News Update: Back-to-School Shoppers are choosing to go ONLINE

It’s that time of year again! School is starting next week for many elementary kids and soon after for everyone else. Parents know the drill; new clothes, new school supplies, new books, new electronics, etc. One way many parents are ticking off their back-to-school lists quickly is by browsing and shopping ONLINE via desktop and mobile devices. Who would have thought? (sarcastic remark)

This week in the news (on TV & in newspapers across Canada) there have been many stories about back-to-school shopping. These reports are describing how parents and teens are choosing to go online to search for the best prices, stock availabilities, and general product information for all back-to-school shopping. The bottom-line: back-to-school online shopping & mobile browsing is soaring in Canada!

It’s obvious that shopping on eCommerce stores is a trend that is rapidly growing and gaining popularity with more and more consumers. Shoppers are choosing to go online rather than in stores for their purchases partly due to time constraints and the ease of online shopping. I can only assume that this year’s Holiday Season will be reported with the same consensus as back-to-school; online browsing & shopping have surged!

Businesses need to understand consumers will only turn to eCommerce Stores more and more and it’s time to get on board. Google Canada’s head of Retail & Tech sectors, Chris Hodgson, stated that even if “a competing company doesn’t have the stock availability (of a certain item), doesn’t have the price on its website, you’re far less likely to actually convert and buy from that retailer” (The Vancouver Sun, 2015). It’s obviously not enough anymore to simply have a website, but it’s critical to have a website with product information and pricing and even a shopping platform. It’s about giving the consumers what they want – and that is to have all the information at their fingertips and the ease of buying products and services when they want and how they want.