Some good news out of Stats Canada today … Canadians placed $12.8 billion worth of orders online in 2007 – up 61% from 2005.
This increase was driven by a larger volume of orders, which rose
from 49.4 million in 2005 to 69.9 million in 2007. The proportion of
orders placed with Canadian vendors declined slightly from 57% of the
total in 2005 to 52% in 2007.More than 8.4 million Canadians aged 16 and over made an online
purchase in 2007, up from nearly 6.9 million in 2005. They accounted
for 32% of Canadians in this age group, compared with 28% in 2005.
From a regional perspective, Albertan Internet users were the heaviest online shoppers in 2007, with one-half placing an online order.
And the Internet continues to support offline retail. 43% of Canadians logged on to do research on products, and 64% reported that they
had subsequently made a purchase directly from a store. The most popular items for browsing were consumer electronics, such as
cameras and VCRs; housewares, such as large appliances and furniture;
and clothing, jewelery and accessories.
For more info, see the report summary over at Stats Canada.