Why Online Shopping Is A Beautiful Thing

I track the online behaviour of Canadians as part of the Ipsos Canadian Inter@ctive Reid Report, and found it particularly interesting to discover that cosmetics and beauty products are among the categories that increased substantially between 2013 and 2014.

Based on our latest study fielded in July 2014, the most common items purchased online by Canadians are books (63%), clothing and apparel (57%), travel and vacation services or packages (53%), and downloaded computer software (43%). But when comparing significant changes between 2013 and 2014, the personal products and household goods categories have shown the greatest movement: specifically, cosmetic and beauty products are up 6 percentage points to 29%; pet products are up 6 percentage points to 17%; furniture and housewares are up 5 percentage points to 23%; groceries are up 5 percentage points to 15%; and glasses and contact lenses are up 4 percentage points to 15%.

So, who's shopping online? Everyone? Almost! Over eight in ten (82%) Canadian Internet users have made a purchase online in the past year. In addition, the average amount spent annually on online purchases in Canada is now $954.

Results from the study reveal that younger Canadians (Millennials) are significantly more likely than their older counterparts to have made an online purchase in the past year. While 92% of consumers aged 18-34 years old have purchased online this year, it drops to 82% for those aged 35 to 54 years old, and 74% among those 55 years and older.

Despite the ubiquity of smartphones and tablets, desktops and laptops continue to be the device of choice for online purchases, with a whopping nine in ten (88%) online purchases made in the past 12 months through this means. However, the proportion of Canadian online purchasers using their smartphones (20%) and tablet computers (19%) to buy products and services online continues to rise year over year. This is significantly skewed towards younger consumers, with 33% of those 18 to 34 years indicating that they have made a purchase via their smartphone, compared to 8% of those 55 years and older.

From a retailer's perspective, all of this is great news. By the way, I'm likely contributing to the increase in purchasing cosmetics online. Berry Freeze, Clinique Long Last Soft Shine Lipstick - that's my colour.