Number of Canadians Buying Online Doubles

ACNielsen Canada has reported that the number of Canadians making purchases online has doubled in the past year.

According to the fifth annual ACNielsen study of Canadians and the Internet, 12 percent of all Canadians age 12 or older have made an online purchase in the past year, up from six percent last year.

Of these, 75% also paid for their purchase online, an increase of 66% compared to one year ago.

Greg Leach, vice president of IT and Telecommunications for ACNielsen Canada, said the growth rate of Internet shopping is not surprising given that 63% of Canadians age 12 and older now have access to the Internet.

“While the Internet is still a comparatively small trade channel, its growth is unprecedented,” said Leach. “Retailers and manufacturers who have not started doing business online are already behind.”

From a gender perspective, Internet users match the general population — 49% male and 51% female. The age gap is narrowing as well, with people age 65 and older now comprising the fastest-growing Internet user age segment.

The study, Internet Planner 2000, is based on a survey of ACNielsen Canada’s Homescan panel of 12,000 households.