Canadian online buyers are heavy users of social media, according to a J.C. Williams Group study sponsored by Visa and Yahoo! Canada. The study was conducted in April 2007 among both online and offline buyers in Canada.


Nearly four in 10 online buyers visited more than one online store before finalizing a purchase, and 37% used a search engine to find a retailer.



More online buyers used networking tools and platforms to share opinions, insights, experiences and perspectives than those who purchased offline.

Online buyers were more likely than those who did not buy online to have written a product review, posted a video to the Web or written a blog.

Six in 10 online buyers said that consumer reviews were their most trusted information source. Only 31% said they trusted newspapers or magazines most.



Getting Canadians to purchase online is still a challenge. More than two-thirds of Canadian Internet users like to shop online, but only 53% are willing to buy online. eMarketer projects Canadians will double their online spending for retail goods to $16 billion by 2009, from $8 billion in 2006.