Online sales of products and services in Canada generated $18.9 billion (£13.8 billion) last year, according to new figures.
A new report from Statistics Canada shows sales of items over the internet rocketing 24 per cent since 2010. Half of the country’s web users (56 per cent) used ecommerce in 2012, a slight improvement on the 51 per cent from 2010.
When it came to their ecommerce habits, 77 per cent admitted to conducting research on goods or services to ensure they found the right match.
Betakit.com says people aged between 25-34 were the most likely to shop online – 69 per cent of them doing so last year – while around one-quarter (23 per cent) of the country managed to sell items over the internet last year.
Online sales are being boosted by a rise in seniors using the internet, as 48 per cent of Canadians aged 65 or older said they went online last year – up 20 per cent since 2010.
This meant that 83 per cent of Canadians aged 16 and older were internet users in 2012 – a rise of three per cent over the two-year gap.
Statistics Canada spokesman Mark Uhrbach told thestar.com that older web users will soon catch up with their older counterparts, claiming to see a cohort effect in internet use.
“Once people start using the internet they’re not likely to stop using it as they age,” he said. “So as young users and boomer-aged users move through the age cohorts we’ll see that trend continue.”
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