The Internet... the end of the recession?

The internet and it's seemingly ubiquitous presence have become part of our everyday lives here in Canada. In fact, Canada lists among the top 3 countries in the world for per-capita access to High-Speed internet. Yet, remarkably, Canada ranks among the lowest in the world for online shopping.

Yet interestingly enough, a trend towards online sales has increased in canada, not coincidentally around the same time the recession began in late 2007.

I find myself wondering why?

I have a theory (this is bound to become a phrase that will grace this blog many times):

1. Due to the added stress on the average family budget, wary customers are doing their research online at home, well before venturing out, with the intention that if they know exactly what they are looking for and where they can find the best deal, they won't be sucked into the impulse shopping that is the bread and butter of the retail system.

2. The online researcher quickly realizes that they can find the best deal on the internet for products and services, and that it is in fact safe and convenient and considerably less frustrating than navigating overcrowded malls and impossible parking lots.

All said and done, the researcher quickly becomes an online shopper, and viola, trends a changing!

However, the online consumer driven landscape is also changing... but more on that in my next post...