Canada’s Growing E-Commerce Market Offers Opportunities – and Challenges — for California Businesses

A July 2019 webinar sponsored by Canada Post revealed a few interesting statistics about the Canadian e-commerce market:  First, that 80 percent of Canadians are online shoppers, and almost 70 percent of those shoppers have made purchases from U.S. retailers.  This represents a market of roughly 30 million consumers.  And second, Canada’s e-commerce market is growing.  A lot.  By 2022, online sales are projected to increase by a whopping  87 percent over 2016 levels.

 As the webinar leader summarized:  “Canadians have money.  They like to shop.  And they plan to shop more.”

 Clearly, there has never been a better time for California businesses to expand e-commerce operations to the Canadian market.  But before a business decides to take that potentially lucrative step, it’s vital to recognize that selling to Canada is different from selling within the U.S., and requires careful planning, especially with regard to logistics and delivery.

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