When it comes to online shopping, Canadian consumers aren’t as eager as those in Europe and Asia, finds a Nielson report.
Currently, Asia-Pacific has the highest online buy rates across the globe. In China and South Korea, says the reports, more people are buying cosmetics and groceries digitally. As well, online purchases rose in Britain and France in Q1 2014.
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In Canada, people are mostly sticking to researching products online (48%) and looking up reviews (57%). They’re often hesitant to go through with purchases, says the study, even though the majority (70%) concede online shopping is convenient.
For more than half (58%), that’s mainly to avoid high shipping costs. Further, more than a third (39%) don’t like entering credit card information online.
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Those who do buy products online most often buy:
- airline tickets (43% in 2014 versus 23% in 2011);
- hotel rooms and vacation tours (40% in 2014 versus 19% in 2011);
- electronic equipment (20% in 2014 versus 12% in 2011);
- ebooks (29% in 2014 versus 8% in 2011);
- music (20% in 2014 versus 9% in 2011); and
- clothing and shoes (32% in 2014 versus 28% in 2011).
Still, domestic retailers shouldn’t ignore consumers who browse online. Along with looking up product reviews, many Canadians also subscribe to product and store emails (51%), and spend considerable time online prior to buying (48%).