Press Releases

Canada Lags in Online and Mobile Shopping
RetailMeNot.ca issues 11-country consumer behavior study showing Canadians and Italians least likely to buy online

TORONTO, Aug. 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Think Canadians are savvy online shoppers? Think again. A new international study commissioned by RetailMeNot.ca reveals that 22 per cent of Canadians never buy anything online, compared with only 6 per cent of both Germans and Britons, and 4 per cent of the Chinese. Americans fall in the middle of the pack, with 12 per cent shunning online retail.

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The study also showed that 15 per cent of Canadians never look for deals and offers on products and are the least likely out of all 11 countries surveyed to visit a price comparison website (6 per cent).

"The vast majority of Canadian consumers have shopped online. Yet, with three in four still shopping primarily in-store, our research of more than 10,000 consumers in 11 countries shows Canadian consumers have yet to embrace online shopping at the levels of consumers in the UK and Germany. That behavior is consistent with Canadians looking for deals and discounts offline in their weekly flyers versus online," says Josh Harding, vice president of global operations for RetailMeNot, Inc. "Our recent expansion into Canada with RetailMeNot.ca is helping more consumers realize just how easy it is to find savings on their purchases."

Other Canadian findings:

  • Men are more likely than women to shop primarily online, either via retailers' e-commerce website and/or on their mobile device (31 per cent vs. 22 per cent);
  • Only 4 per cent of Canadians surveyed look for deals and offers primarily via social media; and
  • Quebec has the highest percentage of respondents who never buy online (29 per cent).

Canadians are also among the least likely to use their mobile device for shopping (40 per cent), joined at the bottom by the French (30 per cent) and Dutch (41 per cent). Survey respondents in India (82 per cent) and China (76 per cent) are the most likely to use their mobile devices to shop for items and deals.

Among other findings:

  • R.I.P. QR Codes: Internationally, only 12 per cent of respondents have used a QR code to find out more information about a product. Germans are most likely to use a QR code (20 per cent);
  • Privacy (Doesn't) Matter: Internationally, only 15 per cent of respondents said they preferred the privacy of shopping online rather than going to a store, with Canadians at 14 per cent. However, 30 per cent of respondents from both China and India indicated they prefer the privacy of shopping online; and
  • You've Got Mail: Each with 28 per cent, Canadians, Americans and Germans mainly look for coupons and vouchers in the newspaper or mail, ahead of the international average of 16 per cent for the rest of the countries in the study. The Chinese (5 per cent), as well as Britons (6 per cent), are among the least likely to do so.

Survey Methodology
The online survey was conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs from June 10–24, 2013, among a total of 10,009 adults across 11 countries. This included roughly 1,000 interviews in each of Australia, France, Germany, Italy, the United States, Canada, Great Britain, India and China, and 500 interviews in Sweden and the Netherlands. Results are weighted to the general adult population ages 16–64 in each country (or in the U.S. and Canada, 18–64).

About RetailMeNot.ca
RetailMeNot.ca (http://www.retailmenot.ca/) is a new digital coupon site in Canada. Its mission is to help consumers save money and enjoy a hassle-free discount shopping experience with retailers serving Canada. RetailMeNot.ca promotes digital coupons from thousands of retailers who do business with Canadians. RetailMeNot.ca is operated by RetailMeNot, Inc. (NASDAQ:SALE), the world's largest digital coupon marketplace.

Facebook: Facebook.com/RetailmenotCanada
Twitter: @retailmenotca

About RetailMeNot, Inc.
RetailMeNot, Inc. (www.retailmenot.com/corp/) operates the world's largest digital coupon marketplace. The company's websites enable consumers across the globe seeking to save money to find hundreds of thousands of digital coupons and offers from retailers and brands. RetailMeNot, Inc. experienced more than 450 million consumer visits to its websites in 2012. The RetailMeNot, Inc. portfolio of coupon and deal websites includes http://www.retailmenot.com/, the leading digital coupon site in the United States; http://www.vouchercodes.co.uk/, the leading digital coupon site in the United Kingdom; http://www.deals.com/ in Germany; http://www.actiepagina.nl/, a leading digital coupon site in the Netherlands; Bons-de-Reduction.com and http://www.ma-reduc.com/, leading digital coupon sites in France; http://www.poulpeo.com/, a leading digital coupon site with cash back in France; and http://www.deals2buy.com/, a leading discount offer site in North America. RetailMeNot, Inc. went public in July 2013 and is listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the ticker symbol, "SALE." Investors interested in learning more about the company can visit: http://investor.retailmenot.com/.

Media contacts:

Christy Rabil
RetailMeNot, Inc.
512 777 2897 office
646 554 8873 mobile
crabil@rmn.com

Rachael Collier
Citizen Optimum
416 306 6641 office
416 995 1432 mobile
rachael.collier@citizenrelations.com


Media Contacts

North America
RetailMeNot PR Department
Media Inquiries: +1 512 777 2957
France
Jordy Mongin
RetailMeNot, France