Amazon becoming popular shopping choice for Canadians this holiday season

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Published October 20, 2020 at 11:04 pm

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As the holidays are fast approaching, the unprecedented nature of the current pandemic is fundamentally changing how Canadians plan to shop and spend this holiday season.

Overall, holiday spending is expected to drop 18 per cent from last year, while online shopping is gaining traction at a rapid rate, with Amazon taking the lion’s share.

Since March, 68 per cent of Canadians have been directly affected by the pandemic, which is expected to cause a dent in holiday spending this season.

Additionally, 35 per cent of Canadians plan to cut back on holiday expenses such as travel and dining out, but spend more on groceries and cannabis.

“The pandemic has thrust widespread changes upon the way we live and work at a pace few could have anticipated. Same goes for how Canadians shop, and it’s unlikely they will ever return to their old shopping habits,” Marty Weintraub, partner and national retail leader at Deloitte Canada, said in a news release.

“Whether personally affected by COVID-19 or not, consumers are much less optimistic about the country’s economy, which will drastically alter how much and where they’re going to spend this holiday season. Retailers will undoubtedly see the significant impact of these changing shopping behaviours in the upcoming months,” he continued.

Further, while many Canadians are projected to spend less this holiday, they’re also expected to spend more without leaving their house.

Since the pandemic began, 47 per cent of Canadians have been shopping online more often, while consumers are expected to spend 44 per cent of their holiday budget online this year, and eight-per-cent increase from last year.

Moreover, a little more than half of Canadians—53 per cent—intend to do their holiday shopping in brick-and-mortar stores this year, down 13 per cent compared to last year.

Amazon has become the more appealing option for Canadians this season—25 per cent expect to spend the majority of their spending through the online shopping giant, while 35 per cent of Prime members believe their spending will increase this season.

“Holiday shopping is not going to be viewed as a fun experience this season, but rather as a task to be completed as quickly, efficiently, and safely as possible,” Weintraub said.

“For many Canadians, this will simply mean shopping online, but bricks-and-mortar retailers haven’t completely lost their attraction. Despite the fast-growing popularity of online shopping, those that can address consumers’ concerns around protecting health and safety, and deliver a seamless, personalized, engaging customer experience that goes beyond expectations, will still bring customers in,” he added.

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