Why more Canadians are Black Friday shopping

Retailers across the country are expecting about half of all Canadians are getting their wallets ready for some Black Friday shopping, according to the Retail Council of Canada. 

“It’s long been a U.S. shopping holiday but in the past five years you have really seen it become part of the narrative in Canadian retail,”  said Michael LeBlanc, senior vice-president of Digital Retail with the Retail Council of Canada.

LeBlanc explained on the Brent Loucks Show on Thursday morning that a smaller gap between the U.S. and Canadian dollar and the blurring of borders by e-commerce has helped propel the American shopping day north. 

“For Canadian retailers, they saw more and more of their customers being very interested in Black Friday and decided to participate themselves,” he said.

“This seems to be a tipping point year.”

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With between 40 and 60 per cent of Canadians expected to take advantage of weekend sales, LeBlanc explained it’s likely the year to solidify Black Friday’s place in Canadian shopping culture.

“If consumers adopt this holiday then retailers will be ready. If not, as an industry they will move onto something else,” he said, adding that Cyber Monday is expected to be bigger than ever.

“I think you will see double-digit growth in e-commerce.”

As for competing with the long held shopping holiday Boxing Day, LeBlanc said the shopping habits are different because of their relation to Christmas which means room for both.

“Two great shopping weeks is great for retailers,” he said.

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