Survey shows online shopping, buying fewer gifts among preferred “coping mechanisms”
MISSISSAUGA–While the holiday period is long considered one of the most joyous times of the year, one-third of Canadians find holiday shopping more stressful than they did five years ago. Although more people are turning to online shopping and buying fewer gifts, as a way to alleviate their stress.
According to a recent Leger study, commissioned by UPS Canada, the top reasons for heightened stress around holiday shopping are overcrowded stores, gifts becoming increasingly expensive, and the difficulty in finding the right gift to please everyone on your list.
“This is fairly consistent with that data we’ve gathered over the years about the rise of e-commerce and its impact on purchasing behaviours,” said Lisa Covens, vice-president, communications and public affairs at Leger. “The holiday rush is always an intense period, but with 33 per cent of consumers choosing the “dread” emoji to describe their holiday shopping mood, we know retailers have some work to do to make it less stressful.”
Starting holiday shopping earlier is a common goal for Canadians and many shoppers are not waiting for the new year to set some early resolutions. In fact three out of 10 Canadians stated that early November is their typical start-time for holiday purchases and 40 per cent of respondents indicated they want to finish their gift-buying at least one week before Christmas.
Other key survey results include:
–Asked what they wished they had more of in the lead up to the holidays, Canadians said money (69 per cent), energy (43 per cent) and time (42 per cent);
–Asked what they would do with the extra time, Canadians’ top response was “spending more time with friends and family” (62 per cent), followed closely by its counterpoint, namely “spending quiet time by myself” (58 per cent);
–More than eight out of 10 people believe that package theft – also known as porch piracy – is an issue when items are delivered to their home.
“With nearly one-third of Canadians relying on online shopping this holiday season, package theft is a shared responsibility we take very seriously,” says Nicolas Dorget, vice-president, strategic alliances, at UPS Canada. “Our growing adoption of digital technology, including tools like the UPS My Choice® app, provides customers with greater visibility and control of their incoming packages.”
In Canada, 1.5 million users have signed up for UPS My Choice, an online tool that allows members to receive an email or text message the day before a shipment arrives and reroute their package to an alternative location or UPS Access Point®, if they will not be home. The UPS Access Point network has over 1,100 locations, including The UPS Store, pharmacies and other local businesses. Members can also provide instructions for their UPS driver on where to leave their packages, such as the back door or side of the garage.
Leger is the largest Canadian-owned survey, research and marketing strategy firm with more than 400 employees in offices across Canada and the United States. Leger works with prestigious clients such as JJVC, Scientific Games, L’Oreal, Staples, Nebraska Furniture, Nespresso, 7-eleven, National Bank, RBC, SNC-Lavalin, Sephora, Alcon, Eli Lilly, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, Quebecor, Telus, Rotary and Uber.
UPS is a global leader in logistics, offering a broad range of solutions including transporting packages and freight; facilitating international trade, and deploying advanced technology to more efficiently manage the world of business. Headquartered in Atlanta, UPS serves more than 220 countries and territories worldwide.
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