From shipping and delivery to virtual celebrations, Canadians reveal how their holiday plans have changed due to the pandemic
- Eighty-four per cent of Canadians report they will see fewer family and friends in-person this holiday season.
- Almost half of Canadians (47 per cent) will be using shipping and delivery for more of their gifts this year.
- Four out of ten (39 per cent) Canadians plan to shift their holiday plans to involve virtual celebrations.
RICHMOND HILL, ON, Nov. 30, 2020 /CNW/ - Since the onset of COVID-19, Staples Canada has adapted quickly to meet the needs of its customers and it's no different for this holiday season. A recent survey conducted by Maru/Blue and commissioned by Staples Canada revealed that Canadians will be seeing less family and friends in-person this holiday season, opting instead to have their gifts shipped this year, among other shifts in behaviour to help them stay safe.
Canadians are looking for solutions to be close to their family and friends while remaining physically distant. Unsurpisingly, 84 per cent of Canadians reported they will see fewer family and friends in-person this holiday season. Because many Canadians won't be able to gift or celebrate in-person, almost half of Canadians (47 per cent) will be using shipping and delivery for more of their gifts this year and four out of 10 Canadians (39 per cent) anticipate they will have virtual celebrations.
"The holidays will be altered in a big way this year, and it's important for us to understand how we can better support Canadians when it comes to gifting," said David Boone, CEO, Staples Canada. "As part of our commitment to offering a safe shopping environment, we have an expanded assortment of gifting solutions available on staples.ca this year. From the latest technology to stocking stuffers and pack and ship solutions through our delivery partners, we're doing what we can to serve our customers safely and confidently."
Luckily for Canadians, Staples Canada is a shop and ship destination through its shipping offerings from Solutionshop. Customers can visit any Staples location in Canada, purchase a holiday gift, pack it and then ship it to anywhere in Canada, the United States or overseas using a wide-range of shipping services from FedEx, Purolator and Canada Post.
Canadians are shopping early and virtually this holiday
With health and safety being a top priority for Canadians shopping this holiday season, the survey revealed that Canadians will be changing the way they shop for gifts this holiday season. Six out of ten Canadians (62 per cent) reported they will be doing more holiday shopping online this year. When it comes to shopping in-person, Canadians consider fewer crowds and shorter lineups (38 per cent) as the main benefit to starting their holiday shopping early, followed by items more likely to be in stock (26 per cent). Eight out of 10 (81 per cent) Canadians also report that they will only shop in-store with retailers that have the appropriate physical distancing measures in place.
More Canadians will ship holiday gifts this year
Almost half of respondents (47 per cent) reported they will use shipping and delivery for more of their gifts this year than they have in the past. One in three (33 per cent) of respondents plan to ship gifts to loved ones this year. However, six out of 10 respondents (58 per cent) are worried about shipping delays over the holiday season.
Four out of ten Canadians plan on celebrating virtually
With 39 per cent of Canadians looking forward to virtual celebrations this year, they also identified some of their most significant pain points when it comes to getting everyone in one virtual room. The top three pain points were people talking over each other (34 per cent), connection issues (31 per cent) and a lack of knowledge on how to use technology (30 per cent). Staples Canada is ready to help with prepartions for virtual celebrations by offering the latest technology essentials from the best brands, including WiFi extenders to make virtual connections easier.
Canadians are seeking more personalized gifts
As a result of physical distancing during the pandemic, more than half of Canadians (56 per cent) are likely to seek more personalized gift options this holiday season. With in-person visits limited, the next best personalized gift is something custom. Staples Canada's Solutionshop offers a wide array of photo gifts, including canvas prints, fleece blankets, puzzles and mugs among a number of others. Easy to utilize, these photo gifts allow anyone to get something extra special.
To help support its customers this holiday season, Staples Canada has implemented a number of measures in-store and online for the gifting season:
- ShopSafe™ in-store health and safety program: Staples Canada has introduced a ShopSafe™ Program to keep its associates and customers safe. In-store health and safety protocols include physical distancing guidelines, all-day disinfection, face mask requirements, sanitization stations and a ShopSafe app that gives customers the option to join a virtual queue in-store during peak times.
- Fast, free delivery on all staples.ca orders every day: Because staples.ca uses its own fleet to deliver online orders to 85 per cent of the country, customers can expect their purchases to arrive within one to two days. Contactless Curbside Pick Up is also available in-store for orders placed online.
- Extended return policy: Purchases made after November 1 can be returned until January 16 or 14-30 days from the purchase date (whichever is longer). Returns must be accompanied by a receipt of sale and items returned with a gift receipt will be eligible for exchange or store credit.
For more information on Staples Canada and the holidays, visit staples.ca/gifting.
About Staples Canada
Staples Canada is The Working and Learning Company. With a focus on community, inspiration and services, the company is committed to being a dynamic, inspiring partner to customers who visit its 304 locations across the country and online at staples.ca. The company offers five co-working facilities in Toronto, Kelowna, Oakville and Ottawa under the banner Staples Studio. Since its transformation to The Working and Learning Company, Staples Canada has demonstrated a renewed commitment to small businesses and consumers, through expanded services that go beyond printing in Solutionshop, thousands of new products, tech services, special events, and informative content with the Spotlight Speaker Series and newly-launched blog. A privately-owned company, Staples Canada is dedicated to helping its customers work, learn and grow. Visit staples.ca for more information or get social with @StaplesCanada on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
About the survey
From November 4th to November 5th 2020 an online survey of 1,523 randomly selected Canadian adults who are Maru Voice Canada panelists was executed by Maru/Blue. For comparison purposes, a probability sample of this size has an estimated margin of error (which measures sampling variability) of +/- 2.5%, 19 times out of 20. The results have been weighted by education, age, gender and region (and in Quebec, language) to match the population, according to Census data. This is to ensure the sample is representative of the entire adult population of Canada. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.
SOURCE Staples Canada ULC
Alessandra Saccal, Staples Canada, 905-737-1147 Ext. 2363, [email protected]; Kathleen Stelmach, Staples Canada, 905-737-1147 Ext. 2714, [email protected]; David Dwyer, Golin, 647-828-0140, [email protected]
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