Five per cent more Canadians plan to buy their holiday gifts on line this year compared with last year, according to a recent American Express Canada survey.
The survey found that 56% of Canadians plan to shop online for gifts and identified that nearly a quarter of Canadians (23%) said they’d rather clean their toilets than visit the mall the week before Christmas.
Colin Temple, vice-president and general manager of merchant services at American Express Canada, said Canadians’ interest in online shopping goes beyond the rushed holiday season.
“What we’re seeing is that Canadians are embracing online shopping, not only because of the time it saves them from standing in line, but because it’s easy to browse gift options and then have purchases delivered right to where they need to go,” he said.
The survey also identified that top trends for online spending include:
- entertainment (57%);
- electronics (39%);
- clothing and accessories (38%); and
- toys (28%).
American Express Canada also identified that the top three gifts that Canadians dread receiving during the holidays are:
- fruit cakes (20%);
- tacky holiday ornaments (18%); and
- ugly sweaters (17%).
