British Columbians have some catching up to do when it comes to spending online for back-to-school supplies.
More than half of Canadians (55%) will shop online when they go back-to-school shopping, according to a study Visa Canada released August 3.
The study did not break down the percentage in each province. But, it noted the average B.C. resident plans to spend 12.5% less than the Canadian average of $112 online as part of back-to-school shopping.
About 82% of Canadians’ back-to-school spending will continue to be spent in bricks and mortar stores, the study noted.
However, B.C. shoppers are keener than their counterparts in the rest of Canada to shop at U.S.-based websites when they do go online.
Visa’s survey revealed that British Columbians plan to make 36% of their online purchases at U.S. websites. Other Canadians plan to limit spending at U.S. websites to 26% of total online back-to-school purchases.
“We’re seeing an increase in the number of people shopping online,” Visa Canada’s business leader of e-commerce, Stephanie Wallat, told Business in Vancouver. “With respect to back-to-school shopping, it’s up 7% over last year when we did a survey.”