Thursday, March 28, 2024
ADVT 
Life

Canadians Cool To Shopping For Groceries Online, Only 15% Have Tried It: Report

Darpan News Desk, 24 Oct, 2016 01:41 PM
    TORONTO — Canadians are happy buying their books and music on the web but aren't yet embracing online grocery shopping, suggests a recently released report.
     
    According to the results of an online survey of 1,000 Canadians in August, 92 per cent of respondents said they shopped online but only 15 per cent said they had bought groceries on the web.
     
    While almost 40 per cent of online-shopping spending was linked to entertainment purchases, just four per cent was tied to food and groceries.
     
    "With online shopping in general, even in the past with other categories, there had to be an incentive for customers to try it out, to get away from their usual habits, give it a try. And then if there was some benefit they would try it again," said Suthamie Poologasingham of J.C. Williams Group Ltd., which looked at the online grocery market in its Canadian E-tail Report.
     
    "I think we're at that stage with grocery and online."
     
    Canada lags behind the U.S. and U.K. when it comes to online grocery shopping, added Poologasingham.
     
    "Once they understand there is some convenience behind it — if retailers are able to provide those conveniences and the same products they would provide in store — I think we will see more Canadians getting on board."
     
    Some companies without physical grocery stores — like Grocery Gateway, which partners with Longo's in the Toronto area — deliver boxes of groceries, including fresh produce, to the doorsteps of their customers, while IGA, Thrifty Foods and Costco offer some delivery services as well.
     
    Summerhill Market in Toronto teamed up with the delivery service InstaBuggy about six months ago and has seen 30 per cent to 40 per cent growth each month in its online service, said co-owner Christy McMullen.
     
    "I don't know if everyone will do all of their shopping online. I think they still like the experience of coming in the store, but when you have these big bulky items and you're in a rush or you don't have time, then I think online is a really great alternative," McMullen said.
     
    While books and clothes ordered online can linger on a porch, in an apartment lobby or a mailbox, food has to be packaged carefully to keep from spoiling or bruising.
     
    To get around that, some retailers including Loblaw and Walmart Canada have adopted a click-and-collect program. The customer orders online and then swings by the store to fetch the order.
     
    Jeremy Pee, Loblaw senior vice-president of e-commerce, claims about 80 per cent of customers who try it once return for a second visit.
     
    "We are expecting to see online grocery shopping grow," said Poologasingham.
     
    "We are seeing from other studies that it is growing, so people are looking at it and trying it out at least once."
     
    The polling industry's professional body, the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association, says online surveys cannot be assigned a margin of error because they do not randomly sample the population.

    MORE Life ARTICLES

    New Directors Join Vancouver Opera Board

    New Directors Join Vancouver Opera Board
    Annual General Meeting highlighted financial and artistic successes in 2015-2016 and excitement for the 2016-2017 Season & Festival

    New Directors Join Vancouver Opera Board

    David Yurman Opens Expanded, Renovated Shop-in-Shop at Holt Renfrew

    David Yurman Opens Expanded, Renovated Shop-in-Shop at Holt Renfrew
    The renovated 1,226 square-foot location is David Yurman’s largest shop-in-shop and will feature the brand’s Heritage pieces, illustrating the journey of art to jewelry. 

    David Yurman Opens Expanded, Renovated Shop-in-Shop at Holt Renfrew

    Everyday heroes receive honorary degrees from KPU

    Everyday heroes receive honorary degrees from KPU
    Bill McNamara, a retired firefighter, and David Proznick, a retired music teacher, will receive their awards at KPU’s annual fall convocation ceremonies Oct. 6 and 7.

    Everyday heroes receive honorary degrees from KPU

    Science imitating art in the next KPU-Science World Speaker Series talk

    Science imitating art in the next KPU-Science World Speaker Series talk
    Art historian and KPU instructor Dr. Dorothy Barenscott will examine what artists and filmmakers can teach us about scientific visualization long before a scientific hypothesis or paradigm can be tested and made material. 

    Science imitating art in the next KPU-Science World Speaker Series talk

    Thanksgiving’s underlying message of gratitude helps willpower, eases temptation

    Thanksgiving’s underlying message of gratitude helps willpower, eases temptation
    Giving thanks before EVERY meal has immeasurable health and weight control benefits.

    Thanksgiving’s underlying message of gratitude helps willpower, eases temptation

    Sunset Seniors’ Centre: Rooted in Community, Growing with the Neighbourhood

    Sunset Seniors’ Centre: Rooted in Community, Growing with the Neighbourhood
    Over the next 25 years, not only will the demand for seniors facilities increase dramatically but so will our seniors’ population. 

    Sunset Seniors’ Centre: Rooted in Community, Growing with the Neighbourhood