Canadians make 5 trips to the mall and spend 11 hours holiday shopping,
according to PayPal Canada survey

PayPal Escape the Mall Web Site Launched to Help Canadians Save Time and Money by Shopping Online this Holiday Season

TORONTO, Nov. 23 /CNW/ - Canadian shoppers will go to great lengths finding the perfect present for everyone on their gift list this holiday season. According to a recent survey conducted by Ipsos Reid on behalf of PayPal Canada, the average consumer plans to take five trips to the mall and spend 11 hours shopping for family and friends.

The survey also reveals that instead of shopping, one third of Canadians (34 per cent) would prefer to spend their time with family, while others dream of relaxing (29 per cent) or baking and decorating their home for the holidays (26 per cent).

Not surprisingly, 54 per cent of Canadians will be avoiding the holiday squeeze at the malls by doing at least some of their shopping online. That number rises to 74 per cent amongst Canadians who are 18 to 34 years old.

Canadians report that their biggest holiday shopping peeves include: 

• Crowds and lines (49 per cent)
• Not being able to find a unique gift (14 per cent)
• Finding out the item you want is not carried or is sold out (10 per cent)
• Getting carried away and exceeding budget (10 per cent)
• Looking for parking (7 per cent)   

"Canadians who want to escape the mall this holiday season can save time and money by shopping online," said Nicky Mezo, head of marketing, PayPal Canada. "Time-crunched Canadians know that online shopping lets them easily compare prices to find the best deals and get their shopping done faster so they have more time for what the holidays are supposed to be about - sharing time with family and friends, relaxing and celebrating."

To help Canadians find great deals and get their holiday shopping done quickly, PayPal Canada has launched the Escape the Mall microsite at www.paypal.ca/escapethemall. The site will help Canadians find great holiday deals with some of Canada's top online retailers, learn how to send money online as a great last-minute gift and receive a chance to win the perfect gifts in the PayPal Escape the Mall contest.

Methodology
These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted between November 3 and 8, 2010, on behalf of PayPal. For this survey, a sample of 1,036 adults from Ipsos' Canadian online panel was interviewed online. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics and ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the adult population according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. A survey with an unweighted probability sample of this size and a 100% response rate would have an estimated margin of error of +/-3.0 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what the results would have been had the entire population of adults who drive and have a car in Canada been polled. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error.

About PayPal
PayPal is the faster, safer way to pay and get paid online. The service allows members to send money without sharing financial information, with the flexibility to pay using their account balances, bank accounts or credit cards. With more than 90 million active accounts in 190 markets and 24 currencies around the world, PayPal enables global ecommerce. PayPal is an eBay company. The company's open payment platform, PayPal X, allows developers to build innovative payment applications on multiple platforms and devices. More information about the company can be found at http://www.PayPal.ca

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