Canadians undeterred by financial woes ahead of holiday spending

Holiday spending rationale

In 2023, 37% planned for a reduction in holiday spending — However, in 2024, that number dropped down to 33%.

For those planning to spend less this year, inflation and increased cost of living expenses are the main reasons (64%), closely followed by anticipated living expenses for this coming winter (56%). The third most popular reason cited by respondents was reducing the number of people they're giving gifts to this year, at 34%.

"Our data showed that the majority of Canadians surveyed, 66 per cent, aren't stressed about holiday shopping,” McIntosh continued. “They're using time-tested strategies — like waiting for major sales, conducting research, and taking stock of who's on their shopping lists—to make the most of their holiday budgets," McIntosh added.

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Key findings for consumers

The biggest takeaway for consumers is a focus on the journey of the package, whether that is concerns over porch pirates or simple transparency.

A large majority (81%) of respondents expect online retailers to offer tracking features, with four out of five utilizing tracking alerts and notifications in the past 12 months. Notably, 25% of consumers check their shipment status multiple times a day.

Despite a decrease in reported package thefts — from 16% in 2023 to 10% in 2024 — over two-thirds of online shoppers remain concerned about porch theft. However, 59% plan to continue shopping online as usual, citing the convenience of e-commerce (70%) as a key reason.

Additionally, 42% of respondents value access to shipment information, such as picture proof of delivery, real-time tracking, mobile apps and notifications. Just over half (58%) use delivery tracking tools as their primary method to protect against package theft.

Other findings include:

• 24% of respondents who've been the victims of package theft stated that the amount of goods stolen in the past 12 months was more than what was stolen in the past
• 29% of porch theft victims in the past 12 months reported that the thefts occurred while someone was home
• Another 13% caught the crime on video themselves with 4% stating a neighbour captured the theft on camera
• More than three quarters (77%) of holiday shoppers plan to start their shopping before December
• To save money, 55% of holiday shoppers plan to seek out sale events and promotions; while 47% will shop online to find the best price

Survey methodology

The survey was conducted from Oct. 9 to 11 with a representative sample of 1,517 online Canadians who are members of the Angus Reid Forum, balanced on age, gender, region, and education to Census Canada. Interviews were conducted in both English and French.