A new study claims that Canadian shoppers take a more balanced approach when choosing retail locations than their neighbours to the South.
Quadrant Marketing and TNS surveyed 1,913 shoppers about purchasing decisions in three product categories: food, health and beauty, and household products.
“In the absence of specific insights about Canadians, marketers often try to leverage U.S. shopper research,” said Molly Spinak, president of Quadrant Marketing, in a statement. “There are vast differences between Canadian and U.S. ethnographic and retailer landscapes. What works in the U.S. doesn’t necessarily work in Canada. The research shows that we Canadians need to be engaged both by brands and by channel in our own unique ways.”
The study found that 57% of Canadians surveyed don’t make a detailed list before shopping versus 77% of U.S. shoppers. Researchers said this finding reinforces the notion that Canadians and Americans follow different paths-to-purchase, and present marketers with distinctive opportunities when it comes to influencing this journey.
Also according to the study, 55% of Canadian shoppers said the most important factor in choosing a retail location is price, compared to 79% of American shoppers. The Canadian shoppers also focus attention on aspects such as convenience, store hours, assortment, and reward programs.
In-store activity was found to have a bigger impact on Canadians, with 48% reporting being influenced by in-store displays compared with 20% of U.S. shoppers.
Quadrant Marketing is a Toronto-based agency that lists shopper marketing, advertising, event planning and web design among its services.
