Canadians Are Crazy About Online Shopping

Credit cards are a lot like smartphones. Everyone seems to be using them. Perhaps, ten years ago this wasn’t the case. But in 2013 – make that 2014 – it is practically unheard of for anyone not to be using credit cards…or smartphones for that matter. We live in a digital age. Things are done online all the time. From watching videos to making purchases, the internet is a popular place to take care of business.

Making purchases, of course, should be what sticks out to you the most. As a business owner, you undoubtedly are looking to see an increase in sales over the next few weeks. In the days that are left leading up to Christmas, shoppers from all over Canada will be pulling out their smartphones to browse the internet looking for the best deals and discounts.

Many of them will use their smartphones, and if not their computers, to be making those purchases. So if people aren’t coming into physical stores as much anymore, what does that mean for your business? Well, it suggests that you should not only consider selling your products online, but accepting the type of payments that allow for online shopping to exist.

Credit card acceptance in Canada is practically mandatory these days. That is, of course, if you want to keep up with your competition. Businesses from all over the country are raking in the dough this holiday season because they are selling their goods online and accepting credit card payments while doing so. This is a trend, by the way, that is only destined to grow in popularity.

“Online shopping is on the rise in Canada,” writes Irene Seiberling on LeaderPost.com. She notes that a media release from Ebates.ca focusing on Canadian online shopping trends found that “77 per cent of Canadians say they have made a purchase from a website in the past year and 32 per cent report spending more online in the past 12 months than in previous years.”

Seiberling herself admits to being a big part of the trend. “I must admit, I am helping fuel the increase,” she writes, “I’ve done more online Christmas shopping already than in past years. It’s great.” So why is online shopping so popular? Sure, there’s the bonus of being able to avoid packed malls and busy parking lots. There’s also the pleasure of doing your shopping in your pajamas!

But as Seiberling points out, Ebates.ca finds that it also provides Canadians with the convenience of being able to work around their work schedules. This is implied by the fact that more than half of Canadians – 55 per cent actually – do their online shopping in the evening following the standard work day. And some working Canadians – 10 per cent – admit to online shopping while on the job!

Adrienne Down Coulson is General Manager of Ebates.ca. “Canadians are embracing online shopping and cash back shopping in particular,” she says, “This is a logical shift in consumer shopping behaviour given that many retailers are expanding their online offerings.” If you’d like to do the same, you’ll need a top-notch payment provider. Call Canadian POS Corporation at 1-877-748-2884.