Visa Canada reports that 3 in 4 Canadians will be purchasing holiday gifts online this year. This is hardly surprising especially considering that eCommerce transactions by Canadians exceeded $100 million on 233 days in the last 12 months.
Visa's Holiday eCommerce survey, conducted by research firm Pollara, found that 50% of Canadians expect to spend between $100 and $499 online, while 16% will exceed that amount. Additionally, Canadians expect to spend 30% of their holiday budget online with credit cards being the primary payment method used by almost 80% of the online shoppers.
Interestingly, 41% of the 1,001 online shoppers polled consider debit card use advantageous because purchases come directly out of their bank account, but only 32% are willing to use debit to make purchases online.
Sue Whitney, Head of New Products, Visa Canada, says half of Canadians surveyed are unaware they can use Visa Debit online.
"We're reminding consumers that they can shop online using Visa Debit, the same way they shop using their Visa credit card, with the main difference being that the funds come directly from their bank account. With a growing number of Canadian consumers heading to the web to do their holiday shopping, Visa Debit's security and flexibility makes it perfect for shoppers who prefer the option of paying now for their online purchases but still want the ability to shop online at millions of merchants globally," Whitney continues.
The survey indicates that Albertans intend to spend the most online for the holidays (average $319) while British Columbians are planning to spend the least (average $196).
Canadians will be spending an average of $1,810 this holiday season representing a 12% spike from 2012, according to another recent spending study by BMO.