A few days ago, the Marketing Magazine released an article (through research done by PayPal) that showed that 51% of Canadians were anxious when making a purchase online. The finding further found that 40% of Canadians don't believe that retailers are able to keep their credit card information safe.
Through research I've done recently on online shoppers, I've have found additional studies that show - in comparison to the US - Canadians are more likely to research their purchases online but less likely to actually buy.
A few sources have speculated why this might be occurring. For starters, online shopping become cheaper and easier to do in the US than in Canada. Furthermore, shipping costs in the US are now either nothing or baked into initial cost (typically). In Canada, they can be upwards of 10-15% on top of the purchase price - depending on the brand and where you live.
That being said, things aren't all that bad. According to eMarketer, Canadian's spent over $6.5 billion online last year and that number will certainly continue to grow.
But the question remains - when will Canadians as a whole feel comfortable with leaving the retail experience and buying most of their items via the web?
