COVID-19 pandemic boosts Canadian’s online spending, hybrid shopping

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VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — Whether it’s gadgets, apps, or streaming services, Canadians are buying more tech during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to data from Statistics Canada.

A survey conducted by the agency last month found 44 per cent of Canadians said they have put money toward computers, laptops, and tablets, while 42 per cent said they spent more on streaming services.


David Ian Gray, a retail advisor with DIG 360, said there are no major breakthrough apps or new devices driving Canadians to buy more online.

“That’s really almost 100 per cent driven by the behaviour shift through the pandemic,” he said. “Specifically, homeschooling for kids, work from home for the parents, and just more time spent at home and looking for more entertainment and connectivity to remote friends and family.”

Since the technology is already familiar to most Canadians, Gray said they don’t need advice, making it easier to order products online.

While online sales are up, Gray added he has heard word some of the “typical players that sell in-store technologies,” are also doing well during the pandemic.

“What we’re seeing is a new relationship between online and offline evolving and it was already starting before the pandemic, it is just accelerating now.”


Gray said another interesting behaviour emerging is a hybrid shopping model, where people order online and pick up in-store.

“People are wanting to do curbside pick-up, they’re wanting to return items to a store. The hybrid seems to be the model that’s working.”

He said its popularity has accelerated as people try to shop safely.

-With files from the Canadian Press

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