E-commerce has only been around for a little more than 25 years. Yet, the following online shopping statistics indicate that it has evolved from a simple idea into a gigantic industry worth trillions of dollars.
In order to bring these figures into perspective and help our readers better understand the current state of the e-commerce market, we have assembled a comprehensive list of the most mind-boggling online shopping statistics in Canada.
Let’s take a look at the numbers!
Top 10 Online Shopping Statistics for 2022
- In 2020, more than two billion people bought services and goods online.
- Canadian e-commerce retail trade revenues in late 2019 totalled nearly $1.85 billion.
- In 2020, 37% of online shoppers were between the ages of 53 and 72.
- 28% of Canadian Millennials made transactions online in 2020.
- In 2020, 17% of Canadians made transactions in the “toys” category.
- 72% of Canadian e-commerce shoppers made their purchases through Amazon.ca.
- Online shopping facts show that e-commerce sales doubled during the pandemic.
- Canada’s online grocery market was projected to reach $3.6 billion by 2019.
- Almost 80% of Canadian shoppers expected to do most of their Black Friday shopping online.
- 46% of shoppers prefer to shop with retailers that take steps to lower their carbon footprint.
Overview of Online Shopping Trends
Below, we’ll take a look at how the online shopping statistics worldwide are shaping up. We’ve also compared some facts and figures to the situation in Canada to help you better understand the entire market.
1. In 2020, more than two billion people bought services and goods online.
(Statista)
Global online shopping statistics from 2020 also revealed that e-commerce revenues reached US$4.2 trillion that year. Furthermore, the number of digital shoppers has increased each year as internet adoption and access increase around the globe.
2. According to global online shopping statistics, about 2.14 billion customers were expected to purchase services and goods online in 2021.
(Statista)
Believe it or not, this figure is up from “only” 1.66 billion in 2016. Although many customers have chosen to shop online because it is more convenient, others prefer the frequently lower prices of specific e-commerce sites.
3. Between 2021 and 2025, Turkey is expected to lead retail e-commerce production, with a CAGR of 14.59%.
(Statista)
According to recent online shopping statistics by country, Argentina is projected to fall behind Turkey with a CAGR of 12.76%. Indonesia and South Africa followed with 10.21% and 10%, respectively.
At the same time, Canada’s retail e-commerce sales are projected to grow at a 5.61% CAGR between 2021 and 2025.
4. In 2018, 95% of online buyers were between the ages of 18 and 74.
(Verto)
A report on the demographics of online shoppers, titled “The E-Commerce Ecosystem: The State of Cross-Device Digital Shopping,” revealed that 34% of online shoppers were GenXers. In comparison, 30% were Millennials that year. However, only 5% of people above the age of 75 shopped online.
5. In 2020, online grocery shopping trends showed a 54% increase to US$95.82 billion.
(eMarketer) (Statista)
That percentage pushed e-commerce grocery sales to a 12% share of total market sales and 7.4% of total grocery sales in the US.
Moreover, online grocery shopping statistics indicated that the trend is becoming more and more popular in the United States and Canada. In fact, the percentage of Canadians who buy groceries online has risen from 5% to 17% between 2016 and 2020.
Online Shopping Statistics Canada
The statistics and facts below will probably shock you—in a good way! So, keep reading to discover what the trends reveal about online shopping in the “Great White North.”
6. The demographics of online shoppers from 2020 showed that 37% of Canadian online shoppers were Baby Boomers.
(Canadians Internet)
Canadian Boomers love shopping online, followed by Millennials (28%). Both 18- to 23-year-olds and those 73 and older stood at a meagre 5%. Interestingly, 32% of Canadians say they’ll buy more online in the coming year.
7. Canadian e-commerce retail trade revenues in late 2019 totalled nearly $1.85 billion.
(Statista)
Online shopping trends in statistics revealed that Canada’s become a highly lucrative market in recent years due to its significant digital population. In fact, nearly 28.1 million Canadian consumers made transactions online during this period.
8. The Millennials online shopping statistics showed that 28% of Canadians made online transactions in 2020.
(Canadians Internet)
Furthermore, over 50% of Millennials prefer to shop on Amazon when online. Moreover, 42% were child-free Canadian couples, and 23% were people with kids. As for location demographics, 41% were from urban areas, 38% from the suburbs, and 21% from rural regions.
9. Canadian online clothing shopping statistics noted that 62% of consumers shopped for apparel in 2020.
(Canadians Internet)
Apparel was followed by the “women’s clothing” category with 42% of Canadian e-commerce shoppers in 2020, followed by “men’s clothing” at 32%. These online apparel sales statistics aren’t that shocking, considering that more women shop online than men.
Other popular categories included “computers and electronics” at 41%, and “books” at 31%.
10. Online toy sales statistics from 2020 indicated that 17% of Canadians bought “toys” online.
(Canadians Internet)
According to the toy industry trends in Canada, Canadian toy industry sales grew by 12% in 2020. Interestingly, Barbie, Star Wars, and Nintendo have quickly become the most rapidly growing products in the country.
As for “games and software,” just 9% of online shoppers made transactions in this category in 2020.
11. In 2020, 72% of Canadian e-commerce shoppers made their purchases through Amazon.ca.
(Canadians Internet)
Canadian online shopping statistics uncovered that Amazon is the preferred online marketplace of Canadian shoppers, followed by eBay and Walmart Canada.
However, the percentages are dramatically different — only 9% of the surveyed customers chose eBay that year, while 7% went with Walmart Canada. In contrast, just 3% of online shoppers made transactions on Etsy Canada.
12. Online shopping statistics during COVID uncovered that e-commerce sales have doubled during the pandemic.
(CBC)
According to findings from 2020, between February and May, overall retail sales plummeted by 17.9% as brick-and-mortar stores shut their doors, and Canadians went into isolation.
Despite this, online shopping vs. in-store shopping statistics for 2020 revealed that Canadian shoppers felt compelled to make online transactions, resulting in a whopping 99.3% increase in sales during this time.
13. By 2019, Canada’s online grocery market was projected to reach $3.6 billion.
(Business Matters)
So, who are these Canadian online grocery shoppers? Almost 50% of them are university graduates, and most are GenXers or Millennials.
Based on Canada’s online grocery sales statistics, 86% prefer to have their groceries delivered straight to their home address.
14. Almost 80% of Canadian shoppers expected to do most of their Black Friday shopping online.
(Statista)
Black Friday online sales statistics claimed that since 2019, the number of Canadians intending to shop online using their cell phones has tripled.
According to Canadian holiday spending statistics, in 2020, 58% of customers planned to splurge on Cyber Monday, Boxing Day, and Black Friday.
Online Shopping Facts
Ready for some interesting facts? We bet you are. If you’re looking for some fun stats or ideas to elevate your e-commerce business, we’ve got you covered.
So, let’s jump straight into them.
15. Online sales trends show that 46% of shoppers will buy more frequently with retailers trying to reduce their carbon imprint.
(Business Matters)
Think green! Although the global pandemic seems to have taken the spotlight off sustainability in Canada, this is only temporary. In fact, consumers are more conscious than ever when making transactions, as they are thinking about making a positive impression on the planet.
16. According to online sales stats, a great loyalty program is one of the top reasons online buyers shop at a particular store.
(Business Matters)
Yes, indeed, 17% of online buyers claimed that loyalty programs matter. Loyalty programs, like subscription boxes, can produce revenue streams while still making the most loyal buyers feel special.
17. Online shopping scam statistics show that 26% of Canadians believe online shopping is less safe than brick-and-mortar retail.
(Retail Insider)
According to survey results, 13% of United States citizens said the same thing. So, what could be done to increase customer trust? According to the survey findings, 77% of respondents stated that they would be more inclined to shop online from merchants with fraud protection.
18. Online shopping stats from 2017 showed that over 40% of global online shoppers used credit cards to make purchases.
(Statista)
Electronic payment followed by 39%, while 28% of online shoppers chose debit cards in 2017. Cash on delivery and bank transfers were equally popular, with 23% and 20% of global online shoppers choosing them, respectively.
Conclusion
All in all, these Canadian and worldwide online shopping statistics affirm that the number of people shopping over the internet is steadily growing. Plus, it seems as though the pandemic has only bolstered this already booming business.
Furthermore, manufacturers should always keep in mind that it’s critical to know how consumer behaviour differs around the globe when it comes to growing their online business.
Hopefully, these statistics about online shopping have opened your eyes to the realities of e-commerce in Canada and its bright future.
Further Reading:
Newegg Review: One-Stop Shop for Buying Electronics Online
Top-rated Places to Buy Glasses Online in Canada
How To Buy From AliExpress in Canada: A Step-By-Step Guide
FAQ
What percent of shopping is online?
In 2020, e-commerce transactions accounted for 18% of total retail sales globally. By 2024, this number is projected to hit 21.8%.
(Statista)
How many online stores were there in 2020?
In 2021, there were, believe it or not, 7.9 million online retailers worldwide. Out of this, 2.1 million were based in the US.
(Etailinsights)
What percentage of clothing is bought online?
By 2020, fashion e-commerce accounted for approximately 29.5% of US total fashion retail sales. As for Canada, 62% of consumers shopped in the “apparel” category in 2020, making it the most popular e-commerce category that year.
(Statista) (Canadians Internet)
What age group does the most online shopping?
In Canada, the most significant percentage of online shoppers were between 53 and 72, 37% in 2020 to be exact. This generation was followed by Millennials, at 28% the same year.
(Canadians Internet)
What do people buy most online?
Most commonly, customers purchase the following things online :
- fashion items
- trips
- tech products
- second-hand products (books, electronics, cars, etc.)
- books
- educational courses
As mentioned before, in these Canada-centric online shopping statistics, the “apparel” category is trending the most. In case you were wondering, this category includes footwear, clothing, accessories, and similar.
(DooFinder)
Sources:
- Business Matters
- Business Matters
- Canadians Internet
- Canadians Internet
- Canadians Internet
- CBC
- DooFinder
- eMarketer
- Etailinsights
- Retail Insider
- Statista
- Statista
- Statista
- Statista
- Statista
- Statista
- Statista
- Statista
- Statista
- Verto
Hermina Drah
Hermina believes that every day is a chance to learn something new about the obscure world around us. The driving force behind her writing is her passion for sharing knowledge with others all around the world. After attaining her master’s degree in English language and literature, she has decided to join the team of creative writers dedicated to delivering the hottest content on the web. So what are Hermina’s favorite topics to cover? Animals, good books, health, fitness, self-care—you name it.
