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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
Three holiday shopping trends to watch in 2015
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
If the idea of browsing gift ideas on your phone while waiting for your morning coffee sounds familiar, you’re not alone. This holiday season, shopping moments will replace shopping marathons. Rather than rely on day-long mall marathons, Canadian shoppers are now turning to their mobile phones at moments throughout the day, all season long.*
In fact,
in the past two days, 1 in 3 Canadian holiday shoppers used their smartphone to search for products and services.
But with holidays less than 2 weeks away, Canadians have completed less than half of their holiday shopping! We worked with Ipsos to survey Canadians on how they’ve used technology to shop so far this holiday season.
And today we’re sharing the three trends that are impacting this year’s biggest shopping season.
Shopping marathons have become shopping moments.
Shopping marathons have been replaced by small shopping moments that can happen any time of the day, as shoppers turn to the nearest device when trying to decide, find, or buy something. Thanks to growing digital shopping options, every day can be a shopping day. This year, sixty-seven percent of Canadian holiday shoppers have conducted an online search for a holiday product or service, and 72 per cent have made a website visit as part of their holiday shopping.
And this year, online shopping never sleeps! While in-store shopping peaks between 2pm and 5pm, desktop and smartphone searches peak later in the evening between 7 – 9pm. In fact, 36 percent of visits to retailer websites happen between 7pm and 6am.
Mobile search is influencing purchases more than ever.
Smartphones have become the go-to for all steps in the path to purchase, from inspiration to research to purchasing. Globally, we’ve seen shopping-related searches on mobile have grown more than 120 per cent year over year.
Canadians aren’t just using smartphones to make purchases, they’re also using them as a personal shopper to locate products in nearby stores, look at reviews while in-store, and more. Sixty percent of shoppers who used their smartphone to search for products and services followed through on a purchase. Apps have become an additional toolkit for shoppers with 44 per cent of Canadians using mobile apps as part of their holiday shopping experience.
Anticipation for Boxing Day is higher than ever before
Even with our holiday shopping lists less than halfway complete, we already have a strong appetite for Boxing Day. Despite the success of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Boxing Day remains a significant shopping day in Canada and
interest has increased steadily over the last 10 years.
We also expect to see more and more searches for Boxing Day happening from mobile devices, as Canadians search for the deals closest to them. Last year, forty per cent of Boxing Week searches in Canada happened on smartphones.**
No matter how you’re shopping, have a happy holiday!
Posted by Sarah Bradley and Naumi Haque, Research and Market Insights Managers, Google Canada.
*
Google/Ipsos Shopping Moments: 2015 Holiday Edition, Nov 17-Dec 10, n=1,554 Canadian shoppers
**
Google Canada Data, 2014
Making a List and Checking it Twice – Canada’s Top Toys this Holiday Season
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
If you are like many Canadians you have already started researching online to kick off your holiday shopping, and with Black Friday and Cyber Monday now a permanent part of the shopping landscape – this weekend is expected to be a busy one both online and in stores.
Can you believe that searches for Black Friday terms are actually surpassing boxing day? Nearly 60 per cent of Canadians are now going online to find out about Black Friday and Cyber Monday and believe them to be the most influential of the holiday shopping days.
So, who are the lucky people we’re shopping for? It may be no surprise that 95% of us are shopping for our family – and fully 50% of Canadians are shopping for that perfect toy to put under the tree to give Santa a hand in fulfilling holiday wishes.
Over the past week, we saw Canadians searching these top 10 toys for their wish lists:
Rainbow Loom
GoldieBlox
Disney Infinity
LeapPad Ultra
Lego Minecraft
Furby Boom
Vtech InnoTab 3
SnapCircuits
LeapReader
Sesame Street Big Hugs Elmo
And for kids who love
crafts or parents looking for a little nostalgia, here are some of the additional most-searched toys popping up on Canadian wish lists:
Top Crafty Toys
Rainbow Loom
Sew Cool Sewing Machine
Crayola Marker Maker
Shimmer 'N Sparkle Cra-Z-Loom Bracelet Maker
Nostalgic Toys
Furby
2013 Holiday Barbie Doll
Monopoly Empire
Posted by Wendy Bairos, Google Canada Communications Team
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