Forrester Research Online Retail Forecast, 2014 To 2019 (Canada)

Canadian online retail sales account for 6% of total Canadian retail sales today, lagging behind the US and other developed markets. Many retailers have been slow to build out their digital offering, while consumers are reluctant to pay the high shipping prices for online purchases in Canada and instead turn to cross-border buying. However, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 12% through 2019, the Canadian eCommerce market is set to expand robustly. Growth will come from both the online buyer penetration rate surpassing 60% of all online users and, more significantly, online spending per buyer increasing by more than 50% over the next five years as the online wallet shift quickens. Tablet and smartphone sales will have a critical impact as well: Although they represent barely 20% of the online retail pie today, their share will rise to more than half of all digital sales by 2019.