Online holiday shopping numbers continue to grow: survey

The 2018 Holiday Outlook has been released by Price Waterhouse Cooper, which looks at shopping trends during the holiday season. Not surprising is the growing number of millennials choosing to go online, as oppose to a store.

The outlook surveyed more than 1,000 Canadians and looks at everything from where and when consumers will make their holiday purchases, to what drives their decisions.

Particular focus was placed on millennials and what they’re shopping habits will be. More and more millennials are choosing to make their gift purchases online, rather than in a brick and mortar store.

The outlook finds that online shopping this Christmas will make up 49 per cent for millennials, with 15 per cent of those on a smartphone.

Marvin Ryder from the Degroote School of Business says brick and mortar sales are still in the lead overall and will continue to be for quite some time.

The Retail Council of Canada also performed their own survey of 2,500 Canadians. They said about 26 per cent of their spending would be online, versus 74 per cent in stores.

Something else that is interesting to note from that survey, it found that 87 per cent of Canadians polled will be shopping on this side of the border this year, which is up 35 per cent from the same study last year.