Mobile commerce in Canada - statistics & facts
Internet use has undeniably become a precursor to e-commerce. Similarly, where there is smartphone usage, there will inevitably be smartphone users engaging in mobile commerce. Mobile shopping, which happens most often on portable devices like smartphones and tablets, is an increasingly normalized way of shopping online globally. This is also true for Canada, where in 2022, mobile users were responsible for 34 percent of all e-commerce sales in the country. As the mobile commerce sphere continues to grow, nearly 40 percent of Canadian companies were investing in mobile apps for their consumers to use in the same year.
Along with mobile shopping, mobile payments have become a common way to make purchases in Canada. In 2023, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and PayPal were the top ranked mobile payment brands by use in the country. While mobile payments are still primarily used for making in-person purchases in stores, restaurants, and other points of sale, using mobile wallets to shop online has grown in popularity in the last years. Almost 30 percent of Apple Pay users in Canada used the mobile wallet to pay while online shopping in 2023, compared to just 13 percent in 2018. M-commerce Google Pay usage also grew within the same time frame. With mobile commerce as a new norm, mobile wallet use for online shopping is bound to experience more growth in the years to come.
Canada’s leading shopping apps
While shopping on the web via a mobile device is entirely possible, Canadian businesses have not invested into mobile apps without reason. When considering app UX (user experience) designed for an overall simpler purchasing experience for consumers, mobile apps have the potential to make the m-commerce process infinitely more seamless and appealing. Overall, the shopping app that was most popular among Canadians was Amazon Shopping. In 2022, the e-commerce giant accumulated over 2.1 million downloads of their app in the country. Ranked second was the popular app for fast-fashion shopping, SHEIN, followed by the Canadian Tire app, which allows users to shop from the retail company’s wide array of goods, find deals easier, and check in-store product availability.Mobile shopping and payments
Although most Canadian e-commerce users still make their purchases on a computer, that share is trumped when considering both mobile phones and tablets. Nearly 60 percent of Canadians used mobile phones, and another 25 percent used tablets while making their online purchases in early 2022. When it came to cross-border purchases, in comparison to using a laptop, smartphones were also the most preferred device to buy with. Ultimately, about four in ten Canadians were engaging in m-commerce at least once each month.Along with mobile shopping, mobile payments have become a common way to make purchases in Canada. In 2023, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and PayPal were the top ranked mobile payment brands by use in the country. While mobile payments are still primarily used for making in-person purchases in stores, restaurants, and other points of sale, using mobile wallets to shop online has grown in popularity in the last years. Almost 30 percent of Apple Pay users in Canada used the mobile wallet to pay while online shopping in 2023, compared to just 13 percent in 2018. M-commerce Google Pay usage also grew within the same time frame. With mobile commerce as a new norm, mobile wallet use for online shopping is bound to experience more growth in the years to come.
