about the popularity of YouTube “unboxing” videos. Fast-forward to 2016 and Hatchimals, furry bird-like creatures that require a cuddle before hatching from an egg, are one of the top-searched toys of the year.

The Year in Search offers a unique reflection of who we were as a country in 2016. So before heading into a fresh new year, take a moment to look back and reflect on the year that was at google.ca/2016.
Happy 2016 and we can’t wait to see what 2017 has in store!
Posted by Alexandra Hunnings, Public Affairs, Google Canada

#YouTubeRewind - how 2016 played out on YouTube

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

A Beyonce cameo that brought the house down. Canada’s biggest YouTube star and the Sexiest Man Alive. Drake and Rihanna turning a local Toronto restaurant into a dance party. Tips for Americans on how to move to Canada. And an out of control fire that dominated news headlines.

These were just some of the videos that brought Canadians to YouTube in 2016 to laugh, to share, to learn and to remember.

Top Trending Videos in Canada TV’s YouTube Moment The number of hours people spent catching up on late night clips nearly doubled in the last year alone. There’s no doubt that TV moments have taken on a life of their own through YouTube. In 2016, late night show channels had over 550M watch hours and over 8.5 BILLION views, as traditional television recognized the power and influence of the YouTube audience and embraced creating content for YouTube.

Canadian Content Canada’s biggest YouTube star also had a tremendous year in 2016 - Superwoman Lilly Singh hit 10M subscribers, wrote her first book and collaborated with her friend Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson on a few videos to help him launch his YouTube channel.

Rounding out the list were a few notable Canadian news moments, including a report by Global News reporter Reid Fiest who captured the enormous scale of the fire in Fort McMurray as cars streamed out of the city. And who could forget President Obama’s attempt to pronounce Mississauga during the State Dinner he hosted for Prime Minister Trudeau?

Channing Tatum & Beyonce's "Run The World (Girls)" vs. Jenna Dewan-Tatum's "Pony" | Lip Sync Battle by LipSync Battle on Spike

Adele Carpool Karaoke by The Late Late Show

So You Want to Move to Canada, Eh? by The Ellen Show

How To Be a YouTube Star (ft. The Rock) by IISuperwomanII

Wheel of Musical Impressions with Céline Dion by latenight

What's inside a Rattlesnake Rattle? by lincolnmarkham

Brothers Convince Little Sister of Zombie Apocalypse by Cabot Phillips

Soccer Trick Shots | Dude Perfect by DudePerfect

Obama pronouncing Mississauga by TomJackson

Caught on camera: Fort McMurray fire erupts behind Global News reporter by Global News

Top Trending Music Videos
Rihanna and Drake took over Toronto this year, performing at OVO Fest and making headlines with a rumoured midnight dinner a Ripley’s Aquarium. But, it was when the couple dropped in on Toronto’s The Real Jerk to film the video for Work that a top trending YouTube sensation was born.

Globally, Calvin Harris’ video for This is What You Came For reached 1 BILLION views in just 167 days, making it Calvin Harris’ biggest YouTube video to-date. It was also Rihanna’s second guest performance to cross 1 billion views. (The first was with Eminem on Love the Way You Life which hit 1.2B views).

Canadian artists had a strong year on YouTube - in addition to Drake, both The Weeknd and Shawn Mendes were among the most-watched artists on YouTube. And Edmonton’s Ruth B burst onto the scene with Lost Boy, which she released for the first time on YouTube. In just a few months, her video has reached nearly 39M views around the world.

Rihanna - Work (Explicit) ft. Drake by RihannaVEVO

Fifth Harmony - Work from Home ft. Ty Dolla $ign by FifthHarmonyVEVO

The Chainsmokers - Closer (Lyric) ft. Halsey by ChainsmokersVEVO

Calvin Harris - This Is What You Came For (Official Video) ft. Rihanna by CalvinHarrisVEVO

ZAYN - PILLOWTALK by ZaynVEVO

twenty one pilots: Heathens (from Suicide Squad: The Album) [OFFICIAL VIDEO] by FueledByRamen

CAN'T STOP THE FEELING! (From DreamWorks Animation's "Trolls") (Official Video) by justintimberlakeVEVO

The Weeknd - Starboy ft. Daft Punk by TheWeekndVEVO

Shawn Mendes - Treat You Better by ShawnMendesVEVO

Ruth B - Lost Boy (Official Video) by RuthBVEVO

Top Trailers
Before Canadians go to the movies, they head to YouTube to check out trailers - and this year, we saw a number of highly anticipated trailers for blockbuster franchises. Chief among them was Suicide Squad, the darkly comedic action movie featuring the antiheroes from the DC Comics universe. Filmed in Toronto, Suicide Squad not only delivered the most-watched trailer, but also the most-searched Halloween costume on Google - Harley Quinn.

Female-led stories also dominated, with appearances from the new Star Wars film Rogue One, the all-female cast of the remake of Ghostbusters, the not-yet-released Wonder Woman movie and the Blake Lively thriller The Shallows.

Suicide Squad - Official Trailer 1 [HD] by WarnerBrosPictures

Marvel's Captain America: Civil War - Trailer 2 by MARVEL

ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY Official Teaser Trailer by StarWars

GHOSTBUSTERS - Official Trailer (HD) by SonyPicturesEntertainment

SAUSAGE PARTY - Official Restricted Trailer - In Cinemas August 11 by SonyPictures Releasing Australia

WONDER WOMAN Comic-Con Trailer by WarnerBrosPictures

Neighbors 2 - Official Trailer (HD) by UniversalPictures

Marvel's Doctor Strange Teaser Trailer by MARVEL

THE SHALLOWS - Official Trailer #2 (HD) by SonyPicturesEntertainment

Jason Bourne - Official Trailer (HD) by UniversalPictures

2016 Ads Leaderboard
Ads used to be background noise or something you might fast forward. Since YouTube launched skippable ads six years ago, ads have become content that Canadians are choosing to watch. This year’s top trending ads demonstrate that brands are now creating content that’s meant to entertain.

2016 Canadian Year-end YouTube Ads Leaderboard:

Clash of Clans: Hog Rider 360° by Clash of Clans

Momondo - The DNA Journey by LetsOpenOurWorld

Ryanville - Hyundai Super Bowl Commercial :45s | The 2017 Hyundai Elantra by HyundaiUSA

Starter Pokémon for Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon Revealed! by pokemon

Coca-Cola: Coke Mini (Hulk vs. Ant-Man) by Coca-Cola

Clash Royale: Landscaper (Official TV Commercial) by Clash Royale

Apple – iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in 107 seconds by Apple

Zag Bank – Learning Spanish by Zag Bank

April Fool's - Meet #RALFH, WestJet’s newest innovation in inflight comfort by WestJet

Orange Poppy Seed Loaf by Tropicana Canada

Honourable Mention - SickKids VS: Undeniable by SickKids

Canada’s Magical Moments on YouTube
In addition to the top trending videos, trailers and music videos, there were a few magical moments for Canada on YouTube in 2016.

We set a new Canadian record this summer, as Canadians both at home and around the world flocked to YouTube to watch CBC’s livestream of the Tragically Hip’s final concert in Kingston. Viewers from 188 different countries tuned in to watch the concert and post-concert show, bringing home the incredible global reach of YouTube.

We also turned to YouTube to remember Leonard Cohen. Following the announcement of the poet and songwriter’s death on November 10th, the video for his performance of Hallelujah was the most-watched video on YouTube that day. Hallelujah is actually THE most frequently covered song from before 2010 on YouTube, with 8.7K covers. Jeff Buckley’s cover of the iconic song remains the most popular cover on YouTube, with 84 million views.

The first US presidential debate also broke records on YouTube, with nearly 2 million concurrent views around the world - 14X more live viewership than the debates in 2012. Canada was the top country outside of the US that turned into the debate on YouTube.

2016 was also an incredible year for Canadian Creators. We saw 199 channels reach the 100k subscriber mark, 42 hit the 1M subscriber mark, and Canada’s biggest YouTube star, Lilly Singh, hit the 10M subscriber mark.

So take some time, relax, rewind and revisit your favourites from the past year!

Posted by Nicole Bell, communications manager, YouTube Canada

Official Canada Blog

How Canadians are shopping this holiday season

2016: Canada’s #YearInSearch

#YouTubeRewind - how 2016 played out on YouTube

Labels

Archive

Feed