Canadian Retailer - Winter 2013 - 6

RETAIL CURRENTS

NEWS
SEARS CANADA ANNOUNCES STRATEGIC
ALLIANCES

HOLIDAY ONLINE SALES CONTINUE TO RISE

As part of its aggressive rebuilding plans, Sears
Canada has announced the signing of strategic alliances with two of the country’s better known brands.
The company has teamed up with ALDO Group
to design and manufacture Sears' entire line of
Nevada and Attitude footwear for men and women,
as well as the Jessica brand for women. They’ve
also formed a partnership with Buffalo International Inc. to design and manufacture its entire line of
Nevada denim-based apparel.
A statement from Sears Canada explains that the
move is designed to build relationships with best-inclass soft good brands to improve the company's merchandise offering, and to “bring Canadians fashionable products at the great prices they expect at Sears.”
These private label lines will appear in stores
starting in fall 2013.

Canadian consumers expressed their shopping
preferences through their purchasing behaviour this
past holiday season, resulting in signiﬁcant increases
in online spending.

$2.8 Billion

The amount that Canadian
consumers spent online
in December, 2012. This
amount represents the highest ever monthly spend and
equates to 6.6 per cent of the
month’s total retail sales.

The number of
consecutive months
that have seen online
shopping sales in
Canada increase.

26% increase in
The percentage

The number of consecutive months that have
seen online shopping
sales in Canada grow by
at least 20 per cent.

online sales for December,
2012 over the previous year.

RESEARCH
RETAIL ‘SHOWROOMING’ BY U.S. SHOPPERS INCREASING

A new survey from Econsultancy highlights the increasing growth of mobile phone use to compare and check
prices while in store, presenting retailers with opportunities abound. However, the survey also found that
fulﬁlment of orders is critical to the success of the mobile initiative.

83%

14%

The percentage of shoppers
who indicated that the orders
they placed online arrived on
or before the on-time date.

The percentage of U.S. shoppers who used a mobile device
to shop this past holiday season.
The same percentage was registered for the use of tablets.

80%
The percentage
of respondents
who carried out
at least some
of their holiday
shopping online,
while 47% relied
on the Internet
for half or more of
their shopping.

26%
The percentage of U.S. shoppers
who were ‘showrooming’, using
a mobile to compare prices and
check reviews when shopping in
stores in December, 2012.

28%

59%
The percentage of
respondents who said that
they would not shop again
with a retailer that failed
with its shipping promises.

The percentage of U.S. shoppers who used a
mobile device for their Christmas shopping.
Responses also indicated a 50/50 split between smartphones and tablets suggesting
the need for multichannel optimization.

43%

SOURCE: Econsultancy’s Christmas 2013 U.S. Online Shopping Survey

canadian retailer | winter 2013 | www.retailcouncil.org/cdnretailer

The percentage of respondents who increased
their online spending for Christmas 2012 compared
to the previous year.

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Canadian Retailer - Winter 2013

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