Half of Quebecers are reeling from inflation and wondering how they’ll pay for their Christmas presents this year.
According to a survey conducted by Angus Reid on behalf of FedEx Canada, 80% of Quebecers (85% of Canadians) recognize that widespread price increases are putting a strain on their vacation budget.
In a sign of the impact of inflation, 38% of Quebecers plan to spend less this year, while only 14% plan to increase their spending.
For comparison, in the same survey in 2022 – a year in which inflation was also on everyone’s lips – only 20% of Quebecers planned to spend less during the holidays, a rate that has practically doubled in a year.
Additionally, stress related to holiday shopping increased by 10% between 2022 and 2023. 40% of the residents of the province of La Belle are now affected.
The buoy of online shopping
To make ends meet, Canadians largely turn to online trading.
“Inflation is making waves in the minds of Canadians. Amid this economic turmoil, online shopping is proving to be an anchor for Canadians. They want to maximize every dollar of their holiday budget,” noted Ann-Marie McIntosh, vice president of corporate communications at FedEx.
For example, 57% of Canadians plan to do their holiday shopping online, whether for convenience (66%), to save time (59%) or to make it easier to compare prices on the same item (46%).
This abundance of online orders – and packages – is also a delight for thieves. This year, 28% of Canadians (30% of Quebecers) reported having an order stolen, a rate that is increasing every year (24% in 2022, 20% in 2021).