Canadians expected to purchase 100 gifts per minute on busiest online shopping day of the year

TORONTO, Nov. 22, 2011 /CNW/ - The holiday shopping rush has only begun, according to eBay Canada. Based on eBay data and the holiday shopping season so far, eBay predicts that Sunday, November 27th will be Canada's busiest online shopping day of 2011.

More than a half-million savvy Canadian shoppers are expected to shop on eBay during "Super Sunday," buying nearly two gifts every second for friends and family - a 17% rise over last year.

Avoiding crowds, round-the-clock access, and great deals are all factors behind the increased popularity of online shopping. Research commissioned by eBay suggests that 40 per cent of Canadian shoppers are expected to do some or all of their holiday shopping online this year, an increase of approximately 11 per cent over 2010.

"Canadians are craving convenience when it comes to holiday shopping: nearly 70 per cent of Canadians shop online because it saves them time," said Kevin Wolfley, eBayCanada. "It will commonly take the average shopper less than an hour to make their purchase transactions online, whether it's from a computer or a mobile phone, leaving plenty of time to celebrate with friends and family."

This year, a record number of Canadians will be doing their holiday shopping from a mobile device. In fact, eBay expects that items bought from smartphones or tablets will increase by 224 per cent from last year with approximately eight items bought every minute using a mobile device.

What tops Canadians' wish lists this holiday season?

• With 11 items being purchased from the Clothing, Shoes & Accessories category every minute, thousands of Canadians can expect something fabulous to wear this holiday season.
• The hottest holiday gadgets for 2011 include: smartphones such as the iPhone 4s and Samsung Galaxy, tablets, including the iPad 2, and gaming systems like the Xbox 360.
• On Super Sunday, some of the top categories Canadians will be browsing and buying from on eBay.ca include:
  1. Women's & Men's Clothing
  2. Cell Phones & Accessories
  3. Fashion Jewellery
  4. Video Game systems, games & accessories
  5. Inside the Home
  6. DVD, HD DVD & Blue-ray

Why are two-in-five Canadians doing some or all of their holiday shopping online? The research reveals the following:

• The overwhelming majority of Canadians (71 per cent) shop online because it can be done anytime and some (14 per cent) even admit that they like shopping online because it can be done at work.
• More than half of Canadians shop online to avoid the crowds and long lines at the mall.
• Great deals and selection are also driving Canadians online. Nearly half of Canadians say this is the reason they shop online.
• Three-quarters of Canadians admit holiday mall shopping takes a lot of time and are frustrated when they can't find what they're looking for in a store.

Survey Methodology

The survey was completed online from November 7th, to November 9th, 2011 using Leger Marketing's online panel, LegerWeb, with  a sample of 1507 Canadians 18 years of age or older.

A probability sample of the same size would yield a margin of error of +/-2.5%, 19 times out of 20.