Canadians Love Online Shopping

Have you become part of the online shopping craze yet? If you haven’t, chances are that you will soon. And this is because studies are showing that, all across Canada, more and more shoppers are flocking to the internet to make their purchases. This, as you may have guessed, is a rapidly growing trend. Even though we’re now a month removed from the holiday season, you shouldn’t assume that the craze has stopped.

People use the internet daily. That, pretty much, goes without saying. And it’s widely known that a vast number of shoppers tend to browse online before visiting actual store locations. As a business owner, this should bring one fact to life. Accepting credit cards is pretty much a must in today’s day and age. As you’ve likely guessed, credit cards are the most popular way to pay for purchases online.

Just before the holiday season, MarketWired.com released a Deloitte report detailing the spending habits of Canadians in various cities. Toronto – Canada’s largest city and home to Canadian POS Corporation headquarters – was found to be the city most into online shopping. Considering the size of the city’s population (the Greater Toronto Area is home to about 5.5 million people), is this finding saying something about Canadian shopping?

“Torontonians are more likely to shop online than their counterparts in other areas of the country,” reads MarketWired.com, “More than four out of five Toronto shoppers (83.8 percent) regularly compare prices online and nearly half (49.6 percent) do so on their mobile devices. Given that most distributions are located in the GTA, the speed with which items are shipped and delivered continues to make online shopping appealing.”

Of course, allowing your customers to shop online opens your business up to a lot of new possibilities. That includes being able to sell your products overseas and not just in Canada. And just in case you were wondering, online shopping is popular worldwide. This is evidenced by the U.K.-based website, SplashSearch.co.uk which poses the question “Why is online shopping so popular?”

Convenience. Naturally, a person doesn’t have to leave the comfort of his or her home to shop via the internet. The incredible convenience of shopping in your pajamas makes online shopping very appealing. “This is great for consumers because it means that when our lives are busy and we can\’t get to the shops we can sit from the comfort of our own houses and order whatever it is we need,” says the site.

Special Offers. SplashSearch.co.uk also points out that many retailers offer their customers special deals when they make purchases through their websites. Why wouldn’t a consumer make a purchase online if it’s cheaper than going into the store? Add convenience to savings and online shopping is hard to beat. The site points out that this trend only becomes more popular during harder economic times.

Online shopping is not only one of today’s hottest trends, but it is destined to be the way people shop in the future. It’s important for your business to be able to take advantage of this phenomenon. Are you accepting credit cards? Are you set up to receive payment via credit card online? Contact Canadian POS Corporation at 1-877-748-2884 for more information on how you can begin accepting credit cards today!