Parents are going online this holiday season

With the holiday season fast approaching, eBay Canada offers the following insights on Canadian consumers, specifically parents.

GIFTS CANADIANS ARE WISHING FOR THIS YEAR

The top types of gifts Canadians would like to receive are ones that are thoughtful (32%) or useful (30%). Only 13% of Canadians would like to receive a present that was directly from their wish list, however this has increased slightly since last year (11%). Only 2% of Canadians would like to receive a gift that is expensive.

- Women are more likely than men to want to receive a gift that is thoughtful (38% vs. 26%, respectively) whereas men are significantly more likely than women to want to receive a gift that is useful (36% vs. 25%, respectively).
- Those from Quebec (21%) are significantly more likely than other regions in Canada to want to receive a gift that is frivolous or something they would never buy for themselves.
- Those from urban areas are more likely than their suburban and rural counterparts to want a gift that’s directly from their wish list (15% vs. 11% and 12%, respectively)
- Millennials are the most likely out of any age group to hope to receive a gift that is useful (34%), whereas Generation Ys are the least likely to hope to receive a useful holiday gift (23%). Millennials are also the most likely to hope to receive a gift that is exactly from their wish list (15%), whereas seniors are the least likely (10%).

WHY CANADIANS SHOP ONLINE FOR THE HOLIDAYS

The majority of Canadians (54%) anticipate that they’ll do some or all of their holiday shopping online this season.

- Millennials, the most likely of all the age groups, are twice as likely as seniors (69% vs. 34%, respectively).
- Canadians with children in the household (66%) are significantly more likely to anticipate that they’ll do some or all of their holiday shopping online this season compared to those without kids in the home (49%)

Two-thirds of Canadians see the benefits of shopping online for holiday items, especially when it comes to avoiding the holiday grind and shopping on their own terms (67%) or to save time, money and/or stress (66%).

- Age directly correlates with this viewpoint: Millennials (18-34 year-olds) are the most likely to see these benefits (78% & 77%) and seniors (65+ years) are the least likely (48% & 46%).
- Canadians located in rural areas are more likely to believe that shopping online for the holidays saves them time, money and/or stress (71%) whereas those living in urban areas are the least (65%).
- Four-in-five Canadians with children in the household believe that shopping online for holiday items helps them avoid the holiday grind and lets them shop on their own terms (79%) or that shopping online for holiday gifts saves them time, money and/or stress (78%), which is significantly more likely than Canadians without kids in the home (62% and 61%, respectively).

Half of Canadians believe that they find better holiday gifts (e.g. unique, perfectly suited for the recipient, exactly what they are looking for, etc.) when they shop online.

- Generation Ys (35-44 years-old) are the most likely to agree (66%), which is twice as likely as seniors (65 and older) (30%).
- Canadians with children in the household (63%) are significantly more likely to believe that they find better holiday gifts when they shop online than those without kids in the home (46%).

CANADIANS ARE EMBRACING HOLIDAY MOBILE SHOPPING

More than a third of Canadians (36%) will likely do some or all of the holiday shopping from their smartphones this season, which is an increase from last year (30% in 2016)

- Shoppers from suburban and rural areas are more likely than those from urban areas to shop via their mobile device this holiday season (38%, 37% and 34%, respectively)
- Generation Ys are more than three times as likely to do some or all of their holiday shopping from their mobile device this season than seniors ( 51% vs. 16%, respectively)
- Canadians with children in the household (52%) are significantly more likely to do some or all of their holiday shopping from their mobile device this season than those without kids in the home (30%)

Around 45% of Canadians personally think its fine to take a moment to shop from your mobile device during family holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving, when there is downtime.

- Those from Atlantic Canada (57%), are the most likely to agree; those from SK/MB (39%) are the least
- Canadians with children in the household (58%) are significantly more likely to agree than those without kids in the home (39%)

Last year, one in five Canadians (19%) purchased something from their mobile device during the family Christmas holidays (Dec. 24 – 26). 4% of Canadians made a purchase from their mobile device on Christmas day.

- Those from suburban areas were the most likely to make a purchase from their mobile device during the family Christmas holidays (20%), and those from rural areas were the least likely (14%). Urbanites are also three times as likely than those living in rural areas to have made a purchase via their mobile device on Christmas Day last year (6% vs. 2%).
- Men are slightly more likely than women to shop from their mobile device on Christmas Day (5% vs. 3%, respectively)
- Canadians with children in the household are more likely to shop from their mobile device on Christmas Day than those without kids in the home (7% vs. 2%, respectively)

REGIONAL OBSERVATIONS

Overall, consumers in Atlantic Canada are the most likely to favour shopping online for the holidays, whereas those from Quebec are the least likely. Atlantic Canadians are the most likely to:

- Do some or all of their holiday shopping online this season (65% vs. 46% for Quebec);
- Think that shopping online for the holidays helps them avoid the holiday grind and shop on their own terms (74% vs. 61% for Quebec);
- Believe that they find better holiday gifts online (60% vs. 44% for Quebec).