Canadian consumers flocked to online shopping as lockdowns to combat the COVID-19 pandemic were instituted, according to a Statistics Canada report.
Canadian consumers flocked to online shopping as lockdowns to combat the COVID-19 pandemic were instituted, according to a Statistics Canada report.
A new report from the agency found that total retail sales fell by 17.9 per cent as Canadians increasingly sheltered in place between February and May and brick-and-mortar stores closed their doors.
Even so, shoppers rushed to make online purchases, with sales surging 99.3 per cent during the period.
Statistics Canada says e-commerce sales hit a record $3.9 billion in May, a 2.3 per cent increase over April and 99.3 per cent increase over February.
E-commerce sales more than doubled year over year, with a 110.8 per cent increase compared with May 2019.
The report found that all 11 retail subsectors with e-commerce sales saw those sales increase.
The record ga