TORONTO, ONTARIO — (Marketwired) — 11/12/14 — Canadians are far from sick of shopping, although employers can expect around 1 million calls from staff claiming to be “under the weather” on either Black Friday or Cyber Monday as they plan to hit stores and keyboards, according to a new .
Add another 4.1 million vacation days being planned and that adds up to 5.1 million lost work days as Canadians bail on work to shop on the Friday or Monday, which coincides with American Thanksgiving.
“Clearly, Canadians are planning ahead and making time for what is fast becoming the most popular shopping weekend of the year,” says Chris Herlihey, Vice President Research at IPG Mediabrands. “Black Friday and Cyber Monday are making Boxing Day less relevant. And, it may feel more like –Slack Friday– to many employers year after year.”
With more than $13.4 billion set to be spent in total, 49 per cent (16.3 million) of Canadians plan to shop on either Black Friday (Nov. 28), Cyber Monday (Dec. 1) or both, at 29 per cent.
More statistics to “register”:
“These statistics highlight both the Canadian consumers– demand for convenience through online shopping and the enjoyment many people get through browsing in a vibrant, active setting, such as a mall or local strip,” adds Joseph McConellogue, Managing Director at Reprise. “What–s extremely worrisome for Canadian retailers, however, is the level of cross-border shopping that will occur – whether it happens in store or online. Canadian retailers must also improve their online shopping platforms or more and more money will be sucked out of the Canadian economy.”
Oh, Canada – Cross Border Shopping
The online survey conducted by IPG Mediabrands was conducted with over a 1,000 nationally representative Canadians from coast to coast from October 17-22.
About IPG Mediabrands
IPG Mediabrands was founded by (NYSE: IPG) in 2007 to manage all of its global media-related assets. Today that means we manage and invest $37 billion in global media on the behalf of our clients, employ over 7,500 diverse and daring marketing communication specialists worldwide and operate our company businesses in more than 127 countries.
A proven entity in helping clients maximize business results through integrated, intelligence-driven marketing strategies, IPG Mediabrands is committed to driving automated buying, pay-for-performance and digital innovation solutions. In Canada, is represented by , , m2, , and .
Contacts:
SELECT Public Relations
Andrew Findlater
416-659-1197