Annual Shopping Poll: Canadians Have no Plans to Cut Holiday Spending

    TORONTO, ON, December 03, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The vast majority of Canadians (86 per cent) plan to be as generous, or more, this year versus last year, with an anticipated average holiday spend of $570, according to a recent poll by Ebates.ca. Those planning on taking advantage of holiday shopping events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, anticipate getting roughly one-third of their holiday shopping finished on these days (36 per cent on Black Friday and 33 per cent on Cyber Monday).

"Canadians may not be spending less, but they are leveraging pre-holiday sales to save money and stretch their dollar further," said Belinda Baugniet, director of marketing and resident shopping expert at Ebates.ca. "Our survey indicates that convenience is increasingly important to their shopping habits and decisions."

2017 Shopping Trends

Parents are anticipated to be the big spenders, shelling out an average of $710 compared to $489 for those without kids, while dads say they plan to spend more than moms ($803 versus $638). Despite 22 per cent of Canadians who still plan on being last-minute shoppers, more Canadians are shopping early this year, with 31 per cent saying they have most of their holiday shopping done before the winter season starts, up from 28 per cent last year. These shopping keeners are more likely to be under the age of 35 (37 per cent), and/or parents of preschoolers (45 per cent). Those who do at least some shopping online (34 per cent) are also more likely to have their holiday shopping wrapped up early than those who don't (18 per cent).

Some people dread going anywhere near a mall during the holidays, and they are not alone; Canadians increasingly cite shopping for gifts at the mall as their least favourite part of the holidays (62 per cent), up slightly from last year (59 per cent). The majority (82 per cent) of Canadians are turning to online shopping to avoid the chaos and plan to dedicate 38 per cent of their holiday spend online, versus 36 per cent last year. Accordingly, convenience is cited as the top benefit of online shopping (26 per cent), followed by the ability to find things not available in stores (21 per cent).

Speaking of convenience, a whopping 87 per cent of Canadians say they typically purchase gift cards as holiday gifts and just as many say they are happy when they receive gift cards. In fact, only 21 per cent say they are a little disappointed to get a gift card, and just 36 per cent feel a little guilty giving one. By far, the majority of Canadians feel gift cards simplify their holiday gift shopping (84 per cent) and nearly three quarters (73 per cent) feel they are a thoughtful holiday gift. The most popular type of gift card is for restaurants/coffee shops (49 per cent) followed by multi-purpose ones such as Visa gift cards (38 per cent).

Smart Strategies

Regardless of where they shop, Canadians strategize ways to stretch their holiday shopping budget. Two-thirds redeem loyalty program points to purchase gifts and 59 per cent make a point of shopping with retailers that offer loyalty points, while 47 per cent make a point of shopping with retailers that offer cash back. Other strategies include:

38% use social media to help them find deals (39% in 2016)
31% use social media to recommend products (31% in 2016)
32% use mobile apps or mobile payment (up vs 28% in 2016)
30% use store mobile apps to make purchases (up vs 27% in 2016)
22% use social media to complain about products (22% in 2016)

About the survey The Ebates Canada survey was conducted online in October 2017 with a nationally representative sample of 1,000 Canadians. A sample of this size is accurate to within +/-3 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

About Ebates Inc. The Ebates brand supports a strong community of millions of savvy shoppers around the world. Ebates.com was founded in 1998 and has paid over $300,000,000 in cash to its global members. In 2012, Ebates began international expansion with the launch of Ebates Canada, specifically designed by Canadians for Canadians. Ebates.ca membership is free. To earn cash back, online shoppers log in to Ebates.ca and click through to a partner retail site to complete their purchase. Ebates.ca then tracks the purchase and offers back in cash a percentage of everything bought.

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