A global survey released yesterday by IBM revealed Canadian shoppers are adopting new shopping technologies faster than most. The number of Canadians willing to use mobile technologies to shop increased by 160% year-to-year, second only to the U.S. in uptake.
The survey also shows the number of Canadian “instrumented” consumers – those who use two or more technologies such as a website, mobile device or in-store kiosk – increased by 65% over last year’s results. This is almost double the global result, which reported a 36% increase year-to-year.
“It would appear Canadians’ conservative attitude toward adopting new consumer technologies is changing rapidly to the point that consumers are ahead of retailers,” said John Dawkins, IBM’s Canadian retail sector lead.
“Wider access to bandwidth at lower rates, an increase in the number of Canadian wireless service providers, adoption of social media and a comparatively faster economic recovery are driving the emergence of a more complex, competitive and sophisticated shopper.”
The study reveals a portrait of the quintessential Canadian shopper: female; frugal but optimistic about her income; influenced more by family and friends’ opinions than retailers; and who regularly shops for more than people in her household such as parents or grandchildren.
“A new approach to customer intimacy is critical in the new economic environment and this necessitates a stronger commitment than ever before,” said Diane Brisebois, president and CEO of the Retail Council of Canada.
“Organizations that are best at extracting previously undiscovered insights from vast amounts of customer information have a huge advantage in deepening existing connections and creating new relationships.”