CALGARY, Jan. 27 - After two years of flat on-line gift shopping, Canadians increased their on-line gift purchasing during the 2004 holiday season, a new study from Ipsos-Reid says. More than 3.5 million adults purchased at least one gift on-line, up from 2.2 million in 2003, representing an increase of 59 per cent.
The increase beat figures released in the United States, ., which indicate that on-line shopping south of border increased only 29 per cent this past holiday season.
"Typically we lag the U.S. when it comes to online shopping," Ipsos-Reid's Chris Ferneyhough said. "But it appears that we made some ground this most recent holiday season, though we still have a ways to go before on-line shopping can be considered as popular here as it is in the U.S."
The incidence of adults with Internet access having ever made an online purchase hit a new tracking high of 56 per cent, which is up from 47 per cent this time last year and 39 per cent in 2002. This figure is equivalent to 44 per cent of all Canadian adults having made at least one purchase directly on-line.
Among those who have ever made a purchase on-line, 33 per cent purchased at least one gift on-line during the holiday season, which is up from 26 per cent in both 2003 and 2002.
The typical Canadian purchasing gifts on-line during the 2004 holiday season spent $228, which is down slightly from 2003, when the average on-line shopper spent $247 on gifts, and down from 2002 when the average amount spent on gifts was $267. However, the increase in incidence of on-line shopping in general and a slight increase in Internet access offset the decrease in average amount spent.
Books are no longer the favourite among on-line shoppers. Clothes were just as popular (29 per cent and 28 per cent respectively), and DVDs or movies were close behind at 25 per cent.
The vast majority of on-line shoppers from the past holiday season told Ipsos Reid that they are "very likely" to purchase on-line for gifts next holiday season (77 per cent) with only 2 per cent saying they are unlikely.