TORONTO – While the majority of Canadians still prefer using a PC when making online purchases, mobile ecommerce is beginning to take hold, says a new Visa Canada survey.
The survey found that just over one-quarter (26%) of Canadians have used a mobile device to make an online purchase over the past three months. Reasons for not using mobile devices for online purchasing range from ease of use and security concerns to simply not having thought about it. PCs, on the other hand, are favoured for their perceived convenience, speed of accessing the Internet, and security.
When it comes to offline purchases at retail outlets, 68% of smartphone owners are aware of Near Field Communication (NFC) or Quick Response (QR) Codes, with 65% likely to make NFC or QR payments over the next six months.
The top categories for online purchases across all devices (PCs, smartphones, tablets) are event tickets/entertainment, travel, and apparel/accessories.
“Canada is a world leader in mobile NFC and QR payments. It is very encouraging to see solid awareness of NFC payments as well as that upwards of 26 per cent of Canadians are beginning to use their mobile devices for online ecommerce payments,” said Derek Colfer, Visa Canada’s head of innovation and technology, in the news release. “The mobile industry has advanced incredibly over the past five years and with more consumer education and awareness, Canadians can look forward to fully embracing mobile commerce and payments within our market. The migration to mobile ecommerce payments is well underway.”
The online survey of 1,538 Canadians aged 18 and over was commissioned by Visa Canada and conducted by comScore to gauge consumer preferences related to digital payments. It was conducted from September 10 – 17, 2014.
