More Than One In Four Canadians Finish Holiday Shopping On December 24th
Online shopping can help relieve holiday stress
November 18, 2002
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For Immediate Release
Toronto, Ontario - November 18, 2002 - Canadians are overwhelmingly waiting until the final weeks before December 24 to 'wrap up' their holiday gift shopping, according to poll results released today by MSN.CA. According to the poll, 84% of Canadians finished their holiday shopping between the beginning of December and December 24 last year, with over a quarter of Canadians - 27 per cent -- waiting until the very last day to cross that final person off their gift list. Providing an interesting snapshot of Canadians' typical holiday shopping habits, the online poll of 1,700 Canadians was conducted by research firm OpenVenue e-Research Solutions among visitors to MSN.CA, between November 8 and November 14.
With almost one third (30%) of Canadians making more than 10 separate shopping trips to complete their holiday purchases, going online to browse and research potential gift items is one way Canadians can maximize their time during the busy holiday season and cut down on the number-one-ranked pet peeve of holiday shopping: crowded shopping malls. The poll found the average holiday shopping trip for 53% of Canadians takes one to two hours, with 33% of Canadians taking three to four hours per outing.
"Canadians put a lot of energy and a lot of hours into finding the perfect holiday gift for everyone on their list - and they do so within a relatively short period of time, which is why people can end up feeling frazzled," said Chris Luce, senior product manager, MSN.CA. "Online browsing and online shopping are the perfect remedies for time-pressed Canadians who want a more fun and relaxing shopping experience."
Among the 26% of online Canadians who often or sometimes shop for gifts online, 64% indicated that the ability to shop online at any time of day is the number one reason they purchase online. This "any time" convenience may also be the reason why 51% of online gift shoppers responded they shop online in their pajamas.
Whether Canadians have already started their shopping for the holidays or have yet to get started, MSN.CA offers the following tips to help reduce the frazzled feeling that can come with the holidays and free up more time for holiday shoppers to spend with family and friends:
| • | For those looking for gift ideas and inspiration, the MSN Shopping website has an online gift guide with great suggestions for everyone -- from the movie lover to the outdoor enthusiast to the person who seems to have everything. |
| • | Eliminate the hassle of running from store to store to compare prices on the same product. MSN Shopping offers products from Canada's top retailers, so consumers can quickly and easily see which retailer offers the best price. |
| • | Browse at your leisure. MSN Shopping provides a quick and easy way to browse offerings from Canada's top e-tailers, including amazon.ca, Canadiantire.ca, futureshop.ca, Hbc.com, and lasenza.com, at any time of day. |
| • | For those whose last-minute shopping habits are hard to break, MSN Shopping offers "Procrastination Central" - a selection of gift items which can be ordered from select retailers online and delivered within tight timeframes. "Procrastination Central" will be available on the MSN Shopping website beginning December 10. |
O ther findings of the poll include:
| • | 43% of Canadians make four to eight separate shopping trips during the holidays; 23% of Canadians make two to three shopping trips to purchase their holiday gifts. |
| • | Overwhelmingly, more women (71%) than men (48%) make holiday shopping lists. |
| • | Canadians rank their parents (32%) as the most difficult people for whom to buy a holiday gift. Significant others (11%) came in second. |
| • | The closet is the most popular hiding place for holiday gifts: 47% of Canadians stow their family's presents here. The basement or similar type of storage area came in second at 16%. |
| • | Crowds were ranked as the number one pet peeve of shopping in malls during the holidays (44%). Line-ups (19%) were a distant second, with parking problems (16%) rounding out the top three. |
T o kick off the holiday shopping season, MSN.CA today launched its holiday shopping promotion for its MSN Shopping property.* Starting today until December 15, consumers who visit http://shopping.msn.ca can enter to win one of three stockings stuffed with items from the MSN Shopping website retailers (approximate retail value of up to $5,000 each). One of the three winners will also receive a grand prize of $10,000. To enter the contest, consumers must find secret 'stocking stuffers' located throughout the site and add them to their virtual 'stocking' housed on the site. Every time a new item is added, the consumer gains another chance to win the items in their stocking and the grand prize.
About MSN.CA
MSN.CA is a leading Canadian Web portal with 8.6 million** unique monthly visitors. Its suite of online services delivers news, information, entertainment, and a variety of communication tools including MSN® network of Internet services, Hotmail® web-based e-mail service and MSN® Search. MSN.CA also provides such high-quality interactive services as MSN® Messenger, MSN® Extra Storage, MSN® Shopping, MSN® Web Communities and many more for the Microsoft® Windows® operating system. For more information, please visit the Web site at www.MSN.CA.
About Microsoft Canada Co.
Established in 1985, Microsoft Canada Co. is the Canadian subsidiary of Microsoft Corporation (Nasdaq "MSFT") the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. Microsoft Canada provides nationwide sales, marketing, consulting and local support services in both French and English. Microsoft Canada is headquartered in Mississauga, with MSN.CA offices located in Toronto and eight regional offices across the country dedicated to empowering people through great software - any time, any place and on any device. Visit Microsoft Canada's web site at www.microsoft.ca.
© 2002 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Hotmail, MSN, Windows and Windows NT are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
* Contest open to residents of Canada, with the exception of Quebec residents. No purchase necessary. Some restrictions apply.
** comScore Media Metrix Canada, Home/Work combined, July 2002; Unique Visitors: The estimated number of different individuals within a designated demographic that access the content of a specific site from among the total number of projected individuals (only counted once, even if they visit the same site more than once)
System Requirements: PC with 486 or higher processor running Windows 95, Windows® 98 or Windows NT 4.0 operating systems
| • | Internet access |
| • | Internet Explorer 4.0 or Netscape Navigator 4.5 or later browser software |
