Statistics Canada has data to suggest that Canadians are less likely to shop online than Americans. According to the research, Canadian sales for online shopping reached $7.7 billion in 2012, up from $6.6 billion the year before. Total sales were $502.6 billion, which increased by 2.9 per cent. Despite statistics that e-commerce is growing across the nation, online sales make up only 1.5 per cent of retail sales in total. In comparison, the U.S online sales make up 5.2 per cent of its total retail sales for 2012.
The online businesses described as “electronic shopping and mail-order houses” were taking up the e-commerce sales the most, while auto parts and motor vehicle sales were a close second, making up with 34.8 per cent of the Canadian e-commerce sales. Electronics and appliance stores accounted for 7.1 per cent of the sales. Clothing sales increased 9.9 per cent in 2012. CJ
